Evening journal., 1910-09-29
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
But the Greatest Of These
is Charity"
BY "HolIand."
BY "HOlIand."

Forgotten now, excepting by few
Of the veteran spectators, John NJ.
| Tobin WAS In his day as prominent In
the great speculative and money mar
ket world OF W ar days and some
years after the Civil War as Jay
Gould himself or Colonel Jim Fisk.
He was very daring Spectator He
was afraid of no one His operations
were carried on In the millions. And
he was at one time regarded as the
richest of the spectators Of the Wall
Street district
Tobin aimed to rule. and he did
not hesitate TO attempt to ruin any
one who stood in his way. He came
IN contact with Commodore Wander
bile upon several occasions, and par
ticularly at a time when the Commo-
dore was trying TO be influential in,
or to secure control OF, the Erie rail-
road.
The Commodore was as bold and
defiant as Tobin. Open battle was
declared between them. Tobin boast
ed that he would break Vanderbilt,
and Ne set out to do it, He had al
ready displayed his nerve by associat-
ing with the little pool which attempt
ed to corner gold in 1869 an act which
brought on the gold panic Tobin was
reported at that time himself 10 have
bought about hundred millions OF
| gold. And the pool would actually
have cornered the gold market-they
had bought sufficient gold to do So
had not President Grant suddenly re-
leased a large amount OF treasury
gold.
So It was not regarded daring for a
man who had a hand in a great gold
pool syndicate TO fight Commodore
Vanderbilt and threaten to ruin him
He also fought William H. Vanderbilt
the Commodore's son. and was thought
to have even greater enmity for the
younger Vanderbilt than he bore for
the Commodore.
OF a sudden John NJ Tobin disap-
peared. The presumption was that
he had gone broke. In a little while
he was forgotten. His old Wall Street
associates did not know whether he
was dead, cared for by relatives or
was in the seclusion Of some old mans
retreat.
After Cornelius Vanderbilt. the
Commodore's grandson, had come into
the direction Of the family railroads
he determined to distribute practical
ly 1.-THE Of his income in benefac-
lions and charities. To one of his
most faithful subOrdinates he en-.
trusted the work of entering the bene
factions i'm a book and of sending ou
the monthly checks to the beneficial
ries.
One day an old friend of this al
moner called to sec him, and founS
him occupied with Cornelius Wander
bits charity book
What have you there?" he asked
This is the account book in which
I enter Mr.. Vanderbilt's gifts. Once
month | turn to IL, so that / may &c
the records with which to make GU
checks He distributes about a mil
lion year in this way"
The friend glanced curiously at tn
open page.
why isn't that John NJ. Tobin'
name / see there?" he asked HOY
happens IL that he is on the list O
Cornelius Vanderbilt's benehciaries
There are many queer entries i
this book, but ] think the story be
hind the John NJ Tobin entry is tn
stangest of them ALL" said the al
moner. One day Mr.. Vanderbilt sal
TO me: 4 want you 10 enter in tn
book the name Of John NJ. Tobin. an
send him each month a check for on
hundred dollars
~ looked up at Mr.. Vanderbilt
amazement. Don't you know, I vel
tured 10 say. that John NJ. Tobin wa
your fathers bitterest enemy, that b
tried to ruin him financially, that b
also fought your, grandfather, an
made his open boast that he woul
break the Commodore? Don't 20
know that he was relentless and PEI
sistent I'm this enmityY
Mr.. Vanderbilt hesitated momen
He stood looking at me, while he rul
b bed his chin meditatively. Then thel
came a tender look into his eye. an
he said L heard recently that poo
, old Tobin is living in a little ran
shackle house upon a bit Of a far
az the east end of Long Island. +
!, has barely enough to keep body al
soul together Some of the neighbol
;. pitied him and gave him a broker