The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1910-07-08
AROUND THE TICKER.
Strange Characters Gather on tn,
Outskirts of the Curb.


Strange Characters Gather on the
Outskirts of the Curb.
Half a dozen years of financial
writing have brought me into contact
with many Of the strange and inter-
esting characters who may be found
around the ticker" says a contributor
to Moody's magazine.
Men who have been failures else
where trying for a stroke of good
luck; graduate physicians, lawyers,
former clergymen, an eX-motorman
turning the wheel Of fortune; several
who have done time, race-track follow
ers, a former chief who buys stocks
with his left hand and small restau-
rants with his right hotel walters by
the score sorrowfully watching the
tips garnered in the dining room van
ishing in the bucket shops; card gam
blers, club men, society lights, athletes
fascinated by the game of chance have
rubbed elbows some time or other in
the different brokerage Offices
1.-TWO of the most picturesque char
acters Of Wall street hung on the out
skirts of the curb market a few years
ago. One was formerly an expert tel
egrapher who had lost his mind after
an illness. He was a thoroughly harm
less fellow, giving to cracking two
stones alongside his head, saying that
he wanted to drown out the shouts of
the noisy brokers. He seemed to have
an idea what the brokers we're doing
and occasionally they would good-na-
turedly go through the form Of trad
ing with him.
The other character was a tramp.
The only thing missing in his equip
ment was the proverbial tin can. But
Notwithstanding his lowly station in
life he was a sport. Nickels and dimes
were bestowed upon him by the brok-
ers at various times and then this
hobo would circle the crowd to find
some one to match coins with him.
"'See that man there the head of
a large stock brokerage firm said to
me the other day The man was lean
ing against the ticker. The click, click |
of the wheel appeared to be music in /
his ears. Through his fingers the thin, |
white strip of printed quotations was |
sliding in the manner natural to all !
tape readers,
"Well, he's a paradox in Wall |
said the broker. He doesn't .
speculate. He is a strict and sincere /
church member, strongly opposed to
anything that smacks of gambling, yet 1
there is something in his blood that I
has made him come to our office al
most daily for ten years, rain or shine,
and never has he used the buy or
sell pad He turned up one day with
friend we'll known to us and hardly
before the introductions were over he
had made himself at home. The first
day he annexed the stool beside the
ticker, read the prices to our board
boy and seemed'in every way familiar
with the market.
ga week passed and to our surprise
we had received no orders from him
We had an active market for several
and the omission of orders
vas overlooked. In the meantime he
'eally made himself valuable by giving
accurate market opinions,
leeping a record of prices aud statis-
les, so we felt that he was evening
lp matters. To this day he has never
old us 10 buy or sell anything for
lin, but were he to go away he would
,e sadly missed for his friendship, his
and his singular ability to
i've in the atmosphere of a brokers'
flee and never speculate"