The Washington herald., 1912-01-07
The Story of Charles KIein's Thrilling Play.
Novelized by ]. w. McConaughy.

tell him It's your busy day and hen 60
outside and cuss, ana that'n be All
there'll be TO It."
Emerson laughed with his friend and
then asked:
rs there anything you want TO sug-
gest. Fred, before We have the formal
meeting?"
Tookers good-natured face instantly
took on businesslike look
There's nothing want to suggest
exactly, Emerson" he said, slowly. "but
do want to have little heart-to-
heart talk with you"
Emerson met his gaze with a direct,
frank glance and nodded.
'sThe way the thing stands now" con-
tinued Tooker. ''as soon as we four get
together-or Ave, with your father
and form this company, we will have
IN our hands four banks that are SO
solid that they make Gibraltar look
like lemon meringue-banks that can
pay about four and half on the dol
lar tomorrow.
Now, the scheme is to take our sur
plus and form more banks and get
more business, always standing inside
of a line where we could pay-well. a
little better than dollar for dollar, II
we were jammed into a receivership,. I"
| Emerson nodded again. Tooker was
silent for a moment and then he be-
gan again, even more slowly and de-
Hberately.
IT don't see anything wrong with the
scheme, Emerson. or you can gamble
that I wouldn't be going in, hook, line,
and sinker; but there's one thing that
lpossibly you haven't considered as deeply
as i have, and that's what I wanted TO
talk to you about
"Of course, you know that we are
not going to parade into millions down
a balmy path OF roses. This crowd"
he nodded toward the windows that look
ed down into Wall street-"are not going
| to let us get very big II they can help
II. They all want all OF II themselves.
Personally. I don't think they can
stop US. We've got too much cash. Now,
you're going to run this thing and you're
going to run II unpursued by superfuous
! suggestions from me. My last word Is:
Don't let them catch us short of cash
or they may hang up our hides on those
iron pickets IN front OF Trinity as a warn
l ing 10 anybody else who Is thinking about
| butting into their game"
Emerson laughed and Tooker Joined
him with grin that was only half
mirthful.
the young man. Wen take care that
| they don't catch US mapping
Within forty-eight hours after this con-
versation the new banking company was
formed and the day that IL was duly in
corporated saw the beginning of the ac-
tivity Of Wilbur Emerson as power in
Wall street.
There is no need to go into the details
Of the formation OF the chain OF banks
A story OF its rise, of the combinations,
Of the tricks, of the duels, OF the pitched
| battles though teeming with the ro-
! nance Of money-would read like a
banking statement from a financial jour
nal
But there was one little group Of men
who met formally or Informally every
day, that never missed move Of the
new Rupert OF finance or a detail or
skirmish Of his campaign.
They watched with keen interest that
was untinged with alarm, though his
banks sprang Up overnight and took
business away from their own in a day.
They ate as calmly and slept as well as
IL young Emerson had never persuaded
his father to let him poach on their pre-
serves.
They knew Just how much cash he had:
how much he had in instantly converti-
BILE securities. and how much in solid
securities that might not be readily mar
ketable. They were withdrawing.
Every time he opened a new bank. they
smiled and murmured, Pretty soon!"
At last he had a string of twelve banks
all going along nicely but he had wrung
the last drop of blood from his resources
to establish them. II was now only a
question of months until every one OF
them would be in condition to weather
any sort of financial storm.
1t was at this time that the little group
Of men aforementioned met one after
noon as usual. They yawned and looked
into each others eyes and smiled a little
wearily.
''weiI," said one of them. languidly,
Il guess we might as well go and do It
now"
The others yawned again and nodded. |
and then they went out and hurled a few |
million dollars worth OF stock at a rest |
less market.
The market gasped and staggered.
The gentlemen were mildly surprised |
that Il only gasped and staggered. so |
they belted It with a few millions more.
The market reeIed. and there was a |
scramble TO get out from under.
Another blow.
The market cane down in ruins, and
men with foam-hecked lips fought and
tore at the teIlers' windows in the banks |
and brokerage Offices
Their gods had stricken them with the
madness of panic.
And their cries went out over the face |
Of the land and all that the sound reach
ed were driven mad
The merchant closed the shutters of /
his ceunting-room.
The factory fires were drawn.
The steamboats, were tied up to the
levees and docks and the rolling stock
rusted in the railroad yards,
Whitehead. tortured men put pistols
to their temples. Hollow-eyed women
and children cried for food that was not
given them
The world shuddered.
An this had been done by that little
group of men in .'the crooked street be-
tween a graveyard and river on that
afternoon they decided that Wilbur Em-
erson must be obllterated from the map
of the money world.
And Emerson? He looked at the ticker
and thought that he had gone crazy. He
called UP a trusted broker and in few
minutes the situation was made clear.
When he hung up the receiver and lean
ed back to collect his thoughts he was
paler than he had ever been In his life,
but he was calm and confident The
final, the supreme, struggle was upon
him at lssti
He was not such an optimist as to
think that this was a chance break Pub
lie confidence had never been better The
market had been deliberately broken and 4
Just at the time when his affairs were in
their most delicate condition. He knew
what had happened Just as well as II he
had been present at the meeting that
day.
Before he could even get into conmu-
nication with his banks, Tooker dashed
Il