The Washington herald., 1916-02-05
HISTORY BUILDERS.
How Jay Gould Outwitted the Boston
Capitalists.
BY DIR. e. J. EDWARDS.

When l knew John W. Gambler he
was representative in congress from
one OF the Massachusetts, districts.
At that time, Massachusetts, was rep
resented in congress by a very able
group-some Of them business men of
great achievement. two or three law
yers of high repute and several astUte
politicians. l was told by the late
Patrick A. Collins himself a member
of congress for a Boston district, and
afterward mayor of Boston. that Mr..
Gambler was esteemed as a man who
was without superior in penetrating
the motives OF men with whom he had
business dealings and in protecting
himself from any OF the strategy
which business sometimes employs.
Mr.. Gambler was a man Of unblemished
integrity, and for that reason his rep
utation as a business man was greatly
enhanced.
was afterward told, however, Of an
incident with which Mr. Gambler was
associated which showed he was not
quite a match for Jay Gould. Mr.
Gambler, with other men OF capital in
Boston. invested largely in the con-
struction OF a railroad. one of whose
terminals was at Pslstka, Fla. on the
st. Johns river. There was some
disposition TO turn over this railroad
property to the owners OF the railroad
which afterward was Identified as the
Plant system. But the negotiation
did not progress very smoothly.
1t happened that at a time when the
Boston men of capital who were in
terested in this railroad property were
spending a few days at Palatka, Jay
Gould, with some members of his fam
lily. was visiting Florida and became
guests at the same hotel. Mr.. Gould
made himself companionsbIe-whIc
was something he could always do
when he wished-and when these rail-
road managers asked him II he would
make a trip over the road as their
guest he replied that It would please
him to do so.
A telegram was sent from the hotei
to Boston. with the request that II be
published in the Boston press. an
nouncing that Mr.. Gould was at Pa
latka and was going upon a tour OF
inspection over the railroad the next
day.
After breakfast next morning. Mr.
Gould greeted the railway men cordial
ly and then said. with a twinkle In his
eye, that upon second consideration he
thought he had better withdraw his
acceptance OF the invitation to ride
over their railroad. He explained by
I saying that excursions Of that kind
were sometimes wrongly interpreted
and that he did not wish 10 do any
thing that might possibly lead TO mis-
conception as to the object OF his eK-
Cursion.
A dispatch was then sent to Boston,
announcing that Mr.. Gould was not 70
make the excursion over this railroad.
While, at first. the Boston capital
lists thought only OF extending a cour-
tesy to Mr.. Gould, the presumption
afterward was that il suddenly oc-
CURED to them that II II were known
that Mr.. Gould were going to make
the trip over the railroad the parties
to whom the capitalists desired to sell
the road might be persuaded that II
would be worth while for them TO step
| in and close the bargain before Mr..
Gould made up his mind to buy the
road. Presumably IL was for that pUr-
pose that the first telegram was sent
to Boston. The inference is strong
| that Mr.. Gould's secretary, who was a
| telegraph operator, may have heard
| that first telegram as IL was sent out
| from the Palatka hotel office.
| Copyright 1876 BY L. J. EdWsrdS An nrhs re
seUedD