New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-16
Oliver Hartman Tells of
-. L. L." Who Knew
of Note
BELIEVED TO BE
JESSE LIVERMORE
Committee Ends Hearings
Here, but Has Not
Closed Inquiry

The leak inquiry unearthed yesterday
the transactions Of Wall Street plum
ger apparently more daring and sue
cessful than Bernard NJ. Baruch. This
mans name was submitted to the mem
bers Of the Rules Committee in conf
dence by Oliver Hartman, Of Harri-
man & Co., bankers and brokers,
through which house he operated.
Mr.. Hartman said that this custom
er's short" interest in those Deem
Der days when peace speeches, notes
and rumors were coming thick, amount
ed to $4,000 shares of stock, or $1,000
600. His profits, it has been estimated,
were not far short of 100000, though
on this point Mr.. Hartman vouchsafed
no opinion.
Jesse L. Livermore is the plunger in
question, if Wall Streets guessing
reputation amounts to anything. Liv-
ermore, "the blond haired boy Of
Wall Street" and sometimes "the Boy
Plunger," is forty years old now, and
has been playing the market since ne
was fifteen. On January 10 he paid
all his creditors in full, the sum paid
out being more than 100000.
mo one knows whether peace is
coming he said then. Things may
remain unsettled for two or three
months. I'm going to take a good, long
rest until it clears up"
Yet it was reported on February 2
that on the previous day he had ma 9
two S1,000,000 deals, having read re-
ports that the German note would
look like peace" On one deal he lost
and on the other he won. Cotton has
always been a favorite medium with
him, and at least one of the three or
four fortunes he has won was made in
that staple.
u. L. L." Knew of Peace Note
Evidence before the Rules Commit
tee included two kilograms dated short
" after noon on December 20. They
were sent from the Hartman Offices
in this city to its branch in Washing
ton, and were signed -. L. l." The
first asked if Washington had news Of
a peace message about to be given out
by the President. The answer re-
ceived was, substantially, "No; have
you?" In reply, -. L. L." sent his
second message, which was, yes"
What time in the day of December
20 did this large operator begin sell
ing" Sherman l.. Whipple, counsel 70
the committee, asked Mr. Hartman.
81 think he began selling early,
maybe in the morning" said the wit
ness.
"Do you know how ]. L. L. got hrs in
formation >" asked Mr. Whipple some
what later in his examination.
mo. But ! suppose he had gone out
to luncheon and heard it in some other
Office"
"Had j. L. L. also an account with
Hutton Co. ?"
81 do not know"
Mr.. Livermore is reported 20 be in
Palm Beach where +. F. Hutton should
also have arrived by this time.
Examining Brokers Statements
Yesterdays leak hearing came to a
close early in the afternoon and the
majority of the Rules Committee took
the Congressional Limited to Washing
ION. lnTee OL LnelT numOeF, Repre-
sentatives Campbell, Of Kansas; Ben
net, of New York, and Foster. of Illi-
nois, remained here as a subcommittee
TO investigate the large volume Of
statements from brokers now available.
This investigation will be made with
the help of the committees counsel
and its expert accountants, and any
thing found of significance to the leak
inquiry will be reported TO the full
committee in Washington on Monday
Mr.. Whipple explained to the members
CT the committee that he thought it
would prove Improbable for them 70
continue the oral examination of brok-
ers at this time, when the growing
seriousness of the international situa-
ton demanded their presence at the
Capitol. The committee has until
February q to make its report to the
House.
Chairman Henry announced that the