The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-10-09
|QLDT0MLANSON
NONIN.SECLUSION
'AFIERIBIG LOSSES
whereabouts Of King of Fren-
zlediFinance Unknown Ex.
cept to Friends.
By JOHN o,poNNELL

6OSHOSt Mass Oct. S.-Iom
Lawson Boston's most pictures.
que bull operator in the days OF
fenziedS finance, has received a
1 sortng from old State and Wall
street enemies that may end his
vivid career in Americas financial
history
According 10 information from
iattmates lawson is definitely
through
The author Of "Frenzied FL
nanceH and s'Friday the Thir-
tenth, the poet, muckraker. poll.
ticlan yachtsman and brsNer Of
prize cattle, the picturesque and
vivid character who Frightened
the life OF city editors with sem
sational story each week, has
fought his last battle, on the stock
exchange.
Iawson has gone into seclusion
( pending the auction sale OF
pteamwold, his famous estate.
His whereabouts have been kept a
secret
Els Sensational career began
when he was 10 years old-an Of
flee boy In atState street broker.
age house. Now, at 60, the fortune
which has been tossed into the
financial arena In a scors Of Bit
ter battles, has been wiped out
i and his famous estate in Egypt. on
the South Shore, has been put T.
at auction to liquidate the LawI-
liabilities.
Played shoe-strlns Stakes
Lawson became the p. T. Bar
mum Of tho Stock Exchange. He
] began his career playing shoe
ssring stakes on tips which he
picked UP In the firm where he
was chalking Up quotations and
running errands. This was In
1870!
Whilo still under 20 he was
making money rapidly. Before an
other ten years had passed he
had made a fortune. From TINT
time 1.-THE present he has been in
the spotlight.
HIS pracSce was to leap into a
stock exchange battle with roar
aud d Nwhoop-to advertise his in.
tentions, make the battle per-
sonnl scrap with other financiers
and Keep a delighted public in
FORMED Of the progress with pull.
page letters in the newspapers.
at 80, he combined literature
with rambling OF the exchange.
His first book was The Krank".
Y. published in 1857
Eoply, four copies were publish
ID ofs his second work, 1.-THE His
tory OF the Republican Party"
which APPEARED the next year.
oneScf these, Lawson presented to
President Harrison, a'eIer 20
Vice President Morton, third
was given, to the Library OF Con.
Ersss The only remaining copy
was retained by the author.
From that time on there was n
continuous out-pouring OF maya
zine articles, poems, political
opinions and-above all-his let
tiers and advertisements In the
ynewspapers,
Never Tried Writing
After seyerat bitter feuds on the
stock exchange, Lawson began his
famous series OF undertaking ar
ttclas, .Frenzied Finance" He
was the first to apply the craze
for undertaking to the stock eX-
change, These articles appeared
in Eyerybody's Magazine in 1904
and made the author a national
figure with tkeir savage personal
attack on prominent members of
the New York and Boston stock
exchanges.
These were followed by Law
sons full length novel Friday the
Thirteenth, a romance Of State
Street built around that 1904
panic.
Lawson had tremendous fol-
lowing among the general public
as a result Of these articles III
which he appeared as a lone war
fiof Sbattling single-handed
against the might of Wall Street.
This prestige made possible
some OF his greatest couos. a
newspaper ad that he would put
4 certain low stock 'at so In 90
daysa brought. flood of money
from small, investors to his sup.
port The battle would be adver-
Used. Daily, as the stock crept up
lawson would issue bulletins II
the newspapers. Finally, with the
city In aStrenzy OF excitement, the
stock would cross 60 and the edl.
tors would publish the leory with
big headlines.
Won Campaign by eameness
Lawson, since the war, had not
been active IN the market. His
latest plunge into the spotlight
was HIS political venture when be
blocked Secretary OF War Weeks
from rejection to the U, s. Sen.
We mead nsed fnrnitura ~