Fifty years in Wall Street
millionaire, who paid no attention to threats, but walked and drove out
defiantly, Rothschild was still in mortal terror, and believed that the
threats were intended to be executed. Nathan made one of his biggest
piles out of the Almaden quicksilver mines in Spain. The Spanish
Government wanted a loan, which he granted, receiving the mines as
security for several years. He got up a “corner” in quicksilver, and
raised the price 100 per cent. He realized almost $6,000,000 out of this
transaction. It was as good for him as the Waterloo deal, only the
returns did not come in so quickly. Nathan died in Frankfort, at the age
of 59, in 1836. His last words were, “He is trying to kill me. Quick,
quick, give me the gold.” His death created a panic on the London Stock
Exchange, and the Continental Bourses were greatly embarrassed by the
event. The news was conveyed by a carrier pigeon, which was shot by a
boy near Brighton. The message was briefly, _Il est mort_-“He is dead.”
The interests of the house of Rothschild are now scattered over the
globe, and it is probable that the aggregate wealth of all the branches
of the firm, including the possessions of the various members of their
families, exceeds $1,000,000,000.
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CHAPTER XXXIX.
TRAVERS.
THE UNIQUE CHARACTER OF TRAVERS—HIS VERSATILE ATTAINMENTS—ALTHOUGH OF A
GENIAL AND HUMOROUS DISPOSITION, HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BEAR—HOW HE
WAS THE MEANS OF PRESERVING THE COMMERCIAL SUPREMACY OF NEW YORK—HE
SQUASHES THE ENGLISH BRAVADO, AND SAVES THE ORATORICAL HONOR OF OUR
COUNTRY—HAS THE OYSTER BRAINS?—IT MUST HAVE BRAINS. FOR IT KNOWS
ENOUGH TO SH-SH-SHUT UP—THE DOG AND THE RAT—I D-D-DON’T WANT TO BUY
THE D-D-DOG; I WILL BUY THE R-R-RAT—TRAVERS ON THE ROYAL STAND AT
THE DERBY—HOW HE WAS EUCHRED BY THE POOL-SELLER—MY PROXY IN A SPEECH
AT THE UNION CLUB.—IF YOU ARE A S-S-SELF-MADE MAN, WH-WH-Y THE
D-DEVIL DIDN’T YOU PUT MORE H-HAIR ON THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD? OTHER
WITTICISMS, &C.
Wm. R. Travers is one of the most notable men of Wall Street in our
time.
His success in speculation has usually been on the bear side, which is
rather singular, as he is a man of such a genial disposition, with a
kind nature, an inexhaustible supply of sparkling wit, and always
brimful of humor.
He is also fond of athletic sports of every description, and, in fact,
is a kind of universal genius, so various and versatile are his
attainments. Owing to his immense variety of qualities, tastes and
pursuits, he has one of the most remarkable records in Wall Street; and
the most singular thing about him, probably, is, that while having all
the attributes usually inherent in a bull, he has always been a bear in
his transactions.
This genial, benevolent and high spirited man has never been known to
believe that there was any value in any property.
If he ever by chance happened to make any money on the bull side of the
market, it must have made him feel very uncomfortable—in fact,
conscientiously miserable—as he could not realize that by any
possibility it belonged to him.
It is due to Mr. Travers, however, that New York has been so highly
classified in the catalogue of cities, in fact, as occupying the highest
position in public estimation, and that it has attained full credit for
being the largest in wealth and population of any city in the Union.
This fact, now generally admitted, seemed to have been suspended in
doubt until Mr. Travers came from Baltimore to reside in our midst.
It will be remembered by many Wall Street men that prior to the advent
of Mr. Travers the rivalry among several of the seaboard cities on the
Atlantic coast was very keen. Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore were
each in turn disposed to claim pre-eminence. Thanks to this Wall Street
magnate, the matter is now no longer in dispute. It was finally decided
in this way:
One day after Mr. Travers became one of ourselves, an old friend from
Baltimore met him in Wall Street. As it had been a long time since they
saw each other, they had a considerable number of topics to talk over.
They had been familiar friends in the Monumental City, and were not
therefore restrained by the usual social formalities.
“I notice, Travers,” said the Baltimorean, “that you stutter a great
deal more than when you were in Baltimore.”
“W-h-y, y-e-s,” replied Mr. Travers, darting a look of surprise at his
friend; “of course I do. This is a d-d-damned sight b-b-bigger city.”
That settled it. Since this famous interview, and this scientific
explanation given by Mr. Travers to his old friend, no skeptic has had
sufficient temerity to entertain any doubt regarding the financial and
commercial supremacy of New York; its leading position as the great
emporium of the Continent has never since been questioned; and there are
few cities outside of Ohio that can claim such power in politics.
It is due to Mr. Travers, also, that this country still retains the palm
for oratory and volubility in speech, and has successfully resisted the
intrusive and pretentious claims of Great Britain in regard to that
great and somewhat limited accomplishment.
The destiny of this nation in that respect hung in the balance at one
time.
A sort of go-as-you-please oratorical contest was being arranged to
decide the question of championship between Great Britain and ourselves,
and a vaunting and loquacious Britisher had appeared in our midst to
dispute the claim of the national cup in oratory as Rowell had done for
the belt in pedestrianism.
This English bravado had letters of introduction from Lord Randolph
Churchill, Sir Charles Dilke, Lord Salisbury, Mr. Gladstone, and other
British declaimers to Mr. Travers and other American gentlemen. It was
in the yachting season, and the voluble champion was invited to
accompany a party, of which Mr. Travers was the leading spirit, down the
bay in Mr. Travers’ yacht. The orator had talked everybody within
earshot of his voice almost deaf. When the party arrived at the dinner
table it was hoped that he would cease for a short time; but when every
other topic seemed exhausted, as well as the patience of his listeners,
he started off with renewed fluency on the subject of oysters, which
constituted the dish then at table.
“It is now a debatable point among scientists,” he began, “as to whether
or not the oyster has brains.” Travers, who up to this time had endured
the infliction of his loquacious guest, with the calmness of Job, said,
“I think the oyster must have b-b-brains because it knows enough when to
sh-sh-shut up.”
By this satiric stroke the English orator was dumbfounded and almost
paralyzed; his fluent tongue ceased to wag with its usual volubility,
and when requested to name his time for the international contest, he
begged to be excused until cured of his cold. He took the next steamer
for Liverpool, and has not been heard of since. Mr. Travers’ incisive
remark about the mental attributes of the oyster thoroughly squashed
him, and saved the oratorical honor of our country.
Mr. Travers started in life in the grocery business in Baltimore, but
disaster overtaking him there, he came to New York, and soon thereafter
formed a co-partnership with Leonard W. Jerome, the firm being Travers &
Jerome. Mr. Travers met with fair prosperity from the start, and soon
accumulated wealth. The worst set-back probably that he ever received
during his residence in this city was on one occasion on his way home
after the business day was over. Being attracted by the display in the
window of a bird fancier and dog dealer, from curiosity he was tempted
to enter the place. One of the conspicuous objects that met his eye was
a very large sized parrot. Mr. Travers inquired of the proprietor of the
establishment who was in attendance “i-i-if th-th-th-that p-p-parrot
c-c-could t-t-talk?”
Its owner quickly replied, “If it couldn’t talk better than you, I’d cut
its damned head off.”
Mr. Travers for a long time afterwards made up his mind some time or
other to get even with this dealer in animals and birds, and succeeded
most effectually. His coachman made a complaint to him that the stable
was overrun with rats. Mr. Travers said, “Well, you m-m-must hunt for a
r-r-rat dog.” The coachman made it known that Mr. Travers wanted a dog,
and all those engaged dealing in dogs overran Mr. Travers’ house as
ferociously as the rats had overrun the stable, to get him to buy a dog.
Among the rest who responded was this identical man who kept the store
where the parrot was. Mr. Travers recognized him at once, and told him,
“I-i-if he w-w-would b-b-b-be d-d-down at the s-s-stable in the
m-morning with t-th-the d-d-dog, he would g-g-give him a tr-tr-trial,
and if he p-pr-proved to b-b-be a g-g-good r-rat c-c-catcher, would
b-b-buy him.”
Mr. Travers sent for his coachman and told him to catch three or four
rats and put them in the bin, and he would be down in the morning to try
the dog. So, good and early next morning Mr. Travers was on hand at the
stable, and also the dog man and his terrier. Three rats having already
been put into the bin, Mr. Travers ordered the dog put inside, as the
man said he was ready for the fray, and the rats were so ferocious, and
showed such determined fight, that they kept the dog at bay, and he took
to the corner of the bin for protection. By and by the owner pushed him
right on the rats, and after a pretty fierce tussle he did secure one of
them and shook him until dead. This success encouraged a tussle with
another, which, after a long fight, shared the same fate. The third rat,
however, was determined to resist the dog, and did so nobly and
fiercely, making a prolonged fight, which resulted in a draw, and it was
hard to tell which was the worst hurt, the dog or the rat.
The owner of the dog then turned to Mr. Travers and said: “Now you see
what a fine dog that is, won’t you buy him?” Mr. Travers replied: “I
d-d-don’t w-w-want t-t-to b-b-buy the d-d-dog, b-b-but I’ll b-b-b-buy
the r-rat.”
Mr. Travers, when he first saw the owner of this dog, remembered him in
connection with the parrot. Since the rat fight, however, this same man
has never ceased to remember Mr. Travers, so that honors remain easy
between them. Mr. Travers has never been known to be at a loss for wit
to meet an emergency, and it is recognized that it flows as freely from
his lips and in as perfectly natural a way, as ordinary conversation
does from most people.
Early in the Spring of last year, on the advice of his physician, Mr.
Travers took his maiden trip to Europe, and would not have gone but for
the urgency of the case, always regarding that this country was big
enough for him without leaving its shores. When he reached England,
however, he found, when his arrival was announced through the medium of
the papers, that he was as well known amongst the nobility, sporting
world and other distinguished people there as he was in his own country,
owing to his connection with the turf and athletic sports, together with
his widely published witticisms which had preceded him. He consequently
was overpowered by attention and hospitality, and participated to as
full an extent as his health would permit. He attended the Derby, and
took an interest in a pool which resulted in his favor. As soon as he
ascertained his good fortune, he went to bag his money, but found that
the pool man had decamped with the funds. This was a sad disappointment.
He could scarcely believe his eyes or the various statements which went
to corroborate this man’s disappearance, but it was evident that he was