The Wizard of Wall Street and His Wealth; or, The Life and Deeds of Jay Gould

Transcriber's Note
Larger versions of most illustrations may be seen by right-clicking them and selecting an option to view them separately, or by double-tapping and/or stretching them.
Jay Gould
THE LIFE AND DEEDS OF JAY GOULD
BY TRUMBULL WHITE.
JOHN C. YORSTON & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1893.
Copyright, 1892, By MID-CONTINENT PUBLISHING CO.
The history of any man who had been able to distinguish himself by acquiring in his lifetime the greatest amount of wealth ever accumulated by one man, would necessarily be of interest, even if his success had been won by the most ordinary of methods or the most marvelous succession of good fortune. But when that man is one whose career was full of the most dramatic incidents; when he won his wealth by feats of financial daring which astounded the world; when, in short, that man is Jay Gould, “The Wizard of Wall Street,” then, indeed, the interest is most absorbing. Jay Gould has been more prominently before the people of the country for the last few years than has any other man whose prominence depended upon the magnitude of his fortune. In his history is much to be learned, both for imitation and avoidance, by every American. This volume contains, not only a complete account of the life and deeds of Jay Gould for the general reader, but also much for the student of financial affairs and Wall street methods. The particular effort of the author has been to secure its absolute accuracy and to make it entirely reliable. The present absorbing interest in the career of the great financier, and the fact that every source of information concerning him is being sought most eagerly, makes the work particularly timely.
TRUMBULL WHITE.
Chicago, December 15, 1892.
In every walk of human life, in every imaginable human occupation, that man who stands at the very top, who is superior to all others in that particular occupation, is of necessity a great man. No matter how humble that occupation may be, absolute superiority in it, in itself means greatness. The time once was when commercial eminence was considered to belong rather to the lower classes, and was, indeed, despised by those who thought themselves to be of knightlier blood than their fellows. The Crusades, the Renaissance, the discovery of America, and the impetus these gave to voyage and trade and commerce, were potent factors in changing all of this. For the last few centuries, commercial ability, financial capacity, knowledge of how to manipulate men and measures in a way to increase fortune, and so to secure more of what fortune will buy, have been more and more appreciated, until to-day aristocracy and royalty clip coupons, families whose ancestors trace from the Conqueror invest in stocks and draw dividends, and the bluest blooded of all great families engage with avidity in the struggle for business and wealth.