358 WALL STREET AND THE WILDS 



complishing. I knew the man, he has done the 

 same work for another company and I would 

 have had him but for the crash that was so near. 



How Fate loves to play with us! On April 

 1st, 1884 (All Fools' Day), a powerful syndi- 

 cate proposed an alliance with me for the promo- 

 tion on a big scale of the Bankers and Merchants 

 Telegraph Company. All my plans were to be 

 carried out, though the control of the company 

 was to rest in a committee. In all respects this 

 was what I wanted, for though willing to give 

 mind, body and estate to the work I hated the 

 province of dictator and always wanted some 

 Court of Appeals to review my often hasty deci- 

 sions. I could hardly sleep that night, and when 

 two days later the representatives of two bond 

 houses spent the evening at my house negotiat- 

 ing for the purchase of all that were unissued of 

 our ten million bond issue, I walked on air. 

 During the next few days I closed many con- 

 tracts for short lines which had been held up 

 pending the negotiations. 



Syndicate matters were to be closed up on 



