THE LATE JAY GOULD.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 296, 13 December 1892, Page 3

THE LATE JAY GOULD.

A MILLIONAIRE'S STORY.

Jay Gould, one of the richest men in the world, whose death the other day was announced by cable from New York commenced life like many other millionaires, in very humble circumstances. By dint of greab efforts, many of them questionable, he amassed a colossal fortune, but in spite of his great wealth he was not respected by his fellow-countrymen. Jay Gould retired from business in 1884, with a fortune of 100,000,000 dollars. Although only 47 years of age he made more money than the Rothschilds, and did ib in 25 years, while it took the wealthy Jewish house more than a century to amass their wealth. Jay Gould's father was a struggling farmer near Roxbury, in the State of New York. At twelve years of age Jay was sent away from home, with the cutting remark, " Go, you are good for nothing on the farm." Ho was given a suit of clothes and two shillings, and left to make his way in the world. At fifteen he became partner in a business, and after a few months became sole manager. Nob content with such a slow business, he put hia father in as manager and flew lor higher game. By working day and night he qualified himself as surveyor and civil engineer, and soon had a corps of surveyors all over the State working for the Government. Gould bought a tract of land in eastern Pennsylvania, and started a tannery, using hemlock bark for tanning. This was the beginning of his career of fortune. In three years he was able to buy out his partner, and was then worth 100,000 dollars. In 1860, in a dispute with his then partner, who had seized on the tannery in his absouce, and was managing it to suit himself, Mr Gould resorted to force, as the quickest and cheapest way of carrying his own point. He selected 50 men and divided them into two companies, and stormed the tannery in front and on the roof. Every man was armed with a six-shooter, and the bullets whistled around like hail-stones. Gould's party coon effected an'enfcrance, and threw the defenders out of the upper windows. Having turned out his partner Gould resumed possession, and soon got the sole ownership. The money made by this tannery venture was merely used as a stepping stone to his great railway manipulations. He netted a splendid fortune over the shares of the Lake Erie railway, by a series of brilliant though underhanded devices. His wealth and hia enterprise had become a national themo. He stopped at nothing to accomplish his ends. Half-a-million dollars were distributed at the seat of the New York Legislature, and he got whatever acts he wanted passed. Gould controlled judge 3, courts, legislators, aenators,Bheriffs, newspapers, and railways. He sought to control the money of the nation, and even looked towards buying np the very President himself. But the President was not to be bribed. ■In 1873 he added a few more millions to his pile over tho "gold" panic, which ruined thousands, and which made Gould very unpopular. All his partners were ruined. One, a broker named Speyer, wont mad; another, Fisk, was shot; Tweed diod in gaol, Judge Barnard was disgraced and deposed, and died of shame, and everyone connected with him was bankrupt. He used their corpses to bridge over the chasm of ruin for himself to cross by. Some years later he built the Wabash Railway, the finest system in the West, and to-day his son is president and virtual owner of a road leading from the Mississippi to the Atlantic.