A GREAT SPECULATOR.

Lake County Press, Issue 40, 8 March 1872, Page 3

A GREAT SPECULATOR.

James Pisk, jun., or *• Colonel” Fisk, as he was popularly termed in America —whose assassination is reported in the last mail telegrams - was the greatest speculator of modern times, and is reported to have been the richest man in the United States. His name will be remembered in connection with the Erie Railway affair, which caused some excitement in England about three years ago, and the New York gold panic in 1869, when he and Vanderbilt commanded the resources of Wall street, and for hours held the financial creditof the United States in their powerAt the present time the following extract from the Sydney Morning Herald will be read with interest:—“ Fisk’s last hobby is to have the finest band in the world j and he has succeeded in securing, among others, the celebrated Levy (brother of the leader in Cagli’s orchestra), the cornet-player, as one of its members. • Three men in it receive 10,000 dollars (£2500) a-year each, and six others 5000 dollars Well, Fisk and his regimental band having turned out among the rest to act as guard of honor to Duke Alexis, and having serenaded Mr Sothern, retired for a few hours’ rest, when he again took the field with his band, and 4 tooted’ under the windows of the Prince. Alexissent for him, and personally thanked him for his beautiful music. Fisk’s reply was characteristic Utterly unabashed, he said, ‘Well, Prince, this is nothing to what I’ll do for you. I now give you the freedom of everything I own on this continent during your stay in America. This means free entrance to the Opera House, two theatres, the right to travel free on half-a-dozen lines of railway, in steamboats innumerable, the command of the finest horses and drag in those parts, &c.”