THB CITY PARIAH.

Otago Witness, Issue 919, 10 July 1869, Page 11

THB CITY PARIAH.

{Pall Mall Gazette.)

The City Pariahs are the outcasts, branded unfortunate by habits and repute, or who have been caught red-handed in petty crimes. It is natural, perhaps, that in tho greatest commercial capital in the world penalties on offences should be in the inverse ratio to tho sums involved in them. In the City there are few things that are not tolerably pare to the wealthy, and the rich man may steal a horse and lead him away with impunity, while tre impecunious sinner may ie condemned to hard labour for only looking over the wall. There is a slight feeling igainatmen who trade recklessly on credit that they know to be a myth ; against the icttling of property by hopeless insolvents, •r the execution of deeds of composition vhich leave their makers rich. There can Is no reason against their plnndonng shareholders wholesale, so long as it is done mder the name of commission, or taking btbes from the men of straw to whom they hmd over the capital they hold in solemn trist ; nor against breaking the law while afbeting to comply with it ; abusing the coitidence reposed in them to issue fictitious shires and missapply tho millions in thoir cha-ge ; nor yet against covering their frauds win falsehood, and on a pinch, with porjury, whtn their character for piety begins to wax throdbare. All that is striotly dt. r'ujutur as ling as it is millions or hundreds of thouaancs they are handling. But it is essential to daw a line somewhoro, and yet you cannot welldiotinguish between shades of villany withmt hurting tho feelings of very " warm ' men. On thewhole, and as aru'o, it is bettor to refer the colour of a man's ouilt to tho tost of tho Ulanoe at his banker's. Property may be farly taken as a g»ugo of suooeas, and miocee is i-retty muoh synonymous with virtue As French jurors make thoir scruples about capital punishment an extenuating oiroumstmco in tho oaso of the blackest crimitul, to in pasting sentence on mon whontunoommoroial honour and ethics would donouico at mean-spirited and unmitigated Bcoimdrols, City morality take* into aooount the lomingly irrelevant considerations of their noney and the merits its poftieuion, presnnss. It is not in tho City oodo alone* that msfortunn Is hold a mortal sin, and as pmttoal men wo do not take any oxoeptin to tht) dogma. It may press tovoroly on individuals, but tho general effect is god ; it /loops totn np to too mark anc promotes genoral pro*, perity aid the elattf jifcy of the revenue. Of coarse too smaller scoundrels have some shadow >f a grievance when thoygetmora than thor donftrts, whilo they soo tho bigger onos eixtyo whipping altogether j but, eitor all, wo pw or a system that makes soap«go*t* to one tut aovor notion sin in any owe.

Scampsbyj who has never been' trusted for more than a thousand or Wo, feels' it hard that he should be sentenced to' 'hunger, and rags, and out and 'cold- shouldered' everywhere, while Pius Prim, the monster contractor, who has, embezzled millions, drives past and splashes him with the mud from his carriage-wheels. ' But the nnimpassioned looker-on knows Scampsby to be unjust. Soampßby forgets how very aggravating it must be to men of Prim's class to see their dubious transactions parodied and caricatured in a coarse style and on a paltry scale by persons who attempt to trade on felonies and misdemeanours, i with no stock of character to start upon. Soampsby figuring at the Mansion House or Old Bailey, invites odious comparisons with Prim. After suoh disclosures the most pathetic and pious orations of the latter gentleman only move his hearers to rage or laughter, even when with hand on heart and handkerchief at eye he pleads the purity of the motives that influenced him in the breaches of trust which turned his constituents' pockets into his own.

Soampsby made a fair start in life, but frankness . and impetuosity have been his ruin. He had tolerable means, connections, and abilities, but the fairies who presided at his birth, while they blessed him with easy principles as well, bestowed with niggard hand the divine gift of hypocrisy. He began to take liberties with his character when he had none to speak of. Mangasteen, as an old friend of his family, had taken him into his house; and he had Hardly entered it before he caused terrible scandal to its heads by his ostentatiously displayed weakness for beer and billiards, tastes which his fellows indulged in more moderatioa on the sly. Yet this was perhaps the most prosperous period of his career. Beer cost- him little, tor he generally appealed its payment to the lot, and had a neat turn for the sleight- of -hand that knew how to correct unpropitious fortune by its way of spinning a shilling. As for his billiards, they were a steady income to him. His dashing tactics made him both feared and respected at pool, where, confident in his fatal game, playing for hazards to the absolute disregard of safety, he utterly demoralised his adversaries. Mangosteen, seeing the baleful example was spreading like slow poison, was hesitating about the expulsion of this moral leper when a very painful occurrence gave him no option. The story was hushed up, and the reason assigned for the dismissal was incompatibility of habits, but there were flying rumours of a bank-note said to have been dropped by Scampsby in the street, and afterwards,] traced to the billiard-rooms he patronised. Shortly after he came of age, and found himself the master of some LSUOO, although with an indifferent reputation for either probity or steadiness. He hated work, but he needed money, and the easiest way to reconcile his feelings with his wants seemed to be to pick up a partner for some light remunerative business and go into it at I once. He found the very man he wauted in O'Swindell, a gentleman who had gained bia esteem bp making a terrible example of him at double dummy. They discussed their business arrangements early one morning between the strokes of a game at pyramid, and settled them finally next forenoon over their brandy and soda water. Scampsby and O'Swindeli started as commission agents, general brokers, and discounters. The former had the capital, the latter prided himself on his connection, and Scampaby found his row friend the easiest fellow to deal with in the world. He consented to anything and everything in the articleß of copartnery, declined even to read the rough copy, whereupon Scampsby, with many inward chuckles, interpolated a variety of ingenious clauses more or less beneficial to himself. O'tiwindell toiled as hard as he used to dissipate. He was always ready for office drudgery when his partner was out hunting up business in festive circles. He tovk tho management of the book* entirely into" his hand, and Scampiby laughed in his alcove at his deluded partner, gravely entering the particulars of somo questionable bill transaction, when he know he had only accountodforaninsignifioantportionofthegains. O'Swindoll, shrewd as ho was, seemed to trust hispartncrimplioitlv. When they struck their lirst half-yearly balanoe Soampsby had overy reason to congratulate himself on play* ing B9 oasily with an edge tool so dangerous to evoryono else After labouring liko a galloy slavo, o' Swindell lot himself be dono out of at least 50 per cent, of his legitimate earnings. It w«i thb practice of the firm to invest any little capital or credit they might have in * sories of quiet opor&tions on the Stock Exohange. O'Swindeli had a friend, a jobber, who wm always ready to put him on to good things, but at these were of an extremely epcculativo character, and with considerable contingent liabilities, Scampiby doxterouily arranged that tho buying and selling should go forward in O'SwindeU's name. They made a good deal of money in that way, and Silliraan, Soampaby's cousin, dazzled by their good fortune, begged and prayed for a sleeping partnership, ana finally prevailed on Sciviapeby to take a power of attorney to act lor him. For some timo tbingt went on swimmingly, until at last, when a heavy speculation for tho ri»o had outrun their crodit with their broker, O'Swindell law bia way to* fortune in tho purchaso of (treat Cosmopolitans. He pointed out to Soampsby that it would bo weak and foolish to neglect a certainty when some thousands of ftlliitnaa'ft Contois wen to be had for the sellinir; that they might lot Billiman go them share* in tho venture, and replace tho profiU with tho borrowed monoy in tho socuriUet they took it from. Soampsby thought tht id** good, and adopted it with

slight hesitation, merely remarking that, as the thing was a certainty arid there were no risks, it would be absurd that Silliman should participate i&any profits. For himself he assumed that if he were to act principal in anything the law called by an unpleasant name, he should be entitled to the lion's share of what they might make by it. To this O'Swindeli most unhesitatingly assented. Scampsby sold out the money, entrusted it to his partner to trade with, and the .confederates separated ; Scampsby going down to the country for a week's cricket. He came back in the best of spirits. Each morning had recorded a rise in their Ventures ; in Cosmopolitans in especial it had been marvellous. The market had been tending to its strongest on settling day, and he had telegraphed to his partner to close accounts and realize profits. As he drove to the office, he passed the time in pleasant calculations as to what the exact amount of these might be. The clerk startled him with the information that Mr O'Swindell had left the day before, but among the letters on his table was one doubtless containing an explanation. It was curt, to the point, and dated from the Canard packet Asia, then lying in the Mersey. Mr O'Swindell intimated his departure for a tour in the States, which might poßßibly be indefinitely prolonged ; bidding his friend farewell, he bequeathed him his blessing and best wishes for his success in life, and mentioned incidentally in a postscript that he had taken the liberty of drawing out the balance at their banker's ; and, as he might possibly want more money still, had realised all his investments on the Stock Exohange— most successfully, he was glad to say, especially the Cosmopolitans. Scampsby, when he had sworn himself out of breath, broken all that was fragile in the office, and kicked the clerk downstairs, resigned himself to his reflections. The result of his little trading adventures had been the loss of every penny of his money, the making himself answerable for tho heavy debts of the firm, and the commission of a breach of trust, whose profits the dissolution of the partnershiphad assigned to his partner, leaving him for his portion only the penalties. His first ideawasto take flight; his second that he had no money to fly withal, and that perforce he must stay and brazen it out. Silliman, when he came to know all, was as furious as a weak man whose ovra folly has undone him generally is, and the smarting clerk, who by diut of listening at key-holes had kept himself fairly cm fait of the transactions of the firm, told him all the truth, and a good deal more. He would have walked his cousin straight off to the Mansion House, had he not found him already in safe keeping in Chaniery-lane. He had been arrested on the suit of one of the creditors of the firm as soon as O'Swindell's flight got abroad, and detainers came fluttering in fast. Ultimately, Scampaby's relatives made arrangements with Silliman, prevailing on him to withdraw the criminal charge. They could not, however, shut the mouth of tbat injured individual, although tie shared the relationship ; people told the tale with exaggerations ; and so disgraceful were the things that came out before the commissioner in Basinghall Btreet that the bankrupt's certificate was withheld time after time, and he left behind him in the court each little shred of character he had I taken in there. tie returned to his old haunts only to be universally cut. But London is so large that a single failure need not be necessarily final. Somewhere he picked up Greenhorne, a lad with a thousand or so, just starting in the com trade, »nd forced himself on him as a partner, masking his name from tho public in a modest Co. Ho had made the acquaintance of Mr Isaac Sephardim, namesake and relative oi some of the members of the great Hebrew house of that name. Greenhorne and Co. bought Sephardim's autograph attached to blank bills at sums varying from LlO to L 2, according to the stamp. They filled them in for what they ploxaed, and in thoso times of facile credit the mere ring of a golden name was enough. In a coupio of years the rising firm managed to fail for L3U.000. In his next effort, instead of dropping his name, ticampsty reobristcned himself, and reappeared in oity oirclca as Mr Trevethick, of the Mining Exchange. Ho somehow found tho means of taking rooms iv an upper floor in Graceohurch street, whore ho sat surmounted by files of prospectuses in a porfeot oabinot of oroi. Ho issued circulars or fabulous promuo, which- represented the bulk of shares in each mine as being hold by strong capitalists, whilo the rest wore to bo thrown away on the public Ho had two or throe outlying dirootors. with the very vaguest designations. A little monoy dribbled in, and ho hoped it might be a yoar or to before tho thing blow np. Unluckily, it ooourrod to a sceptical shareholder to visit his property, and returning from an unsuccessful quest ho handod his doluder ovor to tho arm of tho law. That gentle man, vainly pleading ho had boon duped himself, was stripped of his alia*, and summarily •ontenoed to «ix months' hard labour. Sinoo his roleaso, ho has found it hard work to knop body and soul together. Ho trades chiefly on tho feelings of shame with whioh his old friends and his rotations repudiate any oouueotiou with him. Ho shuffles along the familiar paveinonts with an ill-assumed air of cringing deprecation that changes itself to audacity on occasion. Ho whin*s piteouftly to Maogaatoen, junior, whon he meets him, knowing he would bo given in ohargo on tho slightest provocation, while ho Sutton-holos tho wrolohod Oroonborno whom ho ruined, and novor lets him go undor hall-SHWTortign,

Struggles, tht limply unfortunate nun, is

perhaps more of a Pariah than Scampsby, although the two lost caste in such very different ways. Straggles failed in life through fating too honest ; his enemies say he had not wit to be a rogue. He had large means originally, and might have lived comfortably as a country gentleman, but he took to business under the impression that his bent lay that way. Things were going bad with him, little as he guessed it, when he married a wife with money, every shilling of which went into his magnificent; trade. Soon afterwards he broke, but so clumsily that ho actually in time paid 20s in the pound and had a trifle over. On that he started once more in a very small way, only to stop again, for misfortune had not brightened his faculties. Since that he has tried thing after thing and failed time after time. Long ago he exhausted the interest of his friends, and now he drags upon their charity. He knows ib is idle to expect employment, although he invariably asks it as matter of ceremony before he begs a trifle in money. Struggles is a Lazarus that spoils the walk to and from the counting house to many a City Dives. Scampsby was never of their standing, and as a convicted felon they would have no hesitation in handing him over to the police. They hardly like to act so by a man who used to sit at their tables, and who, although he has lost his fortunt, has always kept his character. But when Struggles comes to die of cold or hunger or a broken heart, or something of that sort, he may rely on his old friends feeling the most heartfelt pleasure on his happy release.