Page:The Wizard of Wall Street and his Wealth.djvu/119

 "The scheme was but little short of treason, regarded from a patriotic point of view, and it is very questionable if the perpetrators would have stopped short of this dastardly act had they not been convinced that their purpose was fully compassed by a method less villianous and shocking. It was considered indispensable by the conspirators for the consummation of their plans that Grant should be got out of the way by some means or other. Fortunately for him and for the honor of the nation, the plan succeeded without the necessity of offering him any violence.

"It was arranged that Gen. Grant should accompany a party one beautiful evening in the middle of June, who were going to attend the great Peace Jubilee of Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore in Boston. Jim Fisk did the executive work in the arrangement. There was a fine champagne supper on board the Boston boat and several gentlemen were present who were thoroughly conversant with financial question's and could talk glibly on the state of the country. Mr. Gould said, in his testimony: 'I took the ground that the government ought to let go of the loan and let it find its commercial level; that in fact it ought to faciliate an upward movement in gold in the fall.'

"This reference to 'its commercial level' is rich, coming from the head center of the plotters who wanted to put the article up to 200.

"About the time the above events were transpiring, the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. H.