Page:The Wizard of Wall Street and his Wealth.djvu/202

 was that he had been a slave-driver by profession. Gruff in his manner, uncouth in his language, he yet had qualities as a speculator which made him a power in the street. These two men, with their following, are believed to have very nearly driven Gould to the wall in 1884, and the story is that Gould might have gone down if Cammack, of all men, had not relented. This story, like many others told in Wall street, probably has a mixture of truth and fiction. In 1887 and 1888 Cammack was very evidently in alliance with Gould in stock operations.

Gould was not a member of the Stock Exchange, though he was often the biggest customer the institution had. He was, however, almost always in general or special partnership with some member of the Exchange and thus obtained all the advantages of personal membership. After the dissolution of the house of Smith, Gould & Martin, Gould became the silent partner in the firm of William Belden & Co. This was succeeded by the famous house of W. E. Connor & Co., which lasted about ten years and which engineered some of Mr. Gould's most successful deals. At the time Mr. Gould retired from the firm, in 1886, it was composed of himself as special partner and of Washington E. Connor, G. P. Morosini and George J. Gould, the great operator's eldest son. Mr. Connor was the ideal broker and perhaps the most valuable lieutenant Mr. Gould ever had. Not overscrupulous in carrying out the interests of his master, he was faithful to the last