Page:The Wizard of Wall Street and his Wealth.djvu/204

 performed when Gould acquired Western Union. Mr. Gould for a long time, as has been related, had been an uncompromising bear on the stock. The whole street was aware that he and his firm were heavily short of the stock. Suddenly the stock began to rush up. Gould was caught for once, it was said. The truth was that Connor had engineered the movement and Gould had not only bought in all his shorts but purchased enough stock to give him control of the company. It was also this house that pushed Western Union up from 78 to 91 and pushed Henry Smith and other bears to cover their shorts at a heavy loss. It also handled the elevated railway deals.

While Gould and the Beldens were in partnership at No. 80 Broadway, Connor had a small office in the rear. He was bright, sharp, sagacious, reticent and nearly as well informed as Gould himself. Gould was drawn to Connor naturally, and when the former fell out with the Beldens he and Connor formed a co-partnership. Mr. Morosini for many years had been Mr. Gould's man Friday, and was invariably seen with a large canvas bag following his employer to the safe deposit vaults and protecting him against any repetition of the Selover attack. Morosini went into the new firm, whose limitation only ran from year to year. Connor and Morosini put in $100,000 each, and Gould, as special partner, $250,000. George Gould was admitted in 1881, but without paying in a cent. Although the nominal capital of the house at all times has been