Page:The Wizard of Wall Street and his Wealth.djvu/54

 which there was no adequate return. After awhile, Mr. Pratt having invested $55,000, sent an agent to Gouldsboro to investigate affairs.

The books seemed to be so mixed that it was quite impossible to ascertain just how the firm stood. Gould soon saw that his partner was becoming suspicious and determined to be ready for him. On the growth of the business Gould had, of course, occasion to frequently visit New York, where he became acquainted with most of the merchants in the "Swamp," then, as now, the center of the leather trade. Among others, he became acquainted with Charles M. Leupp, a merchant of the old school, honorable and correct in all his dealings. He was a man of great refinement and of poetic temperament, and possessed many literary and artistic tastes. He was a man of wealth and owned a fine mansion on the corner of Madison avenue and Twenty-fifth street. This mansion is still standing, but has been altered into an apartment house In Mr. Leupp's time it was probably the handsomest and best constructed private dwelling in the city and cost about $150,000.

It was an evil day for Mr. Leupp when Gould came to him and proposed that he advance the money to purchase Mr. Pratt's interest in the tannery. That was the beginning of Mr. Leupp's troubles, but at that time he considered the proposition an advantageous one and he consented to advance the cash. Gould never seems to have had at any period in his career any difficulty in