A Forgotten Drama of Wall Street. lance were in the train. Twelve men for man ual labor, a French cook and negro waiters constituted his retinue. The markets of Chi cago, St. Paul and ¡Minneapolis were freely drawn upon. Champagne flowed like the proverbial water. The expedition returned in November and reported that Lord Gordon had been favorably impressed with a large tract lying in Otter Tail and Beaver counties. This "favorable impression" seems to have been the net result of the railroad company's fifteen thousand dollar expenditure, for noth ing further was ever heard from Lord Gor don on the subject. ACT II. NEW YORK. The West becoming too restricted a field for the operations of this new star in the financial firmament, he moved to New York. In Minneapolis, he had made the acquaint ance of Mrs. Beiden, wife of a well known banker, who had spent some time there while on a pleasure trip. Whether his remark that he was a large stockholder in the Erie Rail road and his subsequent removal to the metropolis were in pursuance of a then con ceived scheme to perpetrate the gigantic swindle which he afterwards attempted, is something which will never be known. Assuming such to have been the case, his arrival could not have been better timed. The latter part of the year 1871 witnessed a truce to the historic strife which was being •waged against Gould and Fisk, for control of Erie. There was a temporary lull in the Titanic battle where injunction had been heaped upon injunction, receivership upon receivership, charges of perjury, fraud and embezzlement upon counter charges. The triumph of the "Little Wizard" seemed com plete. Firmly seated in the President's chair, he bade defiance to the allied interests whichwere persistently seeking his overthrow. Who could tell that the foundations of his throne were even then rocking, who forsee that six months would witness its overthrow?
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"Lord Gordon Gordon" engaged a gorge ous suite at the Westminster Hotel, but sub sequently removed to the Metropolitan, then one of the most exclusive of hostleries. Its proprietor was a son of the notorious Tweed. Seeking out Mrs. Beiden, he renewed their acquaintanceship and was introduced to the principal men of the city. Such leaders as Horace Greely, Colonel Thomas A. Scott, vice-president of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Horace F. Clark, financier and son-inlaw of Commodore Vanderbilt, became his intimate friends. To the husband, William Beiden, partner of James Fisk, Jr., vice-president of Erie, the clever imposter took occasion to incidentally mention the fact that he controlled some $6,000,000 of stock in that line. These 60.000 shares were in the hands of English in vestors. The suspension of hostilities was of the most temporary character. It ended with the appearance on the scene of action of a new enemy to the established powers. As is well known, General Sickles, Minister to Spain, while at a dinner in London took umbrage at some remarks made by a discomfited shareholder, concerning the alleged impossi bility of securing justice from the courts of this country After considerable solicitation, he consented to assume the leadership of a coalition of English stockholders in a second attempt to overthrow the existing manage ment. Securing leave of absence, he re turned to this country and obtaining the co operation of dissatisfied American interests, locked horns with Gould in a life and death struggle for supremacy. Every vote counted and the latter's friends were not slow in urging the importance of securing the good will of so potent an ally as Gordon was likely to prove. Beiden in particular was unceasing in his endeavors to bring; about an interview with his chief. Manifesting that diplomacy which was characteristic of the man, Gordon haughtily
