Antitrust law -- United States -- Fiction; Capitalists and financiers -- Fiction; Railroad stories
“No step in the formation of the Great Midwestern Railway
System was taken without the approval of eminent counsel. If,
as it stands, it is repugnant to the law, as the law shall be
construed, then of course it will have to be dissolved. If that
comes to pass all those securities in the Great Midwestern’s
treasury, representing ownership and control of other properties,
will have to be distributed pro rata among Great Midwestern
stockholders--either the securities as such or the proceeds of
their sale. In either case the profit will amount to a dividend
of not less than $150 a share for Great Midwestern stockholders.
That is the extent to which these securities have increased in
value since the Great Midwestern bought them.
“(Signed) Henry M. Galt.”
All of that was obvious, only nobody had thought of it. The statement
was received with utter amazement. On the strength of it Great
Midwestern stock advanced suddenly ten points.
Now occurred the strangest incident of the chapter. To imagine it you
have to remember that public feeling was extremely inflamed. That
afternoon a New York Grand Jury indicted Galt under an old forgotten
statute making it a crime to circulate false statements calculated to
advance or depress the price of shares on the Stock Exchange.
A huge broad-toe came to our office with the warrant. Galt was under
arrest. His lawyers were summoned. They communicated with the District
Attorney. Couldn’t they appear for Mr. Galt and arrange bail? No. The
District Attorney believed in social equality. Mr. Galt would have to
appear like any other criminal.
Though it was a very hot afternoon and Galt was tired he insisted that
we should walk.
“Do you want to handcuff me?” he asked.
Broad-toe was ashamed and silent.
So we went, Galt and the officer leading,--past the house of Bullguard
& Co., up Nassau Street, dodging trucks, bumping people, sometimes in
the traffic way, sometimes on the pavement; to the Criminal Courts
Building in City Hall Park, up a winding stairway because Galt would
not wait for the elevator, and to the court room where the District
Attorney was waiting. There was some delay. The judge could not be
found at once.
Galt sat on the extreme edge of a chair, one hand in his trouser’s
pocket, the other fiddling with his watch chain, staring at the clock
over the judge’s bench as if he had never seen one before. The searing
emotions of chagrin and humiliation had not come through. Word of our
presence there spread swiftly and the court room began to fill up with
reporters and spectators.
The court arrived, adjusting its gown, read the paper that was handed
up by the District Attorney, then looked down upon us, asking: “Where
is the defendant?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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