This willingness to show the books created a profound sensation. Railway magnates worth many millions and controlling thousands of miles of road had one after another followed each other to the stand only to show that Gould was the one who pulled the strings, that they did not know what his intentions were in regard to the commission, and that he made up his mind upon a certain line of policy without consulting them. Many of these magnates were in the room and they sat with open mouths and plainly evinced their astonishment when they saw Mr. Gould giving up the hitherto carefully guarded facts. Nothing more plainly showed the absolute mastery of Jay Gould over all the other railway magnates of the country. Mr. Gould had several “doubles” who were constantly being mistaken for him. Broker Sam Leopold, of No. 84 Broadway, for several years was known as Gould’s double, but about a year ago he got tired of the distinction and had his beard cut to a point. During the campaign of 1884 he was offered $20,000 to impersonate Mr. Gould. Conspiring brokers proposed that he smear blood on his face and roll on the sidewalk near the corner of Broad and Wall streets. Confederates were to be on hand to keep the crowd back till an ambulance arrived, and to say at intervals: “That’s Jay Gould; he’s fatally injured.” Further details of the plan were to have a carriage near Chambers street hospital for the purpose of taking “Mr. Gould” to his house. Of course Leopold’s remarkably close resemblance to Gould would be sufficient to make the scheme work well, especially as a man was to have been posted at Irvington to telegraph that the millionaire was in his country home. Then the telegraph wires were to be “grounded” for a few hours. The tremendous excitement would naturally depress the Gould stocks, and, in sympathy, about everything would go down with a rush. The schemers were to take advantage of this by selling short, and they expected to have at least from 10 to 2 o’clock in which to work this peculiarly daring manipulation of the market. By the time the truth would be known the bold plotters would turn and go long of the market, on the recovery from the temporary shock, and at least two or three good-sized fortunes were expected to be realized by the double deal. Sam reluctantly declined the tempting offer. Although he wanted the $20,000 awfully bad, he feared that he might be mobbed after the fright was over, and so the scheme fell through. Leopold knew Gould very well, and they delighted to meet and look at each other. It is related that whenever Sam discovered a new gray hair in his whiskers he would hurry to Mr. Gould, only to find that the millionaire was also keeping tab on his white hairs, and the two accounts tallied exactly.