It was one of Mr. Gould’s peculiarities that he rarely entered into any large speculation without furnishing the public with a plausible reason for assisting him in his operations. This was certainly the case in the gold conspiracy. The plausible reason was in this case suggested to Mr. Gould by James McHenry, who was then training with Mr. Gould in Erie. The latter spared no pains to dress the reason up in the best shape and give it to the public. Mr. Gould argued with much apparent force, but actual sophistry, that an advance in the price of gold would benefit the Western farmers in giving them a bigger price for their grain, and Mr. Gould backed up this theory with many facts and figures. Gen. Grant had just become President. His Secretary of the Treasury was George F. Boutwell. The key to the situation was the financial policy of the government. No successful corner in gold could be established if the Treasury should sell gold with a liberal hand. It should be explained that the war had caused a lively speculation in gold, which continued after the war until the resumption of specie payments made the greenbacks equal in value to gold. Speculation in gold was carried on in the gold-room, an institution separate from the Stock Exchange. It became essential to the success of Mr. Gould’s plans that the Grant administration should either become a party to the speculation or else an honest believer in his crop theory. Failing in both of these, the public must at least be impressed with the idea that the administration was in the deal whether it was or not. So Gould began to lay systematic siege around the administration. He seems to have entered alone into this speculation. It was only when he was unable to carry the burden alone that he took in others, and it was not until late in the game that Fisk entered, Gould found a brother-in-law of President Grant a convenient tool in his operations. The name of this brother-in-law was A. R. Corbin, who had been something of an adventurer all his life, and whose chief hold on respectability was his relationship to the President. Gould unfolded enough of his plans to Corbin to enlist him in his service and to bind him by interest to the speculation. Gould bought for Corbin $1,500,000 of gold, and promised him that all the profits should be turned over to him. Every rise of one per cent. in the price of gold made Corbin $15,000 richer. Corbin claimed to have great influence with the President, and Gould evidently placed much reliance in him. “I am right behind the throne,” said Corbin to Gould at one stage of the proceedings. “Give yourself no uneasiness. All is right.”