Gould’s career from the days of Erie and Black Friday to the Kansas Pacific criminal prosecution, and who was one-third artist, one-third newspaper man and one-third speculator. The Selover incident created an immense sensation at the time, and the newspapers printed columns about it. Selover became quite a hero, for while there was nothing very courageous in his assault from a physical point of view, as he was more than a match for timid Mr. Gould, yet to attack Gould was considered by many an act of moral bravery. Selover declared that he had attacked Gould because Gould had been guilty of fraud, lying and duplicity. Gould, he said, had made arrangements with him to go short on Western Union, and while he (Selover) was selling accordingly in good faith he discovered that Gould was buying heavily. When he learned of this he determined to punish him the first time he met him, and so he had charged him with the fraud and slapped his face. “I attacked him on my own account alone,” he added, “and regardless of the fact that he had played Jim Keene the same trick. He is notoriously treacherous, and this is not the first time he has been punished for the same offense.” Poor Mr. Selover never amounted to very much in Wall street after this, though he continued to be seen there daily. Gould, after this incident, rarely appeared in the street unless accompanied by stalwart G. P. Morosini. It is related that not long after this Keene came near getting his revenge on Gould. The latter was putting all his energies into Union Pacific, and carrying $22,000,000 of the stock, mostly in margins. Keene organized an opposition party and nearly succeeded in breaking Gould. Sage, however, came to the latter’s assistance with $2,000,000 of much-needed cash, and Gould was saved. Keene’s purpose was to drive Gould from the street forever, but he not only failed, but in a few years he was himself a bankrupt, with Gould more powerful and richer than ever. Rumors of Gould’s death and of his impending bankruptcy were not infrequently circulated in Wall street. Rumors of death could be easily disproved, but once, at least, the street was firmly convinced that Gould was in financial difficulties, and Gould was obliged to exhibit his wealth in order to prove that he was solvent. On March 13, 1882, Gould exhibited to Sage, Field and Frank Work his box of securities, to show that he was not only solid, but also had not been a seller of stocks. He exhibited to the astonished vision of these associates $23,000,000 of Western Union, $12,000,000 of Missouri Pacific, and $19,000,000 of other stocks. Russell Sage said: “There is not another man in America except Vanderbilt who could make such a display of stock as that.” In 1884 Gould made another exhibition of his securities to John T. Terry and others, and the display was even bigger than two years before.