memoirs of general william t. sherman-1-第31节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　about　Mendocino。　　In　him　Nisbet　had　unbounded　faith；　but；　for　some　reason；　I　feared　or　mistrusted　him；　and　remember　that　I　cautioned　Nisbet　not　to　extend　his　credit；　but　to　gradually　contract　his　loans。　　On　looking　over　our　bills　receivable；　then　about　six　hundred　thousand　dollars；　I　found　Meiggs；　as　principal　or　indorser；　owed　us　about　eighty　thousand　dollarsall；　however；　secured　by　city　warrants；　still；　he　kept　bank　accounts　elsewhere；　and　was　generally　a　borrower。　　I　instructed　Nisbet　to　insist　on　his　reducing　his　line　as　the　notes　matured；　and；　as　he　found　it　indelicate　to　speak　to　Meiggs；　I　instructed　him　to　refer　him　to　me；　accordingly；　when；　on　the　next　steamer…day；　Meiggs　appealed　at　the　counter　for　a　draft　on　Philadelphia；　of　about　twenty　thousand　dollars；　for　which　he　offered　his　note　and　collateral；　he　was　referred　to　me；　and　I　explained　to　him　that　our　draft　was　the　same　as　money；　that　he　could　have　it　for　cash；　but　that　we　were　already　in　advance　to　him　some　seventy…five　or　eighty　thousand　dollars；　and　that　instead　of　increasing　the　amount　I　must　insist　on　its　reduction。　　He　inquired　if　I　mistrusted　his　ability；　etc。　　I　explained；　certainly　not；　but　that　our　duty　was　to　assist　those　who　did　all　their　business　with　us；　and；　as　our　means　were　necessarily　limited；　I　must　restrict　him　to　some　reasonable　sum；　say；　twenty…　five　thousand　dollars。　　Meiggs　invited　me　to　go　with　him　to　a　rich　mercantile　house　on　Clay　Street；　whose　partners　belonged　in　Hamburg；　and　there；　in　the　presence　of　the　principals　of　the　house；　he　demonstrated；　as　clearly　as　a　proposition　in　mathematics；　that　his　business　at　Mendocino　was　based　on　calculations　that　could　not　fail。　　The　bill　of　exchange　which　he　wanted；　he　said　would　make　the　last　payment　on　a　propeller　already　built　in　Philadelphia；　which　would　be　sent　to　San　Francisco；　to　tow　into　and　out　of　port　the　schooners　and　brigs　that　were　bringing　his　lumber　down　the　coast。　I　admitted　all　he　said；　but　renewed　my　determination　to　limit　his　credit　to　twenty…five　thousand　dollars。　　The　Hamburg　firm　then　agreed　to　accept　for　him　the　payment　of　all　his　debt　to　us；　except　the　twenty…five　thousand　dollars；　payable　in　equal　parts　for　the　next　three　steamer…days。　　Accordingly；　Meiggs　went　back　with　me　to　our　bank；　wrote　his　note　for　twenty…five　thousand　dollars；　and　secured　it　by　mortgage　on　real　estate　and　city　warrants；　and　substituted　the　three　acceptances　of　the　Hamburg　firm　for　the　overplus。　　I　surrendered　to　him　all　his　former　notes；　except　one　for　which　he　was　indorser。　　The　three　acceptances　duly　matured　and　were　paid；　one　morning　Meiggs　and　family　were　missing；　and　it　was　discovered　they　had　embarked　in　a　sailing…vessel　for　South　America。　This　was　the　beginning　of　a　series　of　failures　in　San　Francisco；　that　extended　through　the　next　two　years。　　As　soon　as　it　was　known　that　Meiggs　had　fled；　the　town　was　full　of　rumors；　and　everybody　was　running　to　and　fro　to　secure　his　money。　　His　debts　amounted　to　nearly　a　million　dollars。　　The　Hamburg　house　which；　had　been　humbugged；　were　heavy　losers　and　failed；　I　think。　　I　took　possession　of　Meiggs's　dwelling…house　and　other　property　for　which　I　held　his　mortgage；　and　in　the　city　warrants　thought　I　had　an　overplus；　but　it　transpired　that　Meiggs；　being　in　the　City　Council；　had　issued　various　quantities　of　street　scrip；　which　was　adjudged　a　forgery；　though；　beyond　doubt；　most　of　it；　if　not　all；　was　properly　signed；　but　fraudulently　issued。　　On　this　city　scrip　our　bank　must　have　lost　about　ten　thousand　dollars。　　Meiggs　subsequently　turned　up　in　Chili；　where　again　he　rose　to　wealth　and　has　paid　much　of　his　San　Francisco　debts；　but　none　to　us。　　He　is　now　in　Peru；　living　like　a　prince。　　With　Meiggs　fell　all　the　lumber…dealers；　and　many　persons　dealing　in　city　scrip。　　Compared　with　others；　our　loss　was　a　trifle。　　In　a　short　time　things　in　San　Francisco　resumed　their　wonted　course；　and　we　generally　laughed　at　the　escapade　of　Meiggs；　and　the　cursing　of　his　deluded　creditors。

Shortly　after　our　arrival　in　San　Francisco；　I　rented　of　a　Mr。　Marryat；　son　of　the　English　Captain　Marryat；　the　author；　a　small　frame…house　on　Stockton　Street；　near　Green；　buying　of　him　his　furniture；　and　we　removed　to　it　about　December　1；1853。　　Close　by；　around　on　Green　Street；　a　man　named　Dickey　was　building　two　small　brick…houses；　on　ground　which　he　had　leased　of　Nicholson。　　I　bought　one　of　these　houses；　subject　to　the　ground…rent；　and　moved　into　it　as　soon　as　finished。　　Lieutenant　T。　H。　Stevens；　of　the　United　States　Navy；　with　his　family；　rented　the　other；　we　lived　in　this　house　throughout　the　year　1854；　and　up　to　April　17；　1855。




CHAPTER　V。

CALIFORNIA

1855　…　1857


During　　the　winter　of　1854…'55；　I　received　frequent　intimations　in　my　letters　from　the　St。　Louis　house；　that　the　bank　of　Page；　Bacon　&　Co。　　was　in　trouble；　growing　out　of　their　relations　to　the　Ohio　&　Mississippi　Railroad；　to　the　contractors　for　building　which　they　had　made　large　advances；　to　secure　which　they　had　been　compelled　to　take；　as　it　were；　an　assignment　of　the　contract　itself；　and　finally　to　assume　all　the　liabilities　of　the　contractors。　　Then　they　had　to　borrow　money　in　New　York；　and　raise　other　money　from　time　to　time；　in　the　purchase　of　iron　and　materials　for　the　road；　and　to　pay　the　hands。　　The　firm　in　St。　Louis　and　that　in　San　Francisco　were　different；　having　different　partners；　and　the　St。　Louis　house　naturally　pressed　the　San　Francisco　firm　to　ship　largely　of　〃gold…dust；〃　which　gave　them　a　great　name；　also　to　keep　as　large　a　balance　as　possible　in　New　York　to　sustain　their　credit。　　Mr。　Page　was　a　very　wealthy　man；　but　his　wealth　consisted　mostly　of　land　and　property　in　St。　Louis。　　He　was　an　old　man；　and　a　good　one；　had　been　a　baker；　and　knew　little　of　banking　as　a　business。　　This　part　of　his　general　business　was　managed　exclusively　by　his　son…in…law；　Henry　D。　Bacon；　who　was　young；　handsome；　and　generally　popular。　How　he　was　drawn　into　that　affair　of　the　Ohio　&　Mississippi　road　I　have　no　means　of　knowing；　except　by　hearsay。　　Their　business　in　New　York　was　done　through　the　American　Exchange　Bank；　and　through　Duncan；　Sherman　&　Co。　　As　we　were　rival　houses；　the　St。　Louis　partners　removed　our　account　from　the　American　Exchange　Bank　to　the　Metropolitan　Bank；　and；　as　Wadsworth　&　Sheldon　had　failed；　I　was　instructed　to　deal　in　time　bills；　and　in　European　exchange；　with　Schnchardt　&　Gebhard；　bankers　in　Nassau　Street。

In　California　the　house　of　Page；　Bacon　&　Co。　　was　composed　of　the　same　partners　as　in　St。　Louis；　with　the　addition　of　Henry　Haight；　Judge　Chambers；　and　young　Frank　Page。　　The　latter　had　charge　of　the　〃branch〃　in　Sacramento。　　Haight　was　the　real　head…man；　but　he　was　too　fond　of　lager…beer　to　be　in　trusted　with　so　large　a　business。　Beyond　all　comparison；　Page；　Bacon　&　Co。　　were　the　most　prominent　bankers　in　California　in　1853…'55。　　Though　I　had　notice　of　danger　in　that　quarter；　from　our　partners　in　St。　Louis；　nobody　in　California　doubted　their　wealth　and　stability。　　They　must　have　had；　during　that　winter；　an　average　deposit　account　of　nearly　two　million　dollars；　of　which　seven　hundred　thousand　dollars　was　in　〃certificates　of　deposit；〃　the　most　stable　of　all　accounts　in　a　bank。　　Thousands　of　miners　invested　their　earnings　in　such　certificates；　which　they　converted　into　drafts　on　New　York；　when　they　were　ready　to　go　home　or　wanted　to　send　their　〃pile〃　to　their　families。　　Adams　&　Co。　were　next　in　order；　because　of　their　numerous　offices　scattered　throughout　the　mining　country。　　A　gentleman　named　Haskell　had　been　in　charge　of　Adams　&　Co。　in　San　Francisco；　but　in　the　winter　of　1854…'55　some　changes　were　made；　and　the　banking　department　had　been　transferred　to　a　magnificent　office　in　Halleck's　new　Metropolitan　Block。　　James　King　of　Wm。　　had　discontinued　business　on　his　own　account；　and　been　employed　by　Adams　&　Co。　as　their　cashier　and　banker；　and　Isaiah　C。　Wood　had　succeeded　Haskell　in　chief　control　of　the　express　department。　Wells；　Fargo　&　Co。　were　also　bankers　as　well　as　expressmen；　and　William　J。　Pardee　was　the　resident　partner。

As　the　mail…steamer　came　in　on　February　17；　1855；　according　to　her　custom；　she　ran　close　to　the　Long　Wharf　（Meiggs's）　on　North　Beach；　to　throw　ashore　the　express…parcels　of　news　for　speedy　delivery。　Some　passenger　on　deck　called　to　a　man　of　his　acquaintance　standing　on　the　wharf；　that　Page　&　Bacon　had　failed　in　New　York。　　The　news　spread　like　wild…fire；　but　soon　it　was　met　by　the　newspaper　accounts　to　the　effect　that　some　particular　acceptances　of　Page　&　Bacon；　of　St。　Louis；　in　the　hands　of　Duncan；　Sherman　&　Co。；　in　New　York；　had　gone　to　protest。　　All　who　had　balances　at　Page；　Bacon　&　Co。's；　or　held　certificates　of　deposit；　were　more　or　less　alarmed；　wanted　to　secure　their　money；　and　a　general　excitement　pervaded　the　whole　community。　　Word　was　soon　passed　round　that　the　matter　admitted　of　explanation；　viz。；　that　the　two　houses　were　distinct　and　separate　concerns；　that　every　draft　of　the　California　house　had　been　paid　in　New　York；　and　would　continue　to　be　paid。　　It　was　expected　that　this　assertion　would　quiet　the　fears　of　the　California　creditors；　but　for　the　next　three　days　there　was　a　steady　〃run〃　on　that　bank。　　Page；　Bacon　&　Co。　stood　the　first　day's　run　very　well；　and；　a