the war and had risen to prominence in the national councils.

The reputation obtained in the building of the Keokuk bridge led to my
being applied to by those who were in charge of the scheme for
bridging the Mississippi at St. Louis, to which I have already
referred. This was connected with my first large financial
transaction. One day in 1869 the gentleman in charge of the
enterprise, Mr. Macpherson (he was very Scotch), called at my New York
office and said they were trying to raise capital to build the bridge.
He wished to know if I could not enlist some of the Eastern railroad
companies in the scheme. After careful examination of the project I
made the contract for the construction of the bridge on behalf of the
Keystone Bridge Works. I also obtained an option upon four million
dollars of first mortgage bonds of the bridge company and set out for
London in March, 1869, to negotiate their sale.

During the voyage I prepared a prospectus which I had printed upon my
arrival in London, and, having upon my previous visit made the
acquaintance of Junius S. Morgan, the great banker, I called upon him
one morning and opened negotiations. I left with him a copy of the
prospectus, and upon calling next day was delighted to find that Mr.
Morgan viewed the matter favorably. I sold him part of the bonds with
the option to take the remainder; but when his lawyers were called in
for advice a score of changes were required in the wording of the
bonds. Mr. Morgan said to me that as I was going to Scotland I had
better go now; I could write the parties in St. Louis and ascertain
whether they would agree to the changes proposed. It would be time
enough, he said, to close the matter upon my return three weeks hence.

But I had no idea of allowing the fish to play so long, and informed
him that I would have a telegram in the morning agreeing to all the
changes. The Atlantic cable had been open for some time, but it is
doubtful if it had yet carried so long a private cable as I sent that
day. It was an easy matter to number the lines of the bond and then
going carefully over them to state what changes, omissions, or
additions were required in each line. I showed Mr. Morgan the message
before sending it and he said:

"Well, young man, if you succeed in that you deserve a red mark."

When I entered the office next morning, I found on the desk that had
been appropriated to my use in Mr. Morgan's private office the colored
envelope wh