Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 74, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 December 1909 — PROBE FOR ROCK ISLAND ACTIVITY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PROBE FOR ROCK ISLAND ACTIVITY

Stock Eubange Investigating Sudden Upward Flight. MOORE REGRETS THE INCIDEIIT Declares He Knew Nothing About the FlurryYJntll It Was All Over—Says That With Mudge at the Helm the Road Is Ready to Go Along 8o That Holders of Its Securities Will Find a Stable, Fair and Open Market. New York, Dec. 28.—The common stock of the Rock Island railroad advanced 31)4 points in less than 10 minutes of trading immediately after the opening of the stock exchange. The

stock never haft paid a dividend and there is more than $90,000,000 of it outstanding. The advance, it was obvious and everywhere so granted, was due to sharp or blundering stock market tactics. The governors of the Btock exchange have appointed a committee of Investigation. Rock Island is controlled by the financial group long known in Wall street as the Rock Island party. Of the original members of the party W. B. Leeds is dead and B. F. Yoakum recently left it in accordance with the transaction whereby the St. Louis and San Francisco system, of which Yoakum has long been the head, was separated from It. J. Hobart Moore has not been active and It was to Judge W. H. Moore and D. G. Reid, now regarded as the remaining active members, that financiers looked for an explanation. Judge Moore said: "I spent Christmas with my sons in Chicago. I knew nothing of the movement until it was over. Personally I have not bought or sold a share of Rock Island in months. “With H. U. Mudge as president and with a fine staff under him, Rock Island is in fine condition, and it is regretable that anything should happen to -disturb a stable, fair and open market for holders of ail the company's securities.” In the quarter hour of tumult the floor traders profited handsomely. 'Jacob Field placed his winnings at $116,000 in fifteen minutes. Walter Content made $30,000 In a deal involving 1,000 shares.

H. U. MUDGE.