Creature From Jekyll Island by G. Edward

This part of the story was corroborated in the official biography of Senator Aldrich, written by Nathaniel Wright Stephenson: In the autumn of 1910, six men [in addition to Aldrich] went out to shoot ducks. That is to say, they told the world that was their purpose.

Mr. Warburg, who was of the number, gives an amusing account of hisfeelings when he boarded a private car in Jersey City, bringing withhim all the accoutrements of a duck shooter. The joke was in the factthat he had never shot a duck in his life and had no intention ofshooting any.... The duck shoot was a blind.3

Stephenson continues with a description of the encounter at Brunswick station. He tells us that, shortly after they arrived, the station master walked into the private car and shocked them by his apparent knowledge of the identities of everyone on board. To make matters even worse, he said that a group of reporters were waiting outside. Davison took charge. "Come outside, old man," he said, "and I will tell you a story." No one claims to know what story was told standing on the railroad ties that morning, but a few moments later Davison returned with a broad smile on his face.

"It's all right," he said reassuringly. "They won't give us away."

Stephenson continues: "The rest is silence. The reporters dis-persed, and the secret of the strange journey was not divulged. No one asked him how he managed it and he did not volunteer the information."

1. Paul Warburg, The Federal Reserve System: Its Origin and Growth (New York-Macmil an, 1930), Vol. I, p. 58. It is apparent that Warburg wrote this line two years before the book was published.

2. James Warburg, The Long Road Home (New York: Doubleday, 1964) p 29

3. Nathaniel Wright Stephenson, Nelson W. Aldrich in American Politics\ New York-Scnbners, 1930; rpt. New York: Kennikat Press, 1971), p. 373.

4. Stephenson, p. 376.

THE JOURNEY TO JEKYLL ISLAND

11

In the February 9, 1935, issue of the Saturday Evening Post, an article appeared written by Frank Vanderlip. In it he said: Despite my views about the value to society of greater publicity for the affairs of corporations, there was an occasion, near the close of 1910, when I was as secretive—indeed, as furtive—as any conspirator.... I do not feel it is any exaggeration to speak of our secret

expedition to Jekyll Island as the occasion of the actual conception of what eventually became the Federal Reserve System....

We were told to leave our last names behind us. We were told,further, that we should avoid dining together on the night of ourdeparture. We were instructed to come one at a time and asunobtrusively as possible to the railroad terminal on the New Jerseylittoral of the Hudson, where Senator Aldrich's private car would be in

readiness, attached to the rear end of a train for the South....

Once aboard the private car we began to observe the taboo thathad been fixed on last names. We addressed one another as "Ben,"

"Paul," "Nelson," "Abe"—it is Abraham Piatt Andrew. Davison and Iadopted even deeper disguises, abandoning our first names. On thetheory that we were always right, he became Wilbur and I becameOrville, after those two aviation pioneers, the Wright brothers....