Black friday Scandal 1869 Early in Grant's first term, two gold speculators Jay Gould and James Fisk hoped to buy gold at $130 per ounce and sell it at $160 per ounce. They tried o corner the gold market. They went to Grant, who had no understanding of monetary issues, and convinced him to tell Treasury Secretary George Boutwell to stop selling gold. The price rose to $162 per ounce before Grant realized what he was tricked into doing. Grant ordered Boutwell to release $4 million in gold. The price plummeted and ruined many investors including Gould and Fisk. Credit Mobilier was a construction company that helped build the Union Pacific Railroad. The company was owned by some union Pacifi