The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-03-09

THE FORCED TELEGR1M THAT OR
DERED ms WHEAT 10 BE SOLD.

the Mnrket-Whnt Mr. Keene win DO.
Tho forged telegram that was sent from
New York TO Chicago on Thursday evening.
ana which led TO sale on the Chicago Exchange
on Friday Of something like 1000 900 bushels
OF wheat. principally by James H. Kecnc's
brokers. was the subject OF much discussion at
the Produce Exchange yesterday. Prices did
| drop from 96 to 81. but tho recovery was imme-
diate. and tho closing quotations from Chicago
yesterday showed that prices wore almost up to
the maximum.
morning. and denied himself to every ono dur
ing the day. MIR. Boocock. his broker here. was
authorized to say. however. that Mr.. Keeno was
taking steps to discover tho forger. but neither
here nor at tho ofllcc OF the Atlantic and Pacific
| Telegraph Company could more bo learned re-
gardng tho forgery than that one had been
| committed. and that measures wore being taken
to discover the forgcr.
II was learned. however. that the despatch had
been filed Mt the branch ON 20 Of tho Atlantic and
| Pacific Company In the Fulton Ferry house. on
| Thursday evening. Miss May Courtney. the
operator there. said that she received It at GH
on Thursday evening sho was Just about to
close the of1lcc when she saw "a message thrust
through the delivery window and on II we're
| two twenty-five cent silver pieces II was writ
| ten on n Western Union half. rate blank which
| the Atlantic and Pacin, Company now receive.
| Seeing that II was addressed to Chicago and tho
| hall. ratio tariff there being forty cents. she
passed out ten cents change. and all this without
taking any notice Of the man who delivered the
message. The office windows are partially
boarded and only by n special effort can
sender be distinctly seen. Just IA lac turned to
GO away the operator looked through the aper-
! ture. casually. but tho man WIS just turning
| away. and was at once lost in the throng that Ills
IaHNV fNuNl .fat
yesterday afternoon that she did not believe
That itWould he possible Tor hcrtO identify him,
but she has an Impress on that he wore a black
felt hat and WAS bearded The message that he
'o''N oN.RcH 1870
To-. \ F9r 4. @, cteego. ...,....,,,.-,.
| without declining more than three cents kttNE
This despatch was sent to tho main ofllcc and
| there repeated in the night To Chicago and tho
first intimnton that Mr.. Keene got of i. he SAYS
WAS after the receipts oi te.csrams from !, h.
| Fisher 4 Co.. his brokers In Chicago. Informing
them to explain. and then they answered that it
! was done in pursuance OF MS instructions 10y
telegram. This led to tho investiGation that re-
suited in the discovery ot the forgery. Mr.
keene at once informed Gen Eckert that the
A. K i. Company had transmitted a forged des-
patch. and detectives were employed 10 discover
the sender.
The despatch itself in the wording shows that
n was sent by some one thoroughly familiar
with the wheat market The handwriting Is
plainly a feeble attempt nj disguise. II Is back
nv SOM one who wished 10 benr the market.
and this fact may help In the discovery Of the
perpetrators. IL was said at tho Produce En-
change Yesterday that there had been private
ndvices received some days ago from Chicago
that clique was forming TO lower prices, and
it is believed that this despatch may have been
one Of the schemes OF that clique. Mr.. keene
also was reported to believe this.
Gen. + 'kert said yesterday afternoon that he
believed the forger would be apprehended; al
least. the company was following the matter up
with due diligence and already have iniorma-
ton which he did not deom prudent To make
public. In his opini2n the iorger was crl MI, mi
TINT was a question for tho courts. The COM
pany had offered no reward. and he did not
| know As any such step wn- contruii ilntcd.
There was no confirmation Yesterday OF tho
rumor that Mr.; kecne would offer reward.
the matter was the fact thnt J. X Fisher
CO. would WAe haIf'raiee messase.
authority and no. confirmation OF i-for
Mr.. Kecne says he knew nothiEg until
many thousand bushels o! wheat had been
sold-co upon the Exchange and sell what they
from Mr. kecne ought they say TO have at
tracted attention. and the furthcr TACT that il
WIS an open message. written after business
hours. ought TO have suggested TINT some word
ought 10 be received from Mir. kecne In the
| morning before acting on 1t. Besides. they say
that while it might seem q favorable, moment
20 sell while wheA, WAS a, 9j, which Mr.. kccne
bought at 81 &. still. rs n matter oi-iact. IN"
condition Of the market WINS such as q hn invor-
able to holding and not selling and Dir hocno 6
| brokers must have thought of this.
On the q',"E hpnd it s said lnat the, the senior
mariner Oi D. IA. NiltF " 70. II III luTfilfs anu
that the schcmrrs might have counted on thls.
| There were dispatches from chicago IN tho
afternoon that showed }. X. Fisher Go. had
made up any loss they incurred by acting on
the forged despatch. They were early IN the
market Yesterday morning and repurehased
most 81 tho wheat ~ the lowest figure.
" I've seen all the telcgrams-those sent to
Mr. Keene, ny Fisher Co. an. the one
sent 10 Fisher co. signed keone =
ami it is perfectly clear that the signature
Amt n in this cty Of A. l.. Kent i CO, ana Poole
| Kn 4 In % fn. HIS connection Will
ynrv ''os..' IT,, hniry's TINT Arrhis Fsner LOST
his hend md sold Wheu on an order that no
careful business man wouid think OF oh"ylng.
II was such an unusual order. aud It was sent
almost showed on lis face that il WAS spurious.
MIR Kernes hrokrrs IN Chicago are w. I. Ba-
Poole. Kent h Co., aud J. K Fisher 4 Co. Mr..
Kent knows that Fisher 4 60 sold more whcGi
than they had ON hand for Mr.. Kecne, and h.
, believes that Ar.hin Fisher sold tho largo
amounts Of wheat supp sing that Mr. hccne
woull have Poole. Kent Co.. or some olher
firm. transfer To hn him enough wheat TO bal
~ X. Fisher i Co. have always been consider
ed TO Le safe conservative men, Ihc members
of the nrm are Engllshmen. ana thn lhrgcsl
part of their business has come from England
and Canada. The standing OF the firm M the
Board OF Trade has been high, Ms also has been
the social standing OF its memhers MIR. j.
X Fisher is now in England on his yenrly
Wait. He seldom buys or sells grain on Change
leaving the hard work OF tho business 10 ms
brother ArIho o wh2 s rs Trn rm G@ve been 2sayy
! operators in provisions. and they have been
large shippers.
I CHICAGO March 8.-The friends OF j. X
! Fisher a Co. deny that the keene telegram was
anything but a forgery and say that the hrm I'm
! 500 900 in consequence, Fisher Co. have tel
! egraphed to Mr. keene that MS matter OF eourat
they will shoulder all responsibility and viii
restore . sir. Keene the wheat t sold r, Th3sS
cn ware idiots for selling ns they did upon this
single open telegram, for Mr. keene does A. IN,
commercial business unurr cUtur -. -...
kilograms. Mr.. Keeno assures them that he will
! 10 all he can TO assist in the discovery OF the
iorgers ns n matter Of public interest. The the
- ory is that the telegram was inspired by chi
= | cagO specuatOrs who were short. and who
y | wished To cover at lower figures.
a The activity in the wheat market con
a tinues but the movement is toward higher
prices Last nights closing figures for. the
April option. in which most OF the transactions
are made. was 92's. April opened this mornHl
| on the O'Clock call at 93A, with lttl0 nuctua
0 ton went up to 94A. reacted 10 "a, and. with
= many small breaks reacted TO 95., but only tc
decline 10y degrees until IL settled at 9iA, where
It remained steadily at noon. In about seven
minutes early in tho morning, nearly 10000
v | M hau1a but MIR. Fisher MIR