The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-07-16
THE LATE CORNER IN WHEAT
KEENE IN CHICAGO.

Jim keene thought he got q SCOOP on the
Chicago papers by sojourning here whole
week and escaping to New York before the
Ubiquitous interviewer should ''tumble'' to
his presence in the city. But for an unfor-
tunate circumstance, he would have succeed
ed in his scheme. A reporter for the zines
CHANGED in the Office of the general manager
of the Lake Shore railway at o'clock YES
terday afternoon. Presently, Mr.. Parsons,
division superintendent, entered the Office.
hat IN hand, and introduced the gentleman
accompanying him as Mr.. James Keene. Mr..
Keene declining the prefer of chair, OK
planned to Mr.. Newell that he wished to take
the 5:15 train Eastward, and asked for the
privilege of attaching his private car. He
explained, further, that the coach was the
directors Car of the Union Pacific company,
and it had been sent over to San Francisco
for his wife and children, who had just ar
rived from Omaha. Mr.. Keene, unsuspicious
of the reporter, whom he evidently mistook
for Mr.. Newell's private secretary, dropped
the remark that he had been in town for a
week, but had chosen not to let the fact be-
come known. Orders were given to have
the private coach hooked on to the train,
and Mr.. Keene bowed himself out of the Of
fee. The reporter set out at once to ascer-
tain what Jim Keene could nave been doing
here for week past. Why had he not put
up at hotel and registered like any other
stranger? How had it'happened that his
presence in town had not been
discovered by the board of
trade? What kind of q scheme
could be have been engineering during his
weeks seclusion here? Some of these conun.
drums were partially solved. The reporter
learned that Keene came here on last Tues
day, and was driven in a close carriage to
the house of friend. He has not been away
from that house, except to go driving once
or twice, until yesterday, when he went to
the depot to meet his wife and children.
The house where he secreted himself from
the commission men and reporters is situa-
ted on the North side, and is massive and
ornate pile of architecture. There he re-
celved his business associates and confiden-
tial brokers', and from that hiding place he
gave directions regarding his transactions on
the market. gentleman who was in the
secret, but who might never have breathed it
to soul had Keene not "given himself
away to reporter, admitted, when pressed
for an answer, that Keene had chQseqfto Sc
sclude himself because announcement in the
papers OF his presence here would have
disturbed the market and ;interfered with the
success of his scheme. He was asked to de-
fine the nature and scope of the ssscheme.''
This he declined to do, but the little things
he incautiously let drop in his conversation
justify the conclusion that Keene's brokers
and business associates in this city have
been quietly selling his wheat for July de-
livery. The amount of wheat owned by
the Keene crowd and stored here is about
four millions of bushels. The theory is
that they are getting rid of this before the
new spring wheat begins to come in. There
hasn't been a suspicion on the board Of
trade That Keene was within stones throw
of the building, and was personally direct
ing the operations of his brokers and con-
fidential agents, and but for the accidental
circumstance related above, the fact of his
being here might never have become known
to more than a half-dozen persons, who we're
enjoined to the most perfect secrecy.