Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1879-07-17
THE LATE CORNER in WHEAT
KEENE IN CHICAGO

Jim Keene thought he got SCOOP" on the
Chicago papers by sojourning here a 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. reporter for the Times
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, ex-
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. Newells 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 dom
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 a scheme
could he have been engineering during his
weeks seclusion here? Some of these conun-
drums were partially solved. The reporter
hail hAr
day, and was driven in 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 a massive and
ornate pile of architecture. There he re-
ceived his business associates and confden
tial brokers, and from that hiding place he
gave directions regarding his transactions on
the market. A gentleman who was in the
secret, but who might never have breathed it
to a soul. had Keene not "given himse
away" to reporter, admitted, when pressed
| for an answer, that Keene had chosen to Sc
clude 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 scheme
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 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
idential 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 were
enjoined to the most perfect secrecy.