New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-04
hAREER OF PETER MCGEOCH.
EARLY LIFE AND LATER sPECULATloNs.


A. sToRRs, WARREN y. LELAND AM A
MoRoCH's BRoTHER-N-LAw
sv,ow AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBuSE'
CHICAGO. July $50 much has been written
s.tf,n fortnight OF Peter McGeoch, the broker ana
S.,ator and an little Of him other respects, that
" saemed To ma worth while the other day 10 learn
Iometb,np of the personality OF the man whose iauio IA
xhe las, big lard the Board OF TRADE on euge anu
made the sensation of the year among grain ana
aealera No one yet knows the amount OF the iaure,
hat en- ougn is known to make 1t almost certain That
win reach beyond S3000000 and that II contracts are
70 be enforced it will reduce McGeoch to conoiuoh
that would seem hopeless even to young man Vi hoi
Mr. MeGeoch is fifty years old; ne Calls ioi sun
enforcement and says that after the worst sDai '
happened he will begin again at the toot Oh tno isu'
Iron nerve and a win that has repeatedly Vaui'eu
h.,aclas n advancement are behind this determination
and his family reared in wealth and accustomed 70 inc
Injuries life join him In preparations 10 recover W
toll and drudgery the means OF comfort tha' ia'e'
elipped from them like phantom.
Emory A. storrs retained In the pending SUIT against
Mr. Mcoeoch. Referring 10 the man and case he SAID
al nave known him for several years anu nave "HU
business with him. He is rugged character ou' ,no
ouxhy honorable In personal matters just now there
Is good deal of feeling both ways regarding n'h on
account of this failure. If were TO send you anons
brokers' for information about him you would get adua
tion in one quarter and undue censue oi
him in another, according to the way the deal may
have affected those Of whom you might INQUIRE
This thing will blow after while Then common
opinion VIII settle have indicated lie is arueSea
bur kindly man. meaning do right, probably pu' ooiu
and exaetiug Because OF these business
traits many brokers' glad that he failed, wne somo
OF his friends although sympahizng with him. condemn
his course as foohardy and disposed to question
whether he may not have been influenced aeainS' MS
better Judgment.
awith the country full hogs. full that railroad
them and in the presence scientific fact that every
hog has twelve pigs time and litters twice year.
AMI that every part Of tie hog is converoie lnto ru'
seems like the act of crazy man TO attempt 10 corner
million hogs is more Than he Can 90 10 corer
one
scrsenai friend OF jir. MeGeoch and with w. r. Har-
yey his brotherin.law learned something OF McGeocn
as he has appeared of the floor OF the Exchange -
hzyo never known a more honorable man." MI Leiano
sail 81 do not believe that Peter MeGeoch mas against
his record single OF unfarness IL Is not 1o me 70
say what he may have done attempted to do IN MS
business but am very sure that he has not over
sseppe what he believed be its legitimate bounds lie
IA not man acquaintance ofhand but is
fr,a kind friend. Inever knew anyone"who reminded
nae physically so much of General Garheid-his Inquire
a raj ght and anins and he has the high tore-
head and peneti ating eyes that General Gareids
fs beard is also IN the same STYLE ana IL aoou'
rhe sane color l have visited him at MS nome near
Milwaukee, where lie A uenBuLuliy @n~
seen him with his family. No could be more devoeo
tlsn he to them. 1 not know what
more I could OF him, 1or ieei
sure that would TO have me say what kno"
about his outside charitiesthe many families VINO nave
been dependent on him for years. believe that out OF
this trouble he will come forth honoraoy I'LL great
blow 10 hun. of course, and his family, but he was
swamped a deal several years ago on much smaier
scale than this but important to him them because IL
took everything had and he paid back every doar OF
a,raf hat a
lose everything because he was about 10 retire from
businass and planned pass the rest Of his LIE qu
I city bur have doubt that nls pluck VIII stand ny
| him and eventually make him prosperous again.
Tn the course of talk Mr. Harvey sad Mr.. McGeoch
As native Of Scotland He came to this connty wheh
bug and went Waterloo, Wisconsin, where his iaher
was then living After working on the larIn LOT apout
two wears ne became dissatisfied with that kind or life
and started for himsef hauling stone for the STATE
Capitol at Madison While thus engaged ne Tell III WIN
% man named Van Kirk, grain dealer ana arranged
X with him buy and ship wheat 10 Milwaukee, van hrA
II remaining at Milwaukee and McGeoch making head
\ quarters at Fox Lake. The business was tastgrovns
ons auo ABOUT 35S the firm OF Wan Kirk McGeoch, as
buyers shippers and commission dealers III gram was
/ formed Before this MeGeoch had married my sister
Who had moved Wisconsin with her parents from
4 near Montpelier Vermont The firm Of Van kirk
1 NcGeoch lasted until 1872, by which time DOM
parties mad become wealthy. Ihey then went
into wheat deal and lost everything Van kirk
became discouraged and never reehtereo tue
business McGeoeh plodded along and IN the course
of three or four years footing Their business
At the time of tue failure included not only general
brokerage and commission business In gram nut they
n.a large pork-packing establishment, and McGeoch
WA working with profit several farms near Milwaukee
on which he kept fancy stock His Indebtedness al tne
time OF the failure rehevedby Aexdnder MVcheH,
Il of Milwaukee % fellow seOtehman and when McGeocn
4 married I'D hill again, Mitchell had an account OF
i'm Me(1A
MIA farms from which he able to start an extensive
II milk business, running his wagons INTO MILWAUKEE,.
4 rhis gave him the OF the Milwaukee MilSman'
by title he was known, derisivsly Tor long sc
after he came here.
He was In a wheat deal in 1875 which was SO sue
csssfo that 10 1910 he abshcd his business in NIL
N yanee paid of all his debts aud continued 10 prosper
almost continuously from then till this last failure Inc
II arm m this city established In 1881 McGeoch
xIace then has made frequent trips here bat mas retained
MS residence near Milwaukee. lie lives about four miles
ft If city in house constructed two years ago ana
~ admirably equipped FOR comfort IL Is situated on
XII tna onoos,,e the sol iers Home and commands fine
eountry view. The grounds include lawns, an ARTIFICIAL
lake fountains and fine grove and the improvements
rost probably not than $4,000 There are scVea
h 6pe horses in his stable among them Tom Bowman,
racer which he bought year Hehas also line
arriving team and his wife and children have their own
horses
Besdes his wife his family consists OF three daughters
and a iOurin daughter ul7u H''V Jo"'' 'N"'A7
sbild who makes home with him. The daughters are
n grown aud the IL q boy NJ niteen"
sHos do the family take this faiureP
4Yey were at first very much depressed by IT, as was
n. ,,nk now however they all facing 1t bravely
and arc willing make whatever sacrifices may he
necessary His wife very plucky, and the daughters
have SAL that they ready at time to go to WORK
Cor their living They expect Of course TO give up ther
IA horses their servants and and everything
Ia In the shape Of Injury, and will do It without
pplaiut McGeoch has said 1hat he expects the cred