The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-10-20
KEENE'S HARD LUCK.
Sorely Pinehed at Times to Make Both
Ends Meet.

James keene, the celebrated specu-
lator, is living in rented cottage of
very plain character at Far Rockaway,
to which place he goes every night,
giving more time TO his family IN these
days of privation than when he was at
the top of the social and speculative
world Persons who know him say
that be sometimes has TO borrow his
fare over the ferry. not that he is so
desperately hard up, but that he has
plnched his expenses at every point in
order to get square with the world and
have another start He is of rather
cold bearing. and is accused of having
too much confidence in himself. so that
from time TO time he has lost the sup
port of powerful men who would have,
with a little solicitation on his part.
helped him through. The late W. Ii.
Vanderbilt when keene failed about
the time of the Marine Bank failure,
sent for keene at the solicitation of a
mutual friend and lent him 100000.
though they had parted some years ago
with harsh words. keene said that he
could give security. VERY well. said
Vanderbilt bluntiy. .In take il" He
gave him a mortgage upon a large lat
house in Fifty-seyenth street This hap
pened, now that | reflect. not at the
time of keene's failure, but when he
was very tightly pressed some time be-
fore that and would have failed v'ihout
the money. When he did faj the
time l have mentioned. Vandert ut
for him and the mutual friend an,
Here, I'll give You back your ho-
will it do you any good?' Yes. saai
Keene, indifferently, 1t viii give me =
living" Take il. said Vanderbilt
Mr. Keene's condition when he came
to New York City was very substantial.
He had at least S4000.O00, and was pre-
sumed to have in California further
backing He arrived in the city when
there was no leader to Wall street. and
the brokers came around him with
hungry eyes to get his orders One of
these brokers. who has made IS, 600, 600
by his commissions, has refused To
carry stocks for him of late, and another
who is deep in his account would not
even carry 200 shares for him. He was
one of the chief inventors of the grain
speculation coincident with the stock
market. He was sharply reproved for
having put speculation into the neces-
saries of life. and in the end he lost S.
100000 in wheat, following the advice
of Rufus Hatch. 1t is said that he met
Hatch at the tape-measure, who was
reading the quotations with his ewes
full of tears and he blubbered, "Keene.
if you don't help me | shall break "
keene went to his assistance and Hatch
showed him how a great deal of money
might be made, but it ended in keene
being a great loser. He also made a
heavy loss in the Hannibal & St. Joseph
corner, where John r. Duff of Boston
had attempted to scoop the whole street.
A friend of Duff ineautiously said to
another person at a restaurant table:
1.-The man you see yonder is Jim Keene,
| and we are going to break him." This
| person bethought it well TO 60 and tell
| keene, whom he had not previously
| known. Keene found that he was in
the tolls, so he got to work quietly and
| began TO buy this stock, and for some
of it he paid as high as 325 and the
same stock he ultimately sold at 20 He
made the most of his money in North
ern Pacific preferred. He believed HIM
self in 1877, just after the Pittsburg
riots, when he became bull, worth S40,-
600, 600. When he sold his race horse
Eoxhall he was already hard pressed
and unable to leave the city lest his ab-
sence might be interpreted as fright or
desertion. He had no person to send
but a woman who had taken a svmpa-
thetic view of his case and was a good
negotiant She sold Foxhall to Lord
Roseberv for S25, 900, which was 81, 200
more than Keene expected Keene's
fiat uptown is said to bring him the
comfortable sum of 81, 800 month, but
it is no great amount of money to a
man still in the street. satisfied that
there is no future for him unless he re-
establishes himself there. Gath IN PhiI-
| adelphld Times