The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-02-27
MACKAY AND BON YNGE
Will the Famous Money Kings
Fight Again2
Brief History of the Petty Jealousies
and Mean Intrigues That Resulted
in a Personal Encounter

these reports, but, woven together Will INC
maze of complicated circumstances That
connect these two famous money kings, the
fabric becomes at once intensely interesting.
San Francisco readers will remember
that recently both these gentlemen we're
in this city. They will also remember
of a highly sensational meeting between the
two in rear room of the Nevada Bank one
morning. when fists figured furiOusly, mill
ionaire blood flowed freely and there were
no arrests The surface facts of the affair
were abundantly aired at the time but the
circumstances leading up to such violent
climax are not generally known, and form
tale that could be hardly equaled for SEN
sational developments in a library of 10
cent felton,
MAY MEET AGAIN.
The Geographic item adds that Mr..
Bonynge's visit tc New York is reported to
be for the ayowed purpose of meeting Mr.
Mackay, TO give him the thrashing that he
would have administered at their late meet
ing in this city, had he not been afraid of
Mr.. Mackay's influence with the judiciary.
Mr.. Mackay is not at all backward about
explaining the causes that led up to the fray.
For syeaIs. be says, he has suspected
Bapyngerof being the instigator OF certain
vile attacks upon Mrs. Mackay, published
in leading papers in both New ork aud
II. L
the fact, and swore lie would whip Bonynge
. the first time they met. The meeting nap
.peped to be in the room mentioned, and Mi.
Mackay undertook to fulfill his engagement.
Bonynge and his friends say the trouble
originated with Mackay, when several years
ago he attempted to chill Mrs. Bouynge's
entire into London society by causing the
publication in some prominent paper that
she was q divorced woman. BOnynge was
dreadiully worked up over the affair, and
spent many a pound of hard coin tracing the
publication straight to Mackay's door.
CAUSE OF THE ENMITY.
a correspondent of the st. Louis Globe
Democrat thus humOrously relates the cir
cumstance5 upon which is founded the
enmity of these great men: Having piled
up their millions under the fostering wing
of the American eagle, they have trans
planted their families to London. and there,
hanging desperately TO the tufted end Of the
British lions tail, they have fought each
other, each striving to break the others
hold, and. at the same time, to attract to
himself the attention of the faT-off other
end of the noble British beast-high London
society. Tie apparent leaders in this battle
have been the wives OF the two men. Mrs.
MaCkay lived and entertained royalty at
Buckingham Gate, right under the shadow
of Buckingham Palace, the Queens town
house, and convenient to Marlborough
House where lives the Prince of Wales.
Mis-. Bonynge also inhabited a gate, close
Hyde Park corner and aristocratic Bel
grave There in fine, large house she en-
tertaned in royal style. For MIR. Mackay it
must be said that his only share in ali this
was the contribution Of funds. His millions
did the entertaining, but he was not there.
His wife did the secret fighting while he al
a distance, grubbed around after millions,
living quietly at the Windsor Hotel while in
New York, with no thought but to keep the
wolf from buckingham Gate.
HOW THEY DIFFERED.
Mr.. Bonynge differed from Mr.. Mackay in
that respect. lie was on the spot, and while
disclaiming any interestin social progress,
except such as was based on proper de-
sire TO please his wife, he lived in Princes
Gate, sigued his checks there, and shook in
person the hands of all the Lords, Dukes
and Princes as fast as they were collected.
Both of these American families were fairly
successful as American families 60. Mrs.
Mackay was by far the better known of the
two competing ladies'. Her name all over
Great Britain and the Continent is a syno-
nym for cash in vast quantities, and her
tertainments have long been famed. But
ad Ts was aTa%ng n @P he w i9ei
beyond any question, eliminated IN the good
old-fashiOned shindy In the Nevada Bank
in San Francisco.
The fight started in good earnest when the
American Minister Phelps lookup with the
Bonynges and neglected Mrs. Mackay.
Boaynge soon became the bosom friend and
financial adviser of Mr.. Phelps junior, who
held the position Of second Secretary to the
legation.
AN ANONYMOUS BATTLE.
Anonymous publications began to appear
concerning Mrs. Mackay's family, alleging
that she was formerly washerwoman.
Naturally Mrs. Mackay was much annoyed,
| but it does not appear that they ever had
| the desired effect,
Soon afterward, in pretty much the nat
| ural sequence of cause and effect, anony
| nous communications began to appear in
| relation to the Bonynges. They dealt with
| the circumstances surrounding the marriage
! of Dir. and Mrs. Bonynge, and with the his
tory of a Mr.. Daniels. Mrs. Bonynge's first
| husband and the father of her TWO beautiful
/ daughters.
BROKE OFF THE ENGAGEMENT.
The elder Of these daughters. Miss Vir-
ginia, so report had it, was soon TO marry
Lord Cantelupe, son and heir of Earl Della
/ ware. One line morning the London mall
| carriers delivered to everybody in London
society marked copy OF New York Town
/ Topics. The article marked dealt with the
history Of the, BOnynges. and alleged that
| Miss BOnynge was the child of convict,
during whose Imprisonment Miss BOnynge's
mother had married her present husband,
| etc. Upon receiving his copy the panic
| stricken Earl Delaware, in true British fash
ion, started his heir, Lord Cantelupe, off on
| a voyage around the world When he came
| back lie married some other girl, since
| which time he has been drowned in his
| yacht at sea:
GROWING HOTTER.
| This sort of blind newspaper fusillade
| continued to grow hotter and hotter, first
| against the Bonynges and then against the
Mackays, and finally came to a climax in
| the appearance of book entitled Mrs.
| jonathan Abroad" The ostensible mission
! OF the book was to give an account of the
/ American colony in London, but its real
mission was TO make the most envenomed
| attack upon the 'BOnynge family ever pub
| llshed. Tie description of the other MEN,
| bers OF the colony was absolutely colorleSs,
| and most were disposed of in paragraph;
| but thlrty-siX pages were devoted tn the
| Bonynges, and was singularly correct his
| tory OF every disagreeable thing that could
| possibly have been dragged out of the past.
| Bonynge's marriage certificate and all the
| court papers in connection with the trial,
| imprisonment and pardon of Daniels, Mrs.
BonyDge's hrst husband, were reproduced
Bonynge ever lived in had evidently been
| visited, and all possible facts ascertained in
| connection with her life.
| sHIP-LoADs OF SCANDAL.
Mr.. Bonynge unhesitatingly attributed
the book to Mackay. The book was sent to
| London III ship-loads and distributed gratu-
/ itously among all the acquaintance of the
| family. MIR. Bonynge swore he would not
| stop with libel suits, but would put the
! Mackays in the pententiary.
OF Colonel HungeTford, who is described
in tie book as Mrs. Mackay's father, MIR.
| Bonynge said, by way Of retort:
Colonel Why the man was barber,
and that ancestral seat she talks about was
BARRIERS chair. The man had a little shop
here in New York and afterward in Cali,
fonia. lie was my barber there; shaved
me many and many time. And devilish
good barber he was, too. i can say that
much for him"
Bonynge said that the Mackay method of
warfare was to get these articles published
IN the Town Topics, or some equally promi-
hent Journal, and then distribute great num-
pefs OF them all over London, among the
friends OF the family and at the club. "No
sooner dld my wife make CALL" he adds,
than within twenty-four hours one of those
papers was sent around there by MALL
SUBJECT FOR SORROW
d as 20 the circumstances surrounding Mrs.