St. Paul daily globe., 1891-02-08
MONEY KINGS FIGHT.
The Recent Encounter Be-
tween Millionaipes Mackay
and B0nynge.
The Trouble Traced to the
Social Rivalry Of Two
Women,
Leading to Scandalous Sto-
pies About Both While
on the Continent.
A Book That Pretended to De-
A Book That Pretended to De-
scribe the American Col
ony in London.


The fight between John w. Mackay
and G. w. Bonynge yesterday in the
presidents room of the Nevada bank
was probably the liyeliest encounter be-
tween millionaires since Jay Gould was
dropped into coal hole several years
ago by disgusted broker. To-day in
Pine street the scrap was the chief topic
of conversation among mining stock
brokers, most of whom were glad that
Mackay thoroughly whipped the Eng
lishman. Mackay himself appeared this
morning none the worse for his lively
encounter. and gave the following ac-
count of the mill:
You want to know about the little
trouble" said Mackay to your CORE
spondent, with smile Oh his rosy face,
which bore no trace of scratch or bruise
'Well, 1t happened in this way: Long.
ago suspected that Bonynge was the
instigator Of certain vile attacks upon
Mrs. Mackay. which appeared in certain
papers in New York and London. Hav-
ing had proof that this was true
Determined to Punish Him
the first time | met him. Yesterday,
when entering the presidents room in
the Nevada bank by the back door, of
which l, as director, have key. | saw
BOnynge sitting at desk with Mr..
Hellman. As | entered Bonynge turned
and saw me. He had a malignant look,
and made threatening movement. |
struck out with my right and hit him in
the left eye. Then hit him again, and
called upon him to put up his fists and
ffrh lya mo Int f.Ff f,rrI.ti
he fell and claSped me around the knees
like a coward. His blood poured all
over my pantaloons aud upon the floor.
Clerks rushed i'll and removed him.
The sound thrashing he received he
well deserved for circulating those Sto-
ries about Mrs. Mackay. I'm not so
handy with my fists as L used to be
twenty-five years ago up on the Com
stock. but [ have little fight left in me
yet, and will allow no man to malign
me or mine."
There is no question that Bonygne
had hand in the recent attacks OH
Mrs. Mackay, for he virtually admitted
this in a recent interview in New York
Truth. When Mackay read this inter-
view he is said to
Have Sworn a Mighty Oath
to whip Bonynge the first time he met
him, and he kept his word. Bonynge's
friends claim there, would have been no
trouble had not Macllay attacked Mrs.
B0nynge several years ago, when she
wished to come out in society. Their
story is that Mrs. Mackay had been
very friendly to Bonynge's wife and
two pretty daughters when they were
on the Riviera, but when they went to
London and Mrs. Bonynge wanted to
appear at court some one inserted
letter in newspaper declaring she was
divorced woman. and that spoiled her
social prospects. Bonynge, it is alleged,
traced this letter to Mackay. and hence
his revenge on the ComstOck million
aire.
Mackay, as all the world knows, is
many-barreled millionaire. sort of
gatling gun among money owners. His
life has been chiefly spent in hauling
cart loads of silver to places of safety,
and he has incidentally built Il cable
across the Atlantic ocean. MIR. Bouynge
is not as rich as Mackay, but he is not
poor. He is sort of siX-shooter mill
ionaire, with
Just Enough Millions
to keep comfortable and entirely free
from want. Probably he has S7,000.000
or S, 900, may be $9,00O,0O0. Anyhow.
he's rich. MIR. Mackay is no longer
young. His hair and mustache are
snow white. But he is tall-not quite
six feet-and straight, we'll made, not
an ounce of fat, with broad shoulders,
thin waist and active movements. He
has done too much hard work and
breathed too much outdoor air in his
youth ever to get soft and f1abby.
There Is no recent record OF his hay
ing whipped anybody, but it is safe to
say that, in spite of his sixty years, he
hit hard In this recent encounter, and,
according to his lifelong habit, made
his mark. Mr.. Bonynge is man much
younger than MIR. Mackay, which is
usually an advantage, but he is not at
all in Mr.. Mackay's class, from the
prize ring standpoint, and his friends
cannot but fear that, like Dempsey. he
was OutclaSsed from the start. Mr..
Mackay would be in the heavyweight
class. Mr.. Bonynge is a featherweight,
but it should be said one in good condi-
tion. Bonynge is a quick.
yyiry Little Man.
about fifty years of age, hardly more
than five feet three or four inches in
height He has goou features and
black eye which, when matter of busi-
ness comes UP, is capable of flaring out
with remarkable keenness. His hair is
iron gray, as are his neatly trimmed
mustache. and whiskers. He speaks,
when he is excited, with a marked En-
| glish accent, and occasionally with
| good deal of confusion as to the prOper
use of the letter ''h." He dresses very
| plainly in dark clothing, and when in
New York occupies modest little room
in the Fifth Avenue hotel.
San Francisco and other parts of this
country are in high state of wonder.
seeking to divine why the gentlemen
should do their own fighting while so
well able to hire their fighting DONE
| The guesses as to the cause of the row
| are as numerous as incorrect. Here is
an authentic history of the business,
which has its humorous side and also its
pathetic one. from the point of view f
! the patriotic American citizen. 1t S
not about any of those things which OIL
dinarily agitate Western men; it is M
about millions, nor banks, nor religious
| opinions. nor the routine merits of
straight flush and four of kind. It's
! all about society.
These Two Successful Men,
| having piled up their millions under the
! fostering wing of the American eagle,
| have transplanted their families to Lon
| don, and there, hanging desperately to
the tufted end of the British lions tail.
they have fought each other. each striv-
ing to break the others hold. and, at
the same time, to attract to himself the
attention of the far-of other end of the
noble British beast-London society.
The apparent leaders in this battle have
| been the wives of the two men. Mrs.
Mackay lived and entertained royalty
at Z Buckingham gate. right under the
| Of ,cho ho
! queens town house, and convenient to
1 Marlborough house, where lives the
Prince of Wales. Mrs. Bonynge also
1 inhabited a gate. close to the Albert
memorial, near fashionable Hyde park
corner and arlstocratic BelgraYe. There
/ in a fine. large house she entertained in
style. For Mr. Mackay it must be said
| that his only share in all this was the
contribution of funds. His millions did
the entertaining, but he was not there.
| His wife did the secret fighting while
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