St. Paul daily globe., 1895-11-28
PETER M'GEOCH, THE MILWAU-
KEE SPECULATION, KILLS
HIMSELF.
PITT A BULLET IN HIS BRAIN.
DOMESTIC INFELICITY AND A
SUIT FOR. DIVORCE THE
n CAUSE.
He Made and Lost Several For
tunes, and Died IL Wealthy
Man.

MILWAUKEE,, Wis, Nov. 27. -
Peter McGeoch, capitalist, known
throughout the country as a daring
speculator and keen financier, shot
himself this morning at his home on
National avenue, just outside of the
city. Mr.. McGeoch was found dead
in the bathroom of his house at II 80
o'clock. He had placed the muzzle
of revolver in his mouth and fired,
the bullet taking an upward course
and penetrating the brain. His do
mestic troubles undoubtedly led Mr..
McGeoch. to take his life. 1t was
announced yesterday that Mrs. Nc
divorce on the ground of incom-
patibility of temper, and it is well
known to their friends that the mar
ried life Of Mr.. and Mrs. McGeoch
was not happy. They have lived
apart for some time. Mrs. McGeoch
was Mrs. Libbey, of Kenwood, a
suburb of Chicago, when she mar
ried Mr.. McGeoch eight years ago.
Her first husband was a well-known
Chicago board of trade man and pork
packer. Their friends in Milwaukee,
with the assistance of their attor-
neys, tried to affect a quick settle
ment of the couples differences, but
without success. Mr.. McGeoch was a
man who had experienced many re-
verses and gone undaunted through
trials that would have broken down
most men. But domestic scandal was
more than he could bear, and the
immediate cause of his suicide was
no doubt the making public of the
fact of the impending divorce.
McGeoch was one of the greatest
and most daring spectators that Mil
waukee ever produced. and his famous
lard deal gave him a national reputa-
ton. That corner failed and ruined
him, but he had engineered many cor
ners before that which had made
stacks of money for him and his as
sociates. He began his career as an
operator in wheat by selling the act
ual product of his fathers farm,
state. That was early in the SOS, and in
1858 he ;branched out for himself. At
that time the late Nelson Van Kirk,
who committed suicide in his office at
Chicago a, few years since, was the
largest shipper Of wheat in the North
west. He had his headquarters at
Madison, but was chipping to Milwau-
kee, and he had heard of Mr.. Nc
H-N I,
ployed him as his buyer, and in
short time the firm of Van Kirk & Nc
Geoch came into existence at Madi-
son. The capital was soon too small
to hold the firm and it came to Mil
waukee.t, 1t branched out and went to
packing. Mr.. McGeoch secured the
backing eof the late Alexander Mitch
ell iand>!a rapidly rose to the posi-
ton of the biggest operator in Mil
waukee. That was at time when
Milwaukee was bigger produce cen
ter than it is now, and McGeoch's op-
erations made him wealthy.
CORNERING WHEAT.
The serious reverse in McGeoch's ca
reer occurred in 1875, when he under
took to corner the wheat market in
the face of an extraordinarily large
crop. Messrs. McGeoch & Van Kirk
had been long on wheat and the corner
was attempted to save themselves
from heavy losses.
The late S. S. Merrill, who was then
managing the st. Paul road, was hos
tile to McGeoch, it is said, and did
everything he could to get wheat into
the Milwaukee market Mr.. McGeoch
hn1 to-
he bought the greater were the re-
ceipts. 1t is related that Mr.. McGeoch
and one of his friends went to the St.
Paul yard one Sunday in November
and counted wheat cars until they were
tired. The line stretched out of sight
and they saw that the jig was up. The
McGeoch clique was ruined. Mr.. Nc
Geoch sacrificed everything he had and
found himself owing Mr.. Mitchell $780,
600 besides. McGeoch never lost heart,
however and he was soon heard on the
Chicago and Milwaukee boards on the
right side of the market. He died a
millionaire. He was siXty-tWo years
of age. His widow and three daug-
ters and a son by his first marriage,
survive him. A married daughter re-
sides in Vermont. A brother also re-
sides here and is in the employ of the
street car company.
DR.. A. ]. Burgess, Mr.. McGeoch's
physician, has made a statement which
throws some light on the matter. Dr.
Burgess says that Mr.. McGeoch was a
sufferer from diabetes and that this
worried him very much, especially as
he feared it would result in the loss of
his reason. On Nov. 10, 1898, Mr.. Nc
Geoch called ON DR.. Burgess and after
complaining about his continued ILL
health, said it was his intention to
commit suicide some day. DIR. Bur-
CESS finally persuaded him to recon-
slider his intentions. Mr.. McGeoch's
health grew worse with the advent of
cold weather and DR.. Burgess says
that there is no question that the deed
was done while Mr.. McGeoch was tenn
porafily insane. Mr.. McGeoch left
letters to his son Arthur and his broth
er, in which he said his domestic af
fairs had reached such a crisis that he
could not bear to live any longer.
ON