The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-28
Gillett, the Live Stock Plunger, Had
An Agent Here.
HAS GONE TO SPAIN
ALLEGED TELEGRAM ANNoUNC-
ING ELS EMBARKATIoN.
Took Large Sum of Money With
Him-Liab abilities Are Growing and
May Exceed a Million and Half
Cattle Are Dying of Neglect
Creditors Fighting Over Wreck.

Kansas CITY, MO-, NOV. "a SpSCldl
to the Journal from Woodbine says:
Grant G. Gillett, the cattle king, So
called, whose failure last week, with
liabilities estimated at. over million
and a half of dollars. startled the i've
stock trade, is believed to be on his
way to Spain. The following telegram
is said to nave been received in this
city today by a brother-in-law OF the
missing plunger:
New York, Nov. 27-I will leave to-
day by steamer for Spain. Gable me at
Cadiz. How are my wife and baby?
"(Signed) G. G. GILLETF.
At the home of the departed Gillett
no one would vouchsafe any 1nforma-
ton as to his whereabouts, ana the re-
ceipt of the alleged telegram was Kept
a secret. 1t was generally believed tnaI
Gillett had first gone. to Texas, ana
from there to Old Mexico, a travelling
man claiming to have seen him at
Chihuahua Gillett is said to have tele-
graohed friends here on Friday last
from Texas that he was then en- route
to Old Mexico, and by some this is be-
lieyed to have been a blind, to give
time to get to New York and set sail
In an interview today j. H. Holllnger,
president of the Gillespie Commission
company, whose attachment caused
Gillett's collapse, is quoted as
saving that Gillett had planned for
his departure for several days previous
thereto. and that he had taken $4,000
in cash with him.
A story was current also that, in
connection with G. r. Troxel, a young
attorney of Abilene, who has ben sign
ing a good deal of paper for him, and
who has been in Utah and Nevada
much of the summer, he has been send
ing cattle across the Rocky Mountains
to hide them until the storm blows
over AS a matter of fact, Troxel FOL
lowed him to Fort Worth, and was
with him Thursday last there, trying
to get from Gillett some return for the
work he had done as an employee. lie
failed, and it is not known where he Is.
Mr.. Keller. of the Denver firm Of
Keller & Dake, was here looking after
his firms interests. He found some or
their cattle on which he had mortgages,
but one bunch is entirely missing. 1t
consists of $50 head of Oregon year
lings, branded in Salt Lake in June,
and shipped to the plains in the sum-
mer. Gillett bought them in Seotem-
Der, to place on a ranch near here,
where he had $50 acres of roughness.
The roughness was fed to the other
stock, and no trace that the yearlings
were there was ever found.
Mr.. Keller said: sNVe think they will
come to light, for they were not mar
ketable stock. We sold them without
receiving one dollar on them. because
we had done this before, and had al
ways found that Gillett did as he
agreed" ~ ~
The firm has also mortgages on cattle
on which, are several other claims.
FIGHTING OVER THE WRECK.
A special to the Times from Abilene,
Kan, says: The creditors of Grant
G. Gillett, the cattle king who left for
parts unknown last week, spent Sun
day struggling over the wreck which
he left behind him. 1t has developed
into a case of every man for himself
and the result is a worse snarl than
ever. Each commission firm who holds
Gillett'S paper seems to devote most
of his time in checkmating the moves
the others make. In the meantime
losses are piling en- losses and the mil
lion and a half estimated liabilities
may go even beyond that amount.
There is no one to feed or water the
thousands of cattle at the Gillet farm
here and while the creditors of the
failed magnate are quibbling among
themselves, the cattle in the stalls are
dying for the want of water and feed
The employees on the ranch have de-
serted their posts. On a side track are
twenty carloads more of Herefords
and short-horns suffering in the storm
| with no one to care for them. They
had arrived on the date of the failure
It is said today that Gillett has GER
| tainly mortgaged and re-mortgageC
i the same cattle to different parties. II
at least one case, it was stated today
| he re-branded cattle he had sold tC
| one man and mortgaged them to {
| commission house, or, as seems prob
! able, to two or three commission houses
| for a heavy sum. and then had the
herd divided and driven quietly of
| his farm to another mans place, where
he arranged to have it kept for thu
| winter 1t is still impossible to &C
| curately estimate Gillett's liabilities.
| The Gillespie company has tied up
by legal proceedings, the cattle at fiji
| teen or twenty points, to prevent other
from shipping them to market. Ever.
| firm will ship in all its cattle as fas
as found where any doubt exists as t.
the regularity of the paper. No agree
! ment to act in unison could be reached
| today Several more interested partie
! came in tonight, Denver Des Moines
! Chicago and st. Louis being represent
| ed, as well as Kansas City. 1t is unlike
| ly that trustee can be agreed upon
! but bankruptcy court proceedings ar
probable. For the present a genera
| scramble is in progress.
Well Known In Texas.