The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-04
"Who is Giles ?"

"Who is Giles!
kilograms, says the New York World,
asking this question, were still being
received Saturday by cotton brokers in
the Wall street district from all points
in the universe where there is trading
in cotton.
The first message bearing this query
flashed over the wires from New Or
leans, the cotton stronghold, shortly
after trading opened on the floor of the
New York Cotton Exchange Thursday
morning. A scene of wild excitement
was taking place on Change. The
shorts were scurrying to cover like rab-
bits to a warren. Cotton prices were
soaring Bull traders, exulting in the
sudden and mysterious turn of the
speculative tide in their favor, were
believing for all the cotton futures
they could get
1t was a complete revolution in trad
ing of the day before The bears had
been in complete possession of the trad
ing ring then. In a night a marvellous
change of sentiment had taken place.
At the closing of the exchange yester-
day the increase of cotton values since
Thursday, estimated by transactions
on the floor, was more than $4,000 0O
The explanation was to be had in the
answer to the query:
who is Giles?'
Brokers in the United States and
England accepted the obvious answer,
until a better one should be received,
Giles is some power in Wall street"
Any one who could turn the cotton
market in day or two was indisputa-
bly, power, especially since the turn
was to the tune of S5,000,000 The pow
ers of Wall street are known, each and
every one of housekeeping Giles"
II would have been another thing had
the magic name of Dave Sullys or of
w. P. Brown, the New Orleans cotton
king, been mentioned. But Giles"
There were not more than half a
dozen cotton brokers in New York who
could have answered the query Thurs
day morning. These few men were
IN the secret, and they wired in re-
ply to the messages: ,.
Giles is a woman"
Who "GiIes" Is.
1t was a truthful answer, inexplica-
Die as it seemed to those who received
without further explanation. Had
the frantic writer's of the messages
the balances while Giles held the
scales been brought before her Thurs
DAY morning they would have seen a
woman of little more than 80, with
lustrous blue eyes and a wealth of
auburn hair, sitting at desk in a
downtown office building. They would
also have observed that she seemed
about to have a good cry: Her lips
We're trembling, and she constantly
brushed O1niStnra ho,. rha
telephone bell rang and she started
nerVously from her chair.
she knew how the market was 60
ing. She knew that she was respon-
sIole Tor the transfer of IS, 000, 900 from
tle pockets of bear traders to the pock-
Gus OF bulls. She knew in a confused
sort OF way that the revolution in
values then taking place would prove
supreme test of her judgment.
line world of cotton now knows that
G!les has won. She has been pro-
cIdiIned the cotton queen. Her taking
over OF the scepter of power has writ
zen romance of speculation perhaps
unparalleled in Wall street.
ne name of the cotton queen is
hatherlne NJ. Giles. Few men in Wall
street know her personally. Miss
Glles Is cotton statistician, which
means that she form estimates on the
circulation in cotton is all In the flu
ture crop and prices rise and fall on
ne strength of crop prospects months
III advance of the time when trans
@Cliohs take place on the floors of cot
ION exchanges. Accurate estimates
are thus invaluable. Government re-
SVrts on the cotton crop are issued
mummy, but these reports have fre-
~ been found to be fallible. I'm
IhnTCdaxy h.
liverpool expert, was the acknowl-
Sc, peer OF statisticians. The cotton
-,.'st hung on his word. Other less
tSiMqey known statisticians have their
,,.t Frlces were failing on Wednesday
o zen MT Buston sailed for England
bait completing a tour Of the cotton
H. = ana announcing 1880, 900 bales as
ms estlmate of the. cotton crop of the
united States. Mr.. Buston receives
a. an annual salary of $4,000 for, visiting
prospects.
A Trying Ordeal.
a. of the most influential cotton
~ N New York pay Miss Giles a
~ sum monthly for her. cotton fig
~ A week before Mr. Buston was
9hce his estimate Miss Giles had
iiLeu ner own She knew to her own
nv Suon about what were the fig
rart ueclded upon by the English ex-
her bert, and they differed so greatly from
"a own eN estimate that she was appal-
con enc told Of this divergence to a
tt W t, and expressed an inclination
sive out her estimate before Mr..
DG.Tytons announcement.
ed her ier Aiienu warn
WI VIZ. Buston's estimate given out
assu1esday morning served to continue
inc onltnlhg market. The firms employ
WsdxMlss Giles got an inkling late
Of b e what would be the purport
Tor,t sr announcement the following
bo "dPh ING. Her estimates for two years
veor peen marvels of accuracy. Last
war va sae was Just $500 bales out of the
ino ny Oh a crop of many millions. The
iu s}pata9nc Of such an accuracy is H.
ment rel. IN comparison with a govern
v,er , report Of very recent years, which
NJ l,ooO, 900 bales out OF the way.
eoor IS Giles' clients appeared on the
r,or,t OF the Cotton Exchange Thursday
Aivbt prepared to put the bears to
ersd.. Ihey had determined to dis