Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-09-26
THOS. LAWSON
ON F. A. HEINZE
Autnor OF "frenzied Finance Gives
His Version Of Famous Mining
Stock Fight With Butte Man.
TOM SAYS HE CAME OUT WINNER
Heinze Comes Back at the Boston
Fakir With a Fierce Reply
Scores Lawson.

->o" 1ork, Sept. 2o-NH nat Law
son did to Heinze in the fight between
Standard Oil and the Montana copper
man, is the story told by Thomas w.
Lawson in Everybody's magazine for
october. Mr.. Heinze's story has been
told, but this is the first time Mr.
LaWSon's version in detail has been
made public, and it makes sensational
reading, as sensational, almost, as
anything Mr.. Lawson has done since
he began "Frenzied Finance
Heinze's First Move.
According to Mr.. Lawson, Heinze,
through the "Apex' law of Montana
and the corruption of the Montana
courts, attempted to blackmail the
Boston & Montana and the Butte &
Boston companies The companies
would not pay Then says Mr..
Lawson. began that warfare which
has astonished the world for it's fierce.
ness, cruelty and destruction of prop.
erty, which has made Montana JUS
tice a bywOrd and dragged her gov
enmental institutions in the mire.
Because of it, the state has been di-
yided into two parties, and judges and
lawyers and state officers and United
States senators have been bought and
sold as openly as beer over Butte
bar. Already the fighting has cost
the contending parties $12, 900 900, and
at writing. there seems little pros.
pect of peace"
Offer Of s5,ooo,ooo.
Standard Oil, says Mr.. Lawson,
tried to buy Heinze off. It offered him
$3.OOO,OOO, and then $5,OOO,OOO. But
Heinze held sure hand, or thought
he did, and would not sell out for that
amount and quit. He had had receiv-
err appointed for the Boston & Mon
tana company, and by selling "short"
on the stock market had sent the
stock of that company tumbling Pan
ic seized the System" Something
must be done. Henry H. Rogers, mas
ter of Standard Oil in the field, sent
for Heinze and argued long but futile
ly; then gave it up. "Heinze," he
said TO Lawson afterward, sis impos-
sible.' The next day promised a pam
ic in Boston & Montana. The situa-
ton was desperate. Standard Oil
must step into the breach openly.
That was Mr.. Lawson's remedy. Mr..
Rogers refused. Of this refusal. Mr.
Lawson says:
STANDARD Oil is sure thing oper-
ator. 1t never enters a deal on even
terms. Its cards are always stack
ed its dice 'cogged,' and it's boxes
liked The truth is that Mr.. Rogers
and Mr.. Rockefeller, with all their
millions, are veriest cravens in an
open stock gamble"
Plays Heinze's Own Game.
They would not step into the breach
and Mr. Lawson, seeing no other
course. then went to try his hand with
Heinze. He talked with the Montana
man for hours. Heinze. feeling sure
of his hand, not only refused to ac-
cept $3,O00,oOO that had been the price
named before, but put the price to
$5,OO0,000 and made that conditional
Carried away by the sense of his pow
er, Heinze finally delivered his ulti.
matum to Lawson in these words:
whatever sum Rogers and I agree
upon tonight. whether it is three mil.
lion, five or one hundred and five, 7
get it in one way and no other. Rog-
ers and Rockefeller sign paper,
which I am to publish where please,
admitting that they came to me and
begged to settle-you understand, don't
yOu?-begged me to settle, and, in ad.
dition, they are to acknowledge that
am all right and agree that shall
be president of the consolidated COM
pany."
Heinze Loses Millions.
Mr. Lawson was convinced that
Heinze was impossible" by any open
method of persuasion. He says that
he at once decided to play Heinze at
his own game. He did, and by ma
nipulatiOn of the stock market the
next day, he put Heinze out of the
game loser by several millions. The
game was played by Lawson's pre-
tending to turn traitor to Standard
On and join hands with Henze He
says the end, in his eyes then, jus
tilted the means.