New-York tribune., 1910-07-21
COTTON BROKERS IN FIGHT
After Wild Day in Pit Two
Came to Blows.
SLUMP CAUSED THE ROW
One Helped to Cause 1t, and the
Other Denounced Him for
Telegram.

A cotton mill was in operation in
downtown New York on Tuesday after
noon. with Frank B. Hayne, of New Or
leans, one of the leading members Of the
so-cailed bull party, and Lamar l.
Fleming, a prominent bear. who is asso-
ciated with Hayden, Stone & Co, as its
active executives. It was opened in the
old Delnonicos, at William and Beaver
streets, just across from the New York
Cotton Exchange. Unlike the type IA
miliar IN New England and the South.
to which the raw material dealt in on
the exchange is sent, this mill turned out
no finished product but may be said TO
have been itself a cotton product, since
it was started as a result of doings on
the exchange. and after very short
time its machinery was stilIed, proba bly,
forever.
In other words, there was a brief sea-
son of fisticuffs in Delnonico's. with Mr..
Hayne and Mr. Fleming as the princi
pals. The cotton market had a sensa-
tionaI break on Tuesday. July falling
about 50 points, or 81 a bale. and seri-
Gus declines occurring in all of the lead
ing futures. The bear party made a de-
termined and successful drive at the
market, their operations being material
ly assisted by heavy selling from out-of-
town points due to reports that the bull
party had nquidated it's holdings and
that its deal had collapsed
Fleming Specially Active.
MANY bear houses had sent out letters
in the morning 10 their correspondents.
giving this report; but Mr.. Fleming, it
was said, followed up his letter with dis
patches to the same effect The bull
houses soon began to receive from many
parts of the country. especially the
South, inquiries as TO the accuracy Of
the statement, and Mr.. Hayne. who was
among those TO. whom the dispatches
were addressed, sent answers character
izing the report as a lie.
After the close of the market many of
the brokers, among them Mr.. Hayne.
went over to DeImonico's TO have lunch
con, for the session on the exchange
had been too important and exciting TO
make il safe for them to leave the trad
ing pit before the closing gong sounded.
Soon Mr.. Fleming came in, and, MOTTO
ing Mr.. Hayne' sitting at a table, walked
over 10 him and placing before him a
copy of one of the dispatches in which
he had strongly denounced Mr.. F1em-
tng's sending out of the report that the
bull deal had collapsed asked him if he
was responsible for that telegram.
Mr.. Hayne adjusted his glasses. read
the dispatch and answered: II am
Thereupon Mr. Fleming struck him
and Mr. Hayne retorted in kind. Friends
of Mr.. Hayne say that he knocked
Fleming fat as a founder" but the
Fleming adherents deny it, and in proof
point out that Mr.. Fleming shows no
marks of a blow of sufficient force TO
have brought him to the floor. Some Of
the brokers have il on the best author
ity' that there was only what prizefght
experts might call a ''mix-up.' but it
was sufficiently lively 10 involve the pull
ing down of tabIecloth. which brought
with it Gathering and cracking medley
of china and glass and silver.
Mr.. Fleming was averse yesterday to
giving an authentic and official account
of the encounter. saying: When two
gentlemen settle matter in that way 1t
is better not to discuss it,
Blows Follow Words.
Mr.. Hayne said at the Waldorf last
night that he did not care to discuss the
Delmonico episode beyond correcting an
error that had crept into one account of
- That account had IL that Mr. Hayne
struck the first blow. Mr.. Hayne wished
il distinctly understood that II there
we're any bouquets coming his way be-
cause OF anything he had done they
were not due for any such reason.
Mr.. Hayne acknowledged that he su-
perintended the last blow. but even con-
eerning that he refused 10 supply any
of the interesting details There were
only two blows. He said there was
enough bitterness OF feeling down at the
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