The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-07-02

New York July 2.-K. Giles, statis-
tician, is reported to have gone out
Of business. Wall street Is to lose it's
noted expert on the annual cotton
crop.
And yet not all Wall street, even
today, knows that the information
upon which 1t relied for it's specula-
lions in cotton for decade and q
which in any
more reliable than that furnished by
the government itself-came from a
woman. For X. Giles. statistician. is
Miss Katherine Giles, woman who
can keep a secret.
Miss Giles even before the event.
full turn of the cotton tide in 1892.
when she differed from government
reports by a large percentage and
increased cotton values by some $5,-
00O, 000-had the name of the cotton
queen and was drawing more than
$40, 900 a year. And curiously enough
when a reporter interviewed her
some Ave years later on the reason
for her phenomenal success she
skipped all the usual platitudinous
advice about industry, determination
and so forth, and laid all her prowess
to the fact that she never specul-
lated.
Began at So Week.
From So a week, ruling lines on
tabulation cards, Miss Giles rose to
be one of the inside powers of Wall
street. Her information, gathered
from Georgia to Bombay, became the
standard upon which men based the
investment OF millions. Her advice
was sought by thousands, both
straightforward and undetermined.
Hundreds tried every ruse known
to strategy to make her divulge,
even If only day in advance, the
nature of her coming report on crop
conditions.
But Miss Giles has always man
aged to outwit them. Lately she
rarely answered the telephone her
self during the day lest the CONVEX
sation should be turned into danger
Gus directions, and lest she should,
by the slightest infection or break OF
voice, betray the priceless informa-
tion which lay on her desk before
her.
For on that desk, in neatly dis
tributed piles, would lie the return
postcards from cotton growers OF the
south, telling her how each and every
crop of the nation was faring. They
would come in. some mornings, 300
at time.
Exceedingly Feminine.
Statistics grind all the humanity
out of a persons veins, as a rule.
The mental picture of woman who
lives all day with figures, sums and
reports is terrifying-but far from
true, in this instance. For as a mat
ter of fact. Miss Giles is exceedingly
feminine and youthful looking, golden
haired. bright and pleasant Of eye.
The 25. 900 postcards which she an
nually distributes among the IL cot
ton states have not divorced her from
a dislike Of publicity and other traits
womanly. One of them is a country
home at Closter, N. J., to which she
is retiring, now that her office viii
be closed.
1t was that December 5, 1902. OF
course, which brought Miss Giles her
biggest reputation. The government
Miss Giles report said another
and IL was her report WHICH won and
turned the tide of the cotton market.
She was comparatively well known
before that but when this happened
kilograms began to pour into New
York from all over the country.
who is Giles?' they asked. And
"Giles' has never wanted Tor ad-
herents the nation over since then.
She Never Speculates. -.
81 owe it all to the fact that !
never speculate" she said. The
temptation to do so is almost over
towering but it has been the water
loo of more than one statlstician.
one speculates, it is only human ma
ture to be biased In the direction IN
which you want the market to go.
But you can see it is the utmost rolly
to do so. because, win or lose, you
would lose the confidence OF your
clients.
Another important thing is I'd
permit no one to influence you. You
must rely solely on your own jcdg-
ment. This is absolutely impera-
tive"
Between $4,000 and $4,000 has
been spent annually by the govern
ment in getting a line on the cotton
crop from which to compile It's an
nual. report. But in this, says Miss
Giles--and evidently, to judge by her
long list Of clients, she is correct
there are many mistakes which
would ho fatal to investors. Many
small towns are never reported az
all. Then, too, she learned TO pulld
much on the tenor of general re-
marks of the growers which were
feature Of her postcard system and
from which she believes she came
nearer getting at the real conditions
than the government, with all its
special investigators.