Jasper Weekly Courier, Volume 48, Number 20, Jasper, Dubois County, 26 January 1906 — Page 3
"COAL OIL JOHNNY;" KING OF SPENDTHRIFTS
'welling at an normo us rite, against' and every the day when Johnny Steele bould be-1 me. Glv
come of ag uJ coin- Iii.. Iiis own
Squanders tOO.OOO in a Duy
on make a night of It wi h Ji MM a bottle of champagne
i start with." 1;h was the beautiful little mar-
CAREER OF YOUNG MAN WHO SQUANDERED MILLIONS WITHIN SEVEN MONTHS. A RECORD THAT HAS NEVER BEEN BEATEN
At laal ike uuu- cam, and an era- he rod., m. l Odl0l0l Inters' jlaaehe of money rolle! rlowo on the centered on the hois whom her u a :e i former poor driver, who, In hl child all drank chami a-tn. . lies-, mr I hand davs. had never had bo nn:!i as 'over, aas the only sober one of th
OfOOrtM U ipeaA The way lu wh.ch outfit some hour later, for Johnny (drink yourself 10 ltl
me li.g with hlto. IU had been
to i l.o bluff of the utwly rich lo those days of mushroom fortunes, eiid a named a suru that wouid hare made a man of many ttBBOt ittolt! millions wince, hut .Steele quickly Mid: lKne. I'll write you a cjeck and you go down and get :t . a-she 1 aad
made the money 11 y
caused even Steele surely made good when he start- He wrote the check, de. llneu a r-
John W. Streit. Who Acquired a World-Wide Reputa- go
lion by Throwing Money to the Wtnds. Dies in Poverty in Pennsylvania Near Scene of the Source of His Wealth.
the oil region then eneai! d in its mad el cj-.it to "make a night of lu" anil thl ceipt fur tho place. and. hand '.tig th
chase for wealth, to alt up and Lake a as one of them. propti.-i.r his hat and -at toll u.m notice. Thra ii.-v.-r was a gfQlilf "Nobody who hears my volte ran not to come back, and went behind the like him before tad f.-w have Imitated spend a cent. I'm Johnny Rcefe," do himself acting as clerk. He en and none tq Wied him since. His flint was the favorite cry of the little fellow joyed Ibll about an hour, t.n .eft the draw on what was QOMldMtd an in. x- us he entered a resort, and there were loth without anyone It charge, and hauv i ble .-apply of wealth was Ku.- always thOM within sound who Otoooofweot to the barroom, where he givo began to figure juat bow expensive they the Lai keepers ca b two ruuuths ' wafCO QlWUm it in hundred dollar bills." could make the hour with Steele. There and told them to get out. He own... he said to the cashier of fae Oil City is vet to be found the man who will the place ami would ruu it himself, bank, to which he had walked from say he ever saw -Coal Oil Johnny" It took but a f-w hours for the lad his home up oil creek, at Kous vill . take a cent 04 change frm the bar or Of money to tire of his costly toy, and. I want to show some of tho boys a 'any where else, for that matter. Fo going out on the street, he met an rni-
MCh as the young fellow was no -ucb povei shed a cjuainiatM e.
Our Pattern Department
LADIES SHIRTWAIST
Philadelphia. In an unpretentious I young woman en .ugh to make her In house on a little farm m ar Franklin, J dependent for lif-
things as dollars or small Ml.
Lights Cijrais with $100 Bills.
Hill v." he said, 'take tbs old Ho
tel. I U night it. but I'm tired of it
And "the boys" wire show n. J' hnny :.. s'arted ; .wn the - i. t with 1 is thousand 1500 billl and to every on.'
he met he present, d one of the bills, his extravagance came one day when pml . . . .. . . . i . V. ....... , v. '.,......,, at Dp'lil.
t Ti tn u in Ii-; t jit.'iI n 11 u nn 11 to ih en i- f 11 me wn i.i'naii , . .
know whv em two of the bills He ford to look around, He aerer dabbled I visit to Philadelphia and New York
had not eon.- far until ..ome of those In oil himself. "I want to see my He remained oniy
SB
What was considered the height of It's youra"
It bout this time "Coal OU Johnny"
tired of the oil region and paid a Hying
In the north WOttern part of Pennsylvania, there died the other day a man who some 40 years ago acquired a
most unique and remarkable distinc- ! bargains possible with the producers
Urs HcClIOtoeh was a shrewd bindlus woman and when oil was discovered on her farm die drove the closest
tlon. This person was John . Hteele. better known as "Coal Oil
The pool under the MeClintock farm
bad.- fair to be Inexhaustible and she
Johnny." king of all the spendthrifts bad little troub.1 In getting an almost
the world has ever known
fabulous sum In cash, reserving a big
It Is several years now since this royalty on all oil nrougnt irom one famous character had passe! out farm. This was about three years of sight of the general public, but the , after the death of McCllntock record he established In the few short i llut John Steele was not allowed to
months that he was rolling in wealth loaf because his foster mother then
irlll long lie remembered.
Has Wealth Untold.
bad money. He was sent out to work at driving wagons for the oil men. He
In.-id of 12 months, beginning at did not even nave a team oi ins ou. the dose of 1S1C John Steele did per- but hired out as a driver, and each haps more to advertise the wealth of , Saturday night his earnings w. re the Pennsylvania oil region than any brought home and given to Mrs. Mcother ten men. He advertised Its Cllntock. who dumped them Into the wealth by spending it A beardless common hoard at the oil farmhouse, bov he woke one morning to find him- She rapidly accumulated bank stocks self possessed of untold wealth in bulk and valuable properties In surrounding and an Income from oil royalties of towns and cities as well as in New $1 750 per dv. Sundays included. He York and Philadelphia. Hut she r..-v- r did not know" the value of money, has .-hanged the close, penurious style of not to this day any Idea of how much living to which she and her husband money he had and spent, but It has had been forced when they were trying Uen estimated at from 1.5o0,000 to to pay for the rocky farm on the little
f i Me the amount the first or
named, the fact remains that in seven months" time from his coniins into
ossee-sion of this Immense w
went through It and was broken. Inside of a var from the time be became
a Croesu-. he i back at th"
railroad station at Kouseville. V. n in go county, hustling trunks at $40 a month. Ho has been bustling ever since to k' ; up with the irrocfY'A blil. Never was there a man who made It In such showers as did
run which afterwards became world-
last famed as Oil creek.
Explosion Brings Millions. She never hired a servant and never
,-ealth he moved from the little farmhouse, which
soon became hemmed In by oil wells. Always Insist lag on doing her own
little housework, she came to her death In a
most tragic way, while performing house duties garty in lSf.3 Mr. Mc Clintock rose one mornine before daybreak, as usual, to prepare breakfast for John St. b-f ire he went out with his wan..n She made the last sad
'th this windfall got Steele
o rafctta .0
a snori nine, ir.u
storiea of his fearful a::d wonderful feats of spending money there ca:ne back to Venango county. One of his jokes was to hire as many cat s as would accommodate his friends, one in a cab, and lead the procession himself, sitting on the driver's seat with $1'0 bills in hi hat. drive round the streets
Of the tr(wn until all were tired, then "Coal Oil Johnny" would go along the line buying the horse and cab from each astonished driver, then return and pNOtftt each driver with his own rig gtla. End of Hft Career. But It waa not long until the money of "Coal Oil Johnny," like all good things. ianie to an end Ljke a flash it had come to him and almost like a flash the end am". In a little over seven montba from the time M came into his vast fortune he returned to Houseville. a few miles up Oil creek
above Oil City, and asked for a Job of any sort. He was Kiven the po-itlon
I of roustabout at the little railroad station there, b'lt he Boon fled west to es ape sightseers and newspaper men who came from far and near to s and talk with the man who had spent millions In such a short tlm. He lived for a long time on a farm In Iowa, then moved to Kansas, where he remained until a short time ago While spending the holidays with a friend In sht of the old McCllntock farm he
was stricken with pneumonia, from which he died. Vnlike millionaires of the present day, Johnny Stele did not turn from his wife in the days of his affluence. Nor did she in the ensuing yeirs of novertv. waver In hr affection. When
Pattern NO &4M A ery smart and attraktiv b u-n for a thirt-walst II here shewn, iOVOlopOO In pale green pOttOO voile, with vest of white pique. Ih fronts are cut low. and lap in double breasted style, fastening with two large pearl buttons. The sleeves ire laid In tu. ks above a deep cuff, and the neck is finished by a neck
band and high standing collar All of the fashionable waistings are suitable to the mode, such as linen, madras, taffeta, pongee and mohair. The medium size will requlie two and sevenPighths yards of !C inch material. Sizes for .'.2. 34. 36. 18. 40 and i Inches 'just measure. This pattern will b sent to vou on reeeipt of 10 cents. Address nil orders totbe Pattern Department of thispaper. p.- sure to give s:e and enwsber of pattern wanted l or convenience, writo
No 04U9. MZK NAME MltBFSs
LADIES' COSTUME,
m . I, t . l; . , U. , n - K (
who had for months been waiting ror mammj s. "-J-" hp married Eleanor J
. : - ... . -Ith --.- .. . wn cilo n tun- ,m,l to lnvesi in some i-nimisij iuovi- - - , . , t
-Coal Oil Johnny" dorfel his brier , mistaae oi t . 'l" " TST ZZSZZZJZ bit of a fiver In oil. But on this occa- Mom, . n. eniinnoon "" ' K" l
It Is claim- , a can oi coai on uvv ... " - . UTTW frnm thp aMt an
1 a ail ftiit.'.-iuii auu 1UV itlllPU ll lucumci w w.b.
The t.iBtory of that day will long De sioou vswvuhm uj ...ao.
trn-it aeroes the bnrisoa.
i ,v. newlv rich PtttsbOrS mil result.
... ..!. i A .
Itoaalre would look like a pik.t ib u- Xn I wZI - m , ,.v it eras r.ot klnas who were scrambling for a shade
III cats '! - -
.: ; ','.. lZZf frt the millionaire was found $C, 00 In gold Subsequent few thousands to continue me aaj
m a uimk v.. . . .vina t m1 with hi.- lo w mi
discoveij r.,u.. - . , - . .. .y,.., U. .Im-
... Mtl ti II nr i: l.n ,-ln., r the til- eSl Ol V 11 et.-is oi nil- 'Mi ' "."f - "-II
or .MIS .Met .in mm iv .-. - nous. 1-J..V--... v. C..,H
The . va ct amount of cash on hand things. In his later years ne INN oui nere .ou.a --h -
-t
cla- The entire cost oi nm wnmytt
heralded '"Seotty" special last siim--r,nM not have furnished "Coal
win InlinnvV ciilAT liKhtT8 ill
V'll sv. -- m . Cf....lA ulmnlv COUldO t
.".nd his moneffast enough until he 1 poed to h.ve been far
tv for " Coal Oil Johnny was enoug i
The next moment öe had clogged th
those at the death of Mrs. McCliBtOCk was aave had trouble in borrowing any-
never deflnitely known.
but Is
more
sup-
than
thing, for his financial s:ar aau wai m:ii s t.
Downfall Laid to Gamblers.
rT-Jrl TL Jji
one c:
f those who early acacln d
tear from his vest porket. pulled a
roll of Ulis from another potftttt, skinned off a $l"t) note, and folding it as a lighter struck a match and lit the 1100 bill, then touched it to h.s
himself to young Steele in the hour f cigar. After getting a gooa ugnt i;om
the century no:e. ue wau neu tt uuru up, and threw away the ic;ar.
his wealth was Seth S!cum. a cam-v,i-on, l t,i the work of Sli um fr.et.ds
of Steele attribute his downfall. It was Faugh: That s a DM one, oe sa a. not long until -Coal Oil Johnny," as as he tried another cigar, and also lit he was now known, was the b ggesi t; with a new 100 MIL plunger of them all at the gam ng ta- This simply paralyzed the members k, it. i.tnm won siid when he did of the bic oil exchange. They had b;en
i was tied just before the Immense for
tune was Inflicted on him. and In his wild days of money spending his love for her remained constant. There were no unsavory scandals with women connected with the wild spending of Johnny SteDle. and all his wild pranks were played when away from Mrs. Steele Bill alone could rule him. and she ruled him with love. In vain she tried to eked bis mad care r of money showering, condoled with him when If wa all gone, but remained steadfact In her love for him through all the dreary. I overty-ridden year that followed, faithful, lovine. tender to the end.
he would almost invariably toss hiwinnings to the dealer or some bystander, saying: "Buy yourself a new hat and have a drink on Johnny Steele."'
I n-it the ordinary roulette wheel or Oil Johnny
the faro deal was too slow for "Coal had attracted attention.
Oil Johnny.'" He wanted a.tmn. and nan'ed it In bunches. He seid im If
used to making and losing fortunes la a day. but sik h wanton waste of tnout nad never before come under their notice. There was a lull In the proc-ced-
ings and the gang gathered round " Coal
Then he was happy. He
Got to dO it. gentlemen, (lot to do
It. C-Utt .-petal my money fast enough.
nouiru iv " , , . . ever Plaved poker. " There's too much so I have to burn it up. he said, as he a I - - - a. it in I . . . , til I ll A itl'
time lost deiling and drawing cards."
hi u-i 1 to say. when pressed to sit In ja game. "Its too slow; its an old I ladies' game." One of the favorite stunts of "Coal Oil Johnny"' was to walk into a gam bling room with a few of his choice I friends and ask the proprietor to Mil I him the place. He usually bought at a fearful figure, and th.n would take 1 his place at the dealer's chair and loan his friends money to play agains' himself He didn't know mm h about deal-
it if faro, could scarcely tell Whether
strutted up to the main desk iu the big
room. Tries to Buy Oil Exchange. "Say. how much will you tak-1 for the whole pla.e. I'll buy. I want to own the Oil Exchange for one afternoon." said "Coal Oil Johnny." really in earnest, and seemingly thinking he could buy the place. "Where's the proprietor? Tell him Johnny Steele la here and wants to buy the plac . I'll
ive It Lack to him to-morrow; mak I
him a pf iefil of It. " Su h a proposition as buying the
evolved the
help him, and then ea... v. '
Idea of hiring people to ' $1.000.000. There were in
well, the rest was
trcmely valuable oil properties b. -i les
th.. McPlintock farm which was at tins
was born near Wate: ioo. ra-- m .-
. i J i , J rVl 1 Lv, hon. li u -A I ft, il h w i hi A
l i r I won or lo-t l"f tne nou ; . am i ' --i
Lq this was the easiest of picking for !the sharks who had associated themI . . . .i 1 1 1 . 1 n 1-!... . . f inand. '
...,es wi'Il i ne min' ix. i. i ! thrifts.
The news soon spread throughout -,,rM nf this modern lad of raon. y
and that he was easy. From the north, posed by Steele that day bn pNMlM - t, n,t Ast and from the g 1 1 Had Steele in his ma I I ir.er of spen
camns of California came gambl-rs Ing got ontrol of the oil market for
but it was about the only tnmg t:i it John Steele ever liked In those dtfJ that ha o. ildn't buy. Veteran oil men Ii wo t it Pennsylvania yet IhlfW when the. think what mig.u have hap p.ned had Mich a thing as that pro
John Steeli
Venango county, Pa., in the fall of 1141. He was left an orphan when but
a few years of age and when between Mn and eight years of age was adopt, d by Culbertson McClintuck. a well -to-do farmer living on the out skirts of what Is now Oil City. McCllntoi k owned his own farm, since famed in oil history as "The McCllntock Farm '" From it millions of dollars'
worth of oil was taken years lster
it was not
heir. John St . le
John quit working at once. He n-v. r w.i.t back to vvork after the tragic death of his fr.-t-r parent. Yet ho couldn't enter info thr ull enlovmeut of this money, for Y. wanot of age. and the proper authorities slnn.lv tmk the Imm- use esUtO in hand for the few short MOOtbl whleh dl
the youni. wagon driver oom m
, ' 'e t
millions. During this short tlnv Steele
1 . . i ,i in "cment
for Culbertson McCMO inowea son,.- .',,.,.
ere iiunureus w e '"' -
on his p.ospects.
he wou'd
have m nb-
mania Pr
. . ,1 nM;n, . .inn . I (1 V
. itl. the oi.i nrace games o i " in v .j
. v. e.-...i i;,r him "t is now said . w Id. stiread trouble. His
JOQOOJ rir . - . . . Mm . rooked furo boxes and rou- spenulng at that time had lM4 WäB let-e'wheels WON made, for he did not proportions that lo would have st pkkU remain in Uuorance of the games ped at nothing to gain additional nom I the Ilm cme when he had t be 'the. and with the millions he then bad shown that h lost on a turn of the he might have cornered the market. ,ar,l He was always shown. His This offer to buy out the Bradford Oil the gaming table in the fir Kx-hamte waa as near as "Coal Ol v.if v looneved career were -.me Johnny' ever came to dabbling in the
ill. vi - thing fabulous. Then he reernod to
tire all at "ace of the game aiei sougni
NM which had made his fortune. Buys Hotel; Oivea It Back. It was a fv'w days after tbls that
took, however, to renp the bmeflts of There w
loaned I hot to h
I go heavily Into debt. it was content
i.- ! ii ii. ii,. i-.iara irtaned linn 'n.'
uic on. ne uieu tiint- nn.- j - - .. . , . ,i nnt K.fr Ml .u.nnvnre,! on his nlace. but to his 'dlt be it sa.d be d.d not
A. 1 mm t I 111 mm . 1 :
nt t in n n is win i n - .. , t,,i,im
found that he had left the farm to his to wait not,, tne moo . ...
and In the nieaniim-. mrw-i e--
wife during her life, and it was then
w . j ii . ,- n adop'ed daughter.
... . i ji nM nlAm n f his
to go to John Steele, his adopted son. er authorities ne -v ,.. .. ; "". "
lllT III II i"o
Thoi T' ,
Id Int. r. '
. . . . V. -
... -k . ...t l.nitt reHCIlt fl II." i '
1 l.tvtlty cent, mil siir not.-.-. i."v v. - ,, i0i,,, hi 1, , n I. ft anything by of the UM U" J5,ÄJ1
A i us later, when Steele Mawhlnney tor ..- ' -
q Ith, bO cave tt thO 1 ltf be common pool.
He dl p I
which rts
Steele again electrified the upper oil country by one of his pe... bases. He
w fields Tor enjoyment.
Eorse That Drank Champagne. l,-ht at lt.'.ldfol J. Steel - n de
lown the main street at full sp. ed on walked into one of the le id Dg hn-els I i.antlful mai -. for whl h he had of the region, and seeking the prop 1 -
,aid 13000 nnd through tii" iwingiag tor wa. ,'i,H)rs Of a saloon where 100 Oil MM "I like the leokl of this place a: d
it.
- . A ft
.tolna their best to emulate mm want to nay
I getting rid of their money. Hi M .ash. I'm JoMM
.,,.t know a iOlll. Illit mai OUlli i m . - uir iinni'.
'cr
I
How much Is it. qpot
u. ! I have
LOUIS PHILIPPE'S FALL. Excitrnient In the French Capital When the Monarch Was Deposed. 0m morning toward the end of February, IS Is, I sat quietly in my attic chamber working hard at my tragedy of l'lrich um Hutten, relates a writer in McCluro's, when suddenly a friend rushfd breathlessly Into tho room, exclaiming; '"What, you sitting hen! 1H) you not know what has happened?" No, what?" "The French have driv.n away Louis Philippe and proclaimed a republic." 1 threw down my pen and that was thO end Of my l'lrich von Hutten. I never touched the manuscript agnin. We tor.- down the stairs into the Street to the market square, the accustomed meeting place for all tho student societies aftT their midday dinner. Although it was still forsnoon, the market was already crowd- . .1 with young men. talking excitedly.
Tte re was no shouting, no noise, only agitated com ersat'or . What Ji 1 we want there? This urobably u one hJMW, Hut ince vhe Freue J had driTsn away Louis Philippe arid pro
claimed the republic, something, of course, must happen here, too. Soma of the students had brought their rapiers along, as if it were necei.sary at once to make an attack or d--feud ourselves. We were dominated by a vaeue feeling that a great out br.uk of elemental forces had boRun, as if an .'artbijuake was Impend. Of of which we had feit tho first Bho:' -nd we Instinctively crowded together. Thus we wandered about In numerous bands to the " Kneipe," where our restlesaness. however, would not auff. r us long to stay; th. n to otb.r iileamro resorts, whore we fell into
OOaversation with all manner of strangers, to find In them the same confused. atonishod ana opectant state of mind; then back to the market iqMUrOi I" see what might be going on there; then again aoinewhere else, I M on, without aim and end. until finally late in the night fatigue compeilod us to find the way home.
Patterns No 54a-'.-.r.?2 Black and whne rkCCt suiting and p ftin gieen pfoai Mb are rtprci 1. 1 ie th s vi. Ish r 'At 6 WM here pictured Th" waist It in surplice effect, and the trlmntlag band Is of green br i.i Ii I . n ilatnitoi by black silk cord loops and huttons. A dainty chemisette of lace and biish statnltng collar of the smi- I wc rn With n The box-pleated skirt is cut in ei-rht gores, and may be In medium sweep or round length. It is very full at the lower edge, the upper part Icing made to lit dost Ijf about the hips. LKips Of cord and buttons arc arlaiiifd ou the up; er part ot th" t-ktrt. matching the trimming n the waist. Chiffon broadcloth, etamine. canvas, voile, cheviot and serge are all suitable to the development The medium size will require three yards ot 4-inch material foi the waist and H yards for the rkltl Waist Sizes for J. 34. 3, rt. 40 and 42 in. ties bust measure. Uo pleated skirt: Sizce tor 22. 24. 26. 2s and t" in. ties waist measure. The ghOV IllOStratloa .alls for two separate patterns I to- .rlce is PJ cents a. n This rattern will be sent to von on receipt f I cents. A.i.!r.-s all orders totbe Pattern I'- ; ar-m-i.t . ' 1 1 us paperBe Mir.- lo rive si w ami numWr of t-t.-rii WWhted. I or cooteiiienee, write ourord r oa the following bouomm
The prop;iclor of tb notil looked
Vm Johnrv Steele. Hose the doors a. l;rardl. boy It was hi? fhM
ji,. 5455 and BiH B
B1XI
N ami; .
anoicr-
Why Sbe Wouldn't Have Him. roers n a it.t.n I would n i marry if lie had $- i.ooo. ooo ' He isn't so awfully homely."' '1 Know it. !ul lie h:e w :te now." Cbl. ugo MOOOrO M ' aid.
Uncn suits and collarw and la-Its that are laid In the sun to dir after Ironing will N much Mit tban H dried on a line
Canada's tttgf1 Aconiitig to K B. Oeborne wboieetured reiently ut the Royal Colonial Instttute, London. Csnads'u ininngraatS sj e best in i be rellowlng order: S.-ota-tnen. Ameiii ir.s i:t.i;rhmeii Scaudtuaviatis ; i tu in i"1 I 'vi'ikhotsjrs.
M.asionniy Honored. A Ii I hojior has lieen paid by the Hi n Mi .0.' ruiucnt in India to ci A mormi onary. Kev. Dr. J.C n. Rwlng, ,r l ..i bor. ii. inak.ii I in linnniau of Ut toilet ork among the suffecr Iron the n Ot esnhquakea.