The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1868-07-08
SHREVEPORT
A Ennl and his Money.


and somewhat distinguished as an oil prince hav-
ing-for considerable length of time enjoyed the
princely income of $1,000 per day tied IN the tnltea
States District Court last week, voluntary petition IN
bankruptcy. Many of our readers will remember his
romantic exploits in the East published some time
ago. during which he is reported TO have squandered
several hundred thousand dollars After having
'sowed his wild oats" and losing his oil farm, be
found himself in rather stratened circumstances and
was recently compelled to living by driving
oil team. His Indebtedness set forth in his petit
tion amounts to over 100000.
Steel is Pennsylvania by birth, and is in the
neighborhood of % years Of age. He has had but ut
tie education, has business qualifications or shreWd-
ness, and seems especially cut by Dame Nature to
attest the truth of the proverb, that fool and his
money are soon parted" OF his early youth we kno"
very little; manhood and riches sprang upon him
about the same time His interest in the famous
McClintock farm and oil wells, in Venango county,
beoueathed him By bis father for number Of years
yielded him an income OF S3o00pe day. This prineely
income the OF awakening in "Johnny
ambition to seek other fields and sources of amuse
than those offered in the wilds of Venapgo. We
heard of him first by his lavish waste of wealth in
Philadelphia. Here he made the acquaintance of
Messrs Skiff Gaylord, Of minstrel fame, and Of
his rash purchases entire outfit for the min
strels composed of velvet coats and vests and plain
trowsers lmany of readers will remember the
troupe in this unorml To those eccentric costumes
he added diamond breaspins of the first water and
suit of clothes for each member for the street. Sew
Philadelphia, also favored in the same manner.
Another of {" Johnnys" eccentric acts in Phadel-
pha is related as follows: Walking along Chestnut
street day with friend he espeda beautiful span
of horses attached to splendid carriage just turning
down from Second. To see was to envy; hailng
the driver, Sam M, who, as it happened, also
the owner, Johnny " cooy asked him if he would
sell his establishment. Sam looked creduously at bis
customer, wondering if he drunk crazy, when
johnny again put forward the question. "What
will you take for the whole rig?" Sam, with wink
and while knocking the ashes from his cigar doubt
less thinking to brighten his unknown questioner,
piled, "WeIl, guess about $1,000 wlltake the lot"
Johnny answered by laying seven one thousand
dollar bills the Of the vehicle and taking hold
Of the reins, coolly said Hop out and hop out"
Sam did, while Johnny" drove of, leaving Sam,
standing in amazemeDt the corner. The day was
spent in riding about the city, and spending money
lavishly; towards evening be had employed man to
drive and finally, while winding up the day. he reached
the Girard House, alightng on the pavement he
asked the driver to his circumstances and learning
that he knew 'the grip Of poverty" Johnny" made
him present OF the carriage and horses telling the
driver not to offer thanks, but to " drive off quick"
While in Philadelphia of the eccentricities of
his morning walks gu Market Walnut streets, was
TO watch for man with shabby hat He would then
follow him until he got in front of a hat store and
then, with swoop he would land the offending hat
into the middle of the street. the time apollo
gsng to the wearer, aud asking him into the store
where he would buy him the best to be had
Oohnuy never carried any baggage with him
while travelling, purchasing everything as he required
1t. Having resolved one day to stop the Continen-
tai Hotel, instead of his usual rereat--the Girard-
ne was driven there IN company with friend, Mr.. ".
By, noted merchant Of our city. Saunternc
up to the Office, he made known his desire to stop
awhile. The clerk asked him as to the whereabouts
OF his baggage Johnny" replied that he bad none
'''Then," says the clerk, you must pay in advance
that is our rule" johnny" cast glance at him. and
wondered that he was not known So winkipg at his
friend Il. bed he t,a
receiving reply in the affirmative, the landlord soon
made his appearance, when conversation of the toll
lowing tenor ensued
J. S." You are the proprietor, believe, sr-the
responsible man."
Mr.. K" Yes, sir"
J. ST. wanted to make short stay with you,
but that gentleman pointing to the cerk) says
pay in advance! u
j. ST. How much do you consider your whole
house worth for day?
Mr.. E" About $4,000"
j. s." I'll take "a hours, anyhow, and see how it
goes"
: Johnny then counted out the money. and turning
to his friend says: "Now, Bill, jump in and play
clerk" Rumor says this B. 3 first and only expe
rience in hotel keeping. II
There many anecdotes related about him; but
the above will suffice show the general character of
the man. When more recently, the avalanche of c
money had exhausted ITSELF hear of Johnny act
ing in the capacity of door keeper for the very same
the diamond pins and costumes t
Buffers CHARGES AGAINST GRANT Last year, I
among number of committees appointed by Congress 0
to get up sensation material at the South to iname
Northern voters in favor of the Radical policy of per-
secuton, was one, of which part of the duty was
that OF aggravating the charges of cruelty to Union
prisoners. Not much has been said of its laboTs and
the impression is getting round that very little will be
attempted, it, indeed, the committee reports ALL +
The nomination of Gen. Grant has done something to
silence that gun. Before Cen Grant raised so A
suddenly into Radical candidate for the Presidency G
the question widely mooted, whether he or Gen
Butler, the Commissioner for Exchanges of Prisoners q
in Virginia. responsible for the failure to release
the Union captives by the fair exchange the Confede
rates offered Butler bore the odum until Grants n
contemptnous treatment of him in published dispatches
made him Grants enemy, and he then made develop
ments which feed upon Grant the responsibility of a.
having deliberately stopped the exchanges the the
ory OF his campaign, that the of mutual "
exhaustion, and that the Abandonment of Union prs
oners in the South indispensable part of the Il
strategy He held it dangerous to relieve any Con- O
federate soldier in return for any Union soldier be-
cause the former valuable fighter to the
South than the latter at the North and
1t a hard but necessary policy to consider them
both dead men, The North could thereby sooner al
outast the South In his correspondence with Gen d.
Butler that subject, which the latter published
Gen. Grant expoundeG this idea, in the following :,
words, under the date of May Is, 1864: ~
IL is hard TO our men held IN Southern prisons not
10 exchange them but it is humanity to those left in
the ranks to fight battles. Every man released m
On parole otherwise becomes an active soldier
against US, at once, either directly indirectly IF ~
We commence system OF exchange which liberates '"
all prisoners taken, will have to fight until the
whole South exerminated If hold those caught al
hey amount to than dead men, "e
This was in denial of the offer of the Confederaes
20 exchange man for man and officer for officer The e,
reply OF Gen. Grant is in substance we can afford to cir
ose more men than they let the prisoners on both a
sides be counted as ''dead men"
Now, when il is remembered that it has been re- 81,
oeatedly offered in the House at Washington to be ~
proved that the Union prisoners in the South suffered r
md died for the lack OF medicines which the Northern
authorities would not allow the ConedeEates to A.
'btain BY purchase, lest of the Southern sick AZ
night also recover, in the administering of them it M
nay be comprehended that the prime agency Of Grant s.
these barbartes win be kept OF sight by the II
aadeal committees if Butler viii permit them to do H.
T. he was the agent hrough whom Gen Grant gave ar
he orders and be couple of years ago the first an
witness who made haste denounce them aud to hold
Zen. Grant publicly to the responsibility. IN.
n Q. Picayune sb
NAN ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD- $
Nh Ia