The Petroleum Centre daily record. [volume] (Petroleum Center, Pa.) 1868-1873, 1872-11-09
WILDCAT HOLLOW.
(From the American Volunteer ]

| WOob teITioi0 Ciy ~ "ee! Auu III tus
more startling from the fact that 4, came
npon us in lul succeeding al outrosr Of
tanghter evoked by one Of Aaron Kppltr'
iuinitabls stories. When Aaron fslt 10 the
mood, his wit would tickle the ribs Of dy-
ing man. Bu. even Aaron's eyes wore
sober expression rs that shriek rang out on
! the still night air. Page looked up in visi-
I BILE alarm.
THAT sounded like womau's voice.
"Listen," said Kspler; "there it is
again"
Again that thrilling cry smo,e our ears.
Held! Help! HErr! Oh! help, for
| Gods sakew
The cold chill of sudden fear ran down
our backs; We held our breath while listen
ing 10 that prolonged cry that searched the
depths Of our hearts. The tears Of laugh htsr
that atood in our eyes were dried rs il by
magic.
To understand the situation, ono needs to
be told that we who toiled among the der
rick 10 sessou and out OF season, through
cold and heat, accommodating ourselves to
nature 10 ell her moods, indifferent alike to
ber caprices and caresses, armed with the
panoply Of philosophy that suffers and
snduIss for the sake OF reward in pros
pectlve, yet managed to make the most Of
our hours of relaxation.
TWAS in the days When bond iresheis
brought relief to impecunious producers at
risks such as would make the most reckless
'wlldcar operators stare nova days;
when The owners OF "Mapls Shads Shares,
were regarded with more curiosity than
millisnaires; when the old Phillips well still
spurted sleady stream Of . hundred bar
rrls day SITTER snriching half score, to
say nothing Of setting Jim Tsrr up In way
such IS no native "Buck wheat" ever sn-
ticipsted in bis widest dream. The gay
"Coquette" bubbled at the rate OF six hun
dred barrels day; Hyde Il Eybert farm
polred out peiro Ieum at thirly.two pores,
with a single ''dry" hole discovered; Story
farm opposite was fast proving i,sslt the
foundation tor the fOi nation OF one Of the
most remarkable, best managed aud best
paying Stock companies ever created In the
history Of oildou.
Cherry Run bad scsrcsly begun to blush;
Ti1usville FLATS were still voted 'sialr tr-
rItory;' Pnbols Creek was beneath notice
although tee limited States" we'll pushed
at the rate oi five huudied barrels. exciting
the derislOn OF operators who measured the
distance to Ti,usville, and shVok their heads
over the iOsuperable OBSTACLES that tackled
Oh almost "a much Tor tran.porta ZION as ihs
J first cost of the oil. PIthUle City, that
! phantasmsgoris fn the experience of mil
lion practical Americans, was still in the
womb Of The future; Bull Run was a stand
ing jest with the successful; old John Bsu-
nshoff VAS as yet undislutbed by dreams Of
royalty; oil sfnellers were In their glory,
aud oil bells and hillside wells were things
unknown.
A uumber Of us "off tour" drillers and
blacksmishs, iu company with some OF the
supsrin,endents, sat 10 the Hyde office smok.
lug, telling stories, discusiing general top.
les, killing time generally 10 the way tha,
communities formed almost exclusively OF
men manage to accomplish that object, when
that awful cry burst upon us.
Seine one suddenly opened the dosr. II
WAS after eleven, ut . time when thoss ia
miliar with affairs on the creek were careful
not to invite attacks frvm footpads aud muir.
dsrsrs, aud prospecting spscula.ors were
we'll housed BY eight o'clock at farshest-
The occurrences that led brave men 10 sdop,
measures Of precsution were Whispered
They seldom found their way into print, It
being 90 part OF the producers programme
to excite apprehension when money was to
be made aIlsyirg terror. Some ugly crimes
that would not look we'll on paper were
perpetrated within guashot OF Petroleum
Centre.
Some allowance may be made, therefore,
II there were some in the crowd that clus-
tered around the door OF the old Hyde office
(now o respectable dwsllingl who were
avsrse to rushing into danger.
"Hsve you got your revolver, Page!
nonit un vithnut vonr rsvnlvarD