Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-12-10
AN OIL SHARP.
HOW THE MAN FROM WEST. VIRGINIA
SPECUlATE0
With no Roney-His Search For Bride
He Comes to Wheeling and harries
the Only Daughter Of Wealthy
Citizen - The Grand
Collapse.
AN OIL SHARP.
TRIP FROM WHEELING TO PARIS.

The Philadelphia Times publishes the
following from its correspondent at
Bradford, Pa:
"D'yC see that man."
al should say did. He's no ghost"
Hes the Sharpest sharp in the oil
country to-day, and if some of you fell
lows would set up the liquid would tell
yeu about him."
"Bar-keeper, one beer"
A small crowd of men sat around the
bar-roOm of Bradford hotel, the other
night, discussing the latest Rishburg
strike and commenting Us only financial
" embarrassed men can comment on
the price Of oil. A well-dresSed, sharp
looking man had just gone out into the
street, and BED Rock Tom," who had
the reputation of being in q perpetual
thirst, had made the observation that
led several of the crowd to withdraw
their rubber boots from the table and to
stare hard after the stranger disappear
ing around the corner.
"Well," said Tom, Is he wiped his
lips with the back of his hand and mad
vertently sat down on the bar-rOOm cat
living curled up in chair that showed
the imprints of boot heels and jack
knives; "well, rs L have heretofore OBJ
served, that same individual is the smart
est, checklist man in the village of
Bradford and county of Mexican. Gall?
Cheek: Why, when bull wheel at
well I'D in the Big Shanty territory
broke in pieces and went flying through
the air promiscuOuS like, the
end Of the shaft hit him-that same
man-on the cheek and it never phaz-
ed him. May | never twist another
temper screw if that ein't 80! Yes,
gentlemen, the frozen truth. You don't
know the man rs l do. Oh, tell you
he is rip-snOrter from way back, and
a common man couldn't touch him
with the sucker rod of Bingham well
hitched together. No, sir. But, say,
talking makes a mans throat dry
mighty quick"
'Bar-keeper, one beer"
THE MAN FROM WEST VIRGINIA.
"Now, fellows" resumed Bed Rock,
as he returned the empty glass, "Pll get
down TO business. You see, in the first
place this fellow came frOm-Oh, the
devil knows where, West Virginia L
believe. He was as broke when he
struck Bradford as / am this minute,
which, ifany of you doubt will give an
affidavit TO the fact. That was two
wears ago. He came to this hotel, rlght
here, and the landlord could, If he was
20 inclined, tell you OF the perfectly
magnificent way in which he stood OF
the place for board. Why L used To
hang around and watch him in the
hopes of learning something, but L never
could work his racket.
Gentlemen, you may paralyze me
with horn socket if that man didn't
get first-class A No. l lease inside OF
four DAYS. Yes, sir. How did he do II :?
Well, as near rs could learn, he bam-
boozled an old farmer up the valley by
making desperate love to the buxom
daughter and covering the old lady with
taffy It'll YOU couldn't rest. He got the
lease, all the same, no matter now.
Then he comes a-sailing into an oil Wen
supply store, shows his lease, and by
Glib taking manages to get trusted for
, two engines and two boilers. Then he
/ tackles an unsuspecting rig contractor,
! and by the influence of the engines and
boilers gets sig built on the lease.
How and where he laid his hands on o
| cable and set of tools, don't know,
but he did get them and before the
week was out he had them all hauled on
the ground. Thus you see he had
! complete outfit of stuff and all procured
/ without a cent of money. 1t became
necessary, however, for him to at least
! show some money, so he sold one en-
/ cine and one boiler at full value and
| pOcketed the money. Then he started
I to drill the well.
"There was one thing he had to pay
| cash for, and that was the drilling. You
can't get drillers to work without pay,
and he soon found that out. Well, he
got the well put down and struck a
| moderate producer-say about hfteen
! barreler. Things went on smoothly for
| a time, until the oil well supply man,
! the contractor and the lease man came
down on him for money. Did he pay :?
Well, / should say not. He had cons
| cientious scruples against paying for
ANYTHING and you can gamble he lived
up to them. No, gentlemen, he did not
| nav. but he went to work and bought
| more machinery from the supply man,
| GOT another rig from the contractor and
an extension of time from the lease
| holder. Then he put down another well
and sent for his brother to come on and
helm him. But those doings were only
| a circumstances to what he did after
that. But say, fellows, this IS ALFRED
dry work"
"Bar-keeper, one beer"
AFTER A BRIDE.
wGentlemen,n continued the narrator,
1I want YOU to believe what Pm going
IN say, for I'll swear it's the truth. You
ace this man came to the conclusion
about that time that he would like to
get married and what do you sup
pose he did? Why, he went down TO
| Wheeling, West Virginia, and repre-
sented himself as an oil prince from
Bradford-a man fairly rolling In money
and pine line certificates. Oh, he cut
| wide swath down there, and the people
! ilst took it all in and believed every lie
| ne told. Did he get married? Yes, he
did. He completely turned the head OF
| the only daughter ola wealthy ana
highly respected family. The wretch
married the girl in hurry, gaining her
consent by the allurements OF an
European tour and / don't know what
| ali. Did he take the tOurg Well, II
you'll give me time I'll tell you for this
stage of the proceedings showed the
beartlessness Of the cuss. He and his
blushing bride left Wheeling bound di-
rect for Paris. Oh, they had mag
nificient plan mapped out before them
But did they go to Paris? Not any
He had it all fixed with his brother,s
4 =. t;k4lo r,a,,,a Go when the OriQa