Smyrna times., 1883-07-25
Coal Oil Johnny.

Johnny Steele, or COal-Oil JOHNNY"
who made large fortune during the
oil fever and squandered it almost as
fast as he made it turned up in Harris
burg on the Fourth of July. He said
that he had come to the capital to Gel
ebrate, and that he was at present
working in Mccormick s mills, in New
Cumberland. He further said that he
was prospecting in New Cumberland,
sinking shafts for copper and iron.
He showed some ores which he said /
came from the shafts in which he was
experimenting. He expressed his con-
fidence that he would become as veal
thy as Vanderbilt yet. Being asked
where his family was, he said that they
were in Waymert, and added that he
had recently sent them $4,000. He
had been up in WilliamspOrt, he said,
about six months ago and happened to
be at the Crawford House. Som ebOdy
was talking about a package contain
ing $4,000, "left there by a fellow
named Coal-Oil Johnny about '65 or
'66, ;" to remain there until called for.
He went to the bank and succeeded,
after some difficulty in establishing his
identity, in obtaining the money.
Coal-Oil Johnny is still attractive in
appearance. His face is pleasant and
genial, and we'll Drowned by the sun
and weather. His eyes are blue and
he wears side-whiskers in the English
fashion. His clothes are old-fashiOned
and much too heavy for the weather.
Bundles of papers hung loosely out of
his pocket.
He is now about thirty-nine years of
age, and possesses considerable intelli-
gence, being able to write his name
legibly, feat he could not perform in
the days of his prosperity. He is
hunting for evidence to get back some
of the money which was Illegally taken
from him.
, When the oil fever broke out in
, northern Pennsylvania, about twenty
| two years ago, McNulty owned twenty
acres of land in Venango county which
. he had cleared for himself. Strangers
D came one day and began to prospect
a around the neighborhoOd. What was
ordinary in appearance to him was ex.
1 traordinary to them. The peculiar
V look of the water was a familiar thing
D to him. He had seen the sight often
/ and did not mind it. To the stranger
r it was hidden treasure. The NOR,
e they locked over the farm the more
+ they wanted it. This led to negotia
n tiOns, and McNulty awoke one morn
). ing to find himself the possessor of So,
e 100000. His farm of twenty acre
h composed the heart of the newly dis
s covered oil field, and from that time h
h became known as "Coil-Oil Johnny.
is This turned his head. His reckles
t. eXtravagances are a matter of history
b. He scattered money around whereve
IS he went, furnished a colored ban
le with gorgeous suits and solid silver in
l. struments, bought elegant turnouts a
s. a fabulous price, used them at singl
e ride and then gave them away. H
le travelled from city to city, and whel
r. ever he went was followed by clou
" of sharpers, who feeoed him of h
ia wealth.
IN Enormous as his fortune was it coul
ne not stand these drains upon it, an
a. when it had disappeared, Coal-O
ut Johnny went to work to retrieve h
.r. fallen fortunes in manly way. tt
he story of the past fifteen years, fro
,er the time when he took situation wi
a John Sherry's New York Theatre at
or $6 salary, to the present time is a sto
er- of genuine American pluck and pers
a verance and his friends, and he h
,p- many proved and tried, foul wealth
nd friends, will be glad to know that he
ire once more on the road to prosperity.
it. Salem Sunbeam.