The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-02-01
oarriage at the door. The owner named

without question, the ..Oil Prince
| turned to the driver and said:. Its
your s; take me back to the hotel.''
The ''Oil Prince" was soon in the COM
pany OF his companions again, and the
| hack driver went on his way rejoicing
| over his neWly-aeguired ''turn-out.7 -
Wandering,k one day, into the sfamed
| jewelry store of Messrs. Tifaney, in
New York, he desired to be shown
diamond ring Being shown one, he
asked to see one with larger brilliant;
another was .bfou ghtshim, bnthe wanted
a larger still; the whole of the diamond
rings usually exposed for sale in the
establishment were brought to him in
succession, but still the '."sOil Prince
craved to see Something finer and
larger. - Finally the serFitorrammaged
the safes for the finest aud costliest jewel
and produced it, and yet the 'Oil
Prince" asked if he had not q ring finer
than that NO. said the seryitor; who
| was becoming lively suspicious, ''that
| is the best that can be obtained in New
York at this rnoment - The value put
upon it was 81, ,003 or S8, 900, and no
sooner had the oil Prince" satisfied him.
self that it was the best ring in the es-
tablishment than he slipped it onto his.
| finger and hauled out OF his pocket and
deposited on the counter not check,
but bills and coin. in payment. The
| serFitor eyed the strange youth in
amazement, and, not unnaturally,, sus-
| peeted that he must, to be in possession
| of such an amount of wealth. be red
handed from some bank robbery, or the
pillage of some millionaire $ money
| chest. A messenger was sent in pur-
| suit of the youth as he strolled along the
/ street, admiring ON his finger ''the finest
| ring in the city," and he was dogged to
one OF the fashionable city hotels, where
the messenger learned that the sus-
peeted bank raider was ne other than the
''Ol Prince who had already gained
awide notoriety for his extravaganza
One day, having exhausted his purse, he
made hasty journey home, with view
/ of replenishing it. He found his wife
/ and her relatives in state of rebellion
against his neglect of her.. and against
his extravagant habits. To silence them,
he handed over to his wife 8 900, beside
buying her small property to reside
upon, and, this done, he again sought
the society of his companions and the
revelrys which his wealth. commanded.
His game of extravaganza and dissipa-
ton. however. was doomed TO have
termination, and his Eldorado to become
unproductive. After two or three
years successful operations on the Me-
Clintoek farm, The wells became COM
paratively dry, and as the oil spectators
departed to other districts in search of
more prolific sources of oil, the .sOif
Prince, found his supply of wealth cut
off, and his farm ruined for the produc-
ton of crops. Some of the companions
in his revelries had so shattered their
constitution as to hasten them to prema-
ture graves, while the most robust
| had no other matters to attend
| to than ito dance in attendance
upon the soil Prince" with his supply
| of $4,000 day cut off. The s'prodigal''
| returned to his wife on the little proper
| ty he had bought to stife her complaints
! in the days of his wealth. Settling down
to practical business, he found employ
ment in driving team which he owned.
and subsequently, he secured an appoint-
ment' as station agent on the Oil Greek
route. He was in the habit of saving,
after he had. @soWtn hisswild oats" that
in his wealthy days., II had lots of fun,
but did not really enjoy myself after
all. = A few years ago a banking scom-
pany publicly announced that it held a
deposit Of 800. 900 in the name OF John
Steele, and that it had not been claimed.
| The attention of the ''Oil Prince was
| drawn to the announcement, and he was
reminded of the circumstance, which he
had forgotten, that in an interval of his
''sprees" he had deposited that sum in
the bank With this SUM, and with the
| gift he made to his wife, the "Oil
Prince" after all, is lifted above penury,
and in a humblecottage he issoften re-
minded of the evils which an improper
use OF wealth may create. The story Of
the ''Oil Prince is also. the story of
many others who were raised to the
| possession ofWealth under pretty much
similar circumstances, and who used
their wealth to wreck their constitutions
in thefr Search for pleasures. which left
in their path a corruption. of and
a. sting to society that wealth
itself could not eradicate. While
many persons have grown rich out of the
discovery of the subterranean oil lakes,
scores have been made bankrupt in
pocket and health in their eager race
for the .'almighty dollar" All over the
oil regions in the counties of Venango,
Butler, Carionand Mexican, in the State
of Penusylvafia, o Ice fertile farms have
been put under tribute to explorations
for and speculations in the mineral oil.
To land owners and to holders OF origi-
nah land leases the discovery of and the
increasing traffic in. olenm has proved
Tertable godsend, but among specu-
tiers in oil wells Dame Torture has been
svaried in her moods as is her won't,
.ejoicing the heart of one. by bushels of
riches and saldening the heartof another
by financial wreckages and deep dives
into the sea of poverty and squalor.
Spectators who invest their capital in
sinking wells to tap. the oil lake not
unfrequeptly find that their time has
been wasted and that investments have
been thrown away; while others who
succeed in striking oil where it is run
ming. in a. eepioas stream find, in trying
to secure profitable market for the pro-
duct, that they are hedged about by Ahes
most oiOaOfio M fbo oS-,,,