Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-01
SPIRITUAL HELP TO WEALTH.
The Story Medium James Told About a
Big Petroleum Lake

The Story Medium James Told About a
Big Petroleum Lake.
OLEAN, Nov. 26.-A letter received in
this village announces the death in Ore
gon of Abraham James, an old man re-
membered all through the oil regions in
connection with the singular discovery
and development of the once celebrated
Pleasantville oil district, at one time the
greatest petroleum producing region in
the world. James was spiritualist and
a medium. His seances in the Oil Creek
territory in 1868 led to his making many
converts to spIritualism among leading
operators. He was geologist, and dab
bled in oil territory.
One day in the summer of 1868 he called
together a number of his followers, He
told them that the day before he was
riding along one of the Venango county
roads, when he felt a peculiar feeling
come over him. His horse stopped, and
spirit bade him get out of his carriage
He did so. The spirit hurried him away,
across fields and through woods, raising
him in the air when any obstacles lay in
their course. The spirit finally stopped
with him in a lonely spot near Pleasant
vile. AS they stood there the ground
opened, revealing an enormous cavern.
The spirit led him down into the cavern
for long distance. When it again stop
ped with him they stood on the margin of
lake of petroleum of unknown extent,
After he had gazed, speechless with
amaZement, on the last body or oil for
long time, the spirit led him back to the
surface. The opening in the earth closed.
and the spirit vanished.
James said il was evident that the spirit
had shown him the presence of the great
petroleum deposit near Pleasantville in
order that he might take advantage of the
knowledge and have the region developed.
He was penniless, but said that if his
friends would provide him with capital to
put down wells the discovery might be
made mutually advantageous.
No one had ever thought of finding oil in
that vicinity, but his followers had such
faith In his story that some OF them pro-
vided him with means to put down a well.
At the depth of $50 feet the drill struck
oil, and 150.barrel we'll was the result.
The news of this discovery turned the at
tention of all oildOm to Pleasantville.
Five wells were put down on the property
controlled by the Spiritualists, and every
one was big producer. Other operators
f1ocked to the new oil region, and in a
short time PIeasantville district was pro-
Gucing more oil than all the other dis
tricts.
The life of the new territory was brief.
however, but was long enough to make
big fortunes for James and all who were
associated with him. When this territory
became exhausted he left the oil country
with nearly $500, 900. He never returned,
and it is said that by investments in un-
prohtable mining property on the Pacific
coast he lost all the money he made in the
oil regions. 1t Is believed that in his
prospecting about the oil country the geo.
logical characteristics of the Pleasant
vile region had convinced him that the
chances were in favor of the existence of
petroleum there. To enlist his spiritual
istic friends and their capital in testing
the territory he had invented the story
about his supernatural visit to the petro-
leum lake, knowing that he had every
thing to gain and nothing but a reputa-
tion as a medium to lose in the enterprise.