Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-01-25

charge OF an INDECENT negro, mcNlu-
Jams set of for OIL City to buy machin-
cry for his new enterprise. Second
hand engines and pumps were not plen-
thul, but after a tiresome walk up OIL
Greek McWilliams succeeded in pur-
chasing what he wanted.
IL was late in the afternoon when, on
his return, he came in sight of the hills
OF Pithole. A towering cloud of smoke
hung over the city. Holmden street
was in flames. The fremont House,
the Syracuse House. the United States
Hotel, the Buffalo House and the Chau-
taugua livery stables were great blocks
of fire.
McWilliams fastened forward. His
first thoughts were for his pumps and
water-barrels. OF course, in their
eagerness to subdue the fire the citizens
would seize upon his pump and Use all
the water without a Thought of remu.
neraiion. In hasty or careless pumping
they would destroy the well or pump II
dry. Painting and breathless. McWill-
lams looked eagerly at the burning
buildings. Only dozen or so of fran
tic men seemed to be near them. and
no water was being thrown on the
iames. The well must have gone dry!
MeWilliams sat down upon a stump
and groaned. Fighting against fate
was a hard job, after all After few
moments he rose and resolutely pushed
on toward his lease. lie would know
the worst. The Scotch grit in him
came To the surface. and lac determined,
with set teeth and clcnched hands. that
neither fate. luck nor the devil could
swerve him hairs breadth in his pur-
pose. He would succeed; hell itself had
no power that would make him pause.
But what was this. as he climbed n
slight ri.e of ground? Three thousand
men were crowded upon his lease.
Something unusual rad occurred. II
could not have been that the we'll
had merely gone dry; no one
cared about that. II could not have
been that the negro had fallen into a
quicksand and disappeared; no one
cared about white mans life, much
less negrO's. What was it-what was
fate's revenge?
The crowd pressed like madmen about
the pump. Greasy drillers, with strong,
rude motions, clbowed aside less stall
wart men and trOd on the toes of finelv-
dressed spectators from the East.
Small men went down like straws i'm the
crush, aud were carried out half stran-
gled. Employer fought with workman
for places Al the pump.
What new misfortune is this?" cried
McWilliams. rs a man dashed past him.
g They pumped your well dry and
The runner was gune before the sentence
could be finished
The well had gone dry! This was
enough to start with. What next? Nc.
Williams forcel his way into the crowd
with fierce energy. Men recognized
him and gave him room.
The pump-handle was hying up and
down like a runaway walking-beam.
Then McWilliamS, 'crOwding forward.
suddenly stopped. Something there
there where his eyes were chained-sent
the blooi back upon his heart. and
left his checks and lips like ashes. II
was oil,
McWilliams' luck had run on To- its
uttermost limit; i. had done its worst.
and here was the result. McWilliamS
had pumped for water and found DILL
The first of the wonderful surface we'll,
OF PithOle had been struck. Did Ne.
Williams care? No; for i'm that irwin.
moment, when the sun threw the ra
dance of that sparkling stream of oi.
into his staring ewes, the Scotch per
NerSencSS held It's own. He had done
with fate and luck forever
Fore God. Massa," shouted the
negro, as he caught sight of McWil-
liams in the crowd. Else po'ful glad &c
see you. / pump dis yer thing Tor de
fire, an dc mo- dey frcws on re mo- d.
fire burns"
The negro was right. 1t will be Il.
membered that the discovery of the is
nous surface wells was due TO the fire
on Holmden street. In speeches
amaZement the iiremen saw streams of
water turn To fire and 90 blazing heav-
onward. When it became known that
The water we'll on the hillside was
be.ching forth a Tor, ent uf oil, the fire
lost all attraction except 10 the ho,et
prOprietors and persons financially in
teres.ed. For fun description of thu
scene | cheerlully refer the re- der to
the flowing English Of the Pithole Rec
Ord of February >. 1866.
McWilliams received this oft of fort
nnc with sullcn thankfulness; much
IN the same spiri n that in which an
gngry. w:llful child accepts favor that
IL has fought for. He took what was
given. but therc WIS no concession il,
word or thought. II was a part of hi.
resolution To take things as they come
he had already learned TO part with
them as they go, which was much the
harder
need not detail the events follow
ing the discovery of the Pithole surface
wells. Having served their purpose
these wells fell away to nothing They
were but the heralds ot that greater fall
in which Pithole itself went down i'm
material oblivion. Flower and ferr
bloom and wave over its ruins now.
McWilliam' sold his lease when
prices sat on the very summit of then
wild glory, and following the line OF
development into other fields bought
caut ously and wisely. He gained the
of being careful operator
"a man who, having nothing to
chance, pounded away. until success.
THROUGH sheer WEAKNESS, gave up her
store OF we 18th. Fortune tried to d. q
with him once or twice. but rave up IN
despair. Nothing could withstand the
careful attention 10 detail with which
he hammered away at his own chosen
ideas.
Mrs. McWilliams returned with the
intention of setting up brilliant es-
adjustment. She went away again with
a check for five thousand dollars in her
pocket. In exchange she had given a
written promise never to return. As
have suggested elsewhere. it was an
easy thing TO imposes upon MoWilliams.
A month afterward she was lost in a
storm, while on her way to Europe
Last winter. while standing as an idle
visitor in the correspondents gallery in
the House of Representatives. at Wash
lngton. heard a strong. steady, famil-
lar voice deliver n speech on the tariff
question. The honorable member went
at his sub ect hammer and longs. and
by his logged earnestness claimed the
close attention of the whole House.
Something in his gesture, i'm n forgetful