Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-03-03


fesroks&Ea Lake.
Toaean n. T., c1r. \ 1, saa.l
A let5er rsceiEsl ~ tAis vitae an
nouaees the death Ia ksreeoa q AbxahaB
james. "a GA man reaasuaosrsa al
tnroosh ths Oh rsgi8as la cs.tasetioa vita
shs sa snlar discovery aat deyelep.n4as
Of the once celel4ate3 fle4s4nsHllls 81
district. as 0as tins tbe greatest petro-
leun Frodacins region IA the world Jaaes
was 5 irita2iist aad lasaian- ttis
ssances ia the Oll Greek terr tory ~ f>ss
led % his nl2kias many converts g. SPIRIT
naiis.a am)ag ieatips operators de
~as = gesl3gist, znd daDbied Ia Oh terri
tory.
Oae day Ia the summer a. lsss he called
together 4 nuntser of has followers lie
told taem that the day before he was riding
aloag one of the Nenan - C5anty roais,
when be lelt peculiar feeling come over
him. His h9rss stopped, and spirit
bsds him get cut OF bis earria -. he
did -. Tue spirit hurried hlm away, across
fields anS throagh woods, raising him ia
the air when any Obstacles lay IA their
course. Tee spirit finally stopped with
him ia lonely spot near fieasantviiie.
AS they stood thsre the ground opened,
revealing an enormous cavern. The spirit
led IA down into the cavern for a long
distances. When il again stopped With
him they stood on the margin OF lake al
petroleum OF unknown extent After he
had gasped, speechless with alnazement,
GA the vast body OF oil for a long time. the
spirit led him back TO the surface. The
opening ia 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 Plsasantyiile in or
der that he might take advantage of the
knowledge and have the region developed
lie 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 10 put down well.
AT the depth of SO feet the drill struck oil,
aud 0-barrel well was the result. The
news of this discovery turned the attention
! of all oildom 10 Pleasantville. Five wells
were put down on the property controlled
/ by the Spiritualists, and every one was a
! big producer. Other operators focked TO
/ the new oil region, and in a short time
! Pleasantville district was producing more
/ oil than all the other d stricts.
! The life of the new territory was brief,
/ however. but was long enough u make
/ big fortunes for James and al who were
associated with him. When this territory
became exhausted he left the oil country
with nearly $4,000. He never returned,
and it is said by investm snts in unprofita-
bile mining property on the Pacific coast
/ he lost all the money he made in the oil
regions. 1t is believed that ia his prospect
ing about the oil country the geological
characteristics os the Pleasantville region
had convinced him that the chances were
in favor OF the existence of petroleum
there. TO enlist his spirilualistic friends
and their capital in testing the territory he
( had invented the story about his super
natural visi- t. the petroleum lake, know
ing that he had everything to gain and
nothing but reputation as n medium to
lose in the enterprise.