New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-19
BREAKING THE OIL MARKET.
ACTING A PLAY WITH MARKED SUCCESS
AN EXPLANATION OF THE WAY THE PRETENDED
DISCOVERY AT CARMI, ILL, WAS MANAGED.
TBr TELEGRAPH To THE TRIBUNE.

AN EXPLANATION OF THE WAY THE PRETENDED
DISCOVERY AT CARMI. ILL, WAS MANAGED.
TBr TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUNE
PlTTsBURG, Feb. 49," The Leader " tomorrow will
publish the confession of man who WAS member OF
the patty which circulated story about tho finding Of
oil at Carmi H. broke the market and pockcted consid
erable money. He is B. T. Gardner, VINO was born In
the Pennsylvania oil country worked about the wells
and aterward as newspaper reporter learned the effect
DEVELOPMENTS in territory had the market some
time ago with this acquired knowledge and while out OF
employment he wrote play In which there were four
characters q legitimate broker, an assumed oil man.
smart young man who could keep his mouth SHUT ana
newspaper reporter. determined to carry out MS
play Ia reality and his first move was TO secure employ
ment Chicago newspaper. Then he cohtnVoa W
secure an assignment wherein a visit to well-knoWn
Chicago firm OF brokers necessary. cultivated their
acquaintance kept posted on oil and when the smut
down movement began in Pennsylvania gave the nrm
"up" which proved to be the right one Gardner also
made friends in all the newspaper offices. Finally
he made the startling assertion to the brokers that he
could break the oil market to any figure he wanted'
They interested, pulled Out hs litte
play and read 1t from the manuscript IL was decided
push scheme Gardner and the broker to play TWO
OF the parts while Richard Calvin and Alexander Keno
secured for the others Calvin is an actor and
Gardner engaged him at a dramatic agency. CALVIN
was to play the assumed oil man. His work was 10 De
done In night and $40 and expenses we're TO be the
reward. Reno to play the smart young H"h' anu
the four came together and actually rehearsed their
parts IL was decided to locate an imaginary well on
the farm OF f. S. Harris eighteen miles from Carmi ILL.,
Reno was sent to that point The same night the actor
registered at the Briggs House In chicago as MOTIFS
Mclaughlin, of Bradley Mclaughlin 60. Gardner IN
the meantime. saunered along the street. ana eneonnt
erng a newspaper invited him into salooh tue
broker per instructions followed suddenly lnterruplhg
the conversation with sneerng renection at chicago
natural gas discoveries, and ntmatng tha IL was no
se satOn at all compared with the discovery or OIL IN
Illinois Gardner eigned ridicue. and the broker IN
sisted that the mn VINO owned the well was at Tue
Briggs II0nse Naturally the reporter made pee llne
for the hotel talked with Mclaughlin and Oy biin was
shown n pan OF genuine petroleum whlcn mao Deen
procured In Pennsylvania Gardner in the meantime
watched other reporters, and with the all OF ns
! broker accOmplice hal them looking for Nc
Laughn. who as part OF he plot. exhibited telegram
from Reno at Carmi II read as follows:
Well continues to flow at intervals or twenty ihii-
utes Powers estimates the output AZ eighty barrels an
hour tias strong and he heard miles away W III
| look for tanks via Short Line"
Later in the night newspaper wired Carmi to ih'es
the report and the lone and innocent operator ust
| the only Information hand. lie duplicated kenos
message in substance. Tue next morning the OIL
market the East broke aud the Chicago br0ker cleared
$50 600 Gardner does not know whether that was all
his profit hut Mt any rate division was made on that
basis Flushed with 1t was decided 10 make
second attempt this frustrated by the atr Oh
reporter of The Pittsburg Lea ier VINO nhnageu 10
uuearth enough OF the plot TO make IL unsucceesiui