The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1889-06-19
TIE PkH DROPPED.
4 Geiay efFtfteea Seconds Prevented a
Great Gift.

Great Gift.
A client of well known lawyer
of this city vent into the latter's
office few days ago to sign some
important papers. After they had
been read to him and approved, a
clerk in the Office in handing the
client pen to affix his signature,
dropped it on the floor. The laws
yer himself sprang from the chair
with an exclamation of alarm, and
hurriedly picked up the pen and
place. it in bis clients hands.
"Ihe dropping of a pen about to
be used for such Il nurpose as this"
said the lawyer after the paper had
been signed, "always makes me
feel nervous and uncomfortable,
tor case where delay of not more
than fifteen seconds, caused by the
dropping off pen with which a
man was to sign his name to will,
lost to a worthy purpose a legacy
of 500, 900, always comes TO my
mind. That was the case of Fl. r.
Rouse, one OF the pioneer oil oper>
ators in Oil Creek, who made a
large fortune early 10 the business.
He was anative of Warren county,
and as early as 1861 his wells we're
yielding him daily income above
the average mans annual income.
He fell victim to the first great
oil-welI fire, when the famous
Hawley Am rrick well began sud,
denly to spout oil and gas in such
quantities that the oil ran to waste
al d flowed over the ground in all
directions, and gas filled the air Tor
"a quarter of a mile around. A ter
rible explosion and conAagration
followed. The score or more peo-
pie who had collected to witness the
then novel sight of a flowing we'll
were enveloped in flames, among
them H. r. Rouse. He was res
cued from death in the sea of
flames by a man named Uriah
Smith, OF Mercer, at the risk Of
his own hfc aud at the cost Of per-
manent aud awful dist urement.
Rouse was so horribly burned that
his recovery was impossible, and,
after being carried to Il house near
by, he insisted on Il akiag his viii.
His eyes were burned to a crisp in
taeirs9ckets, and he was one solid
blister from head to foot, but he
lay without ut'ering moan or
complaint, debating his will, a
task that required several hours.
When the will had been reduced
to writing and read to l.ila he was
SO weak that he could no longer
speak, and he motioned for the pen
to sign the document. When the
percon WHO had done the writing
tipped the pen in the ink bottle
and was about to place it in Rouse's
hand, he dropped it andil rolled un.
der the bed. Not mere than a omar,
ter OF minute elapsed before he
had recovered it, but when it
was placed ia Rouse's hand,
the hand was powerless to use it.
The brave oil prince was dead.
The will he thus left unsigned be-
queathed $1,000 to tie poor of
Warrea county. 1t also remem,
bered the man who had torn the
testator from the burning mass Of
oil, who WAS LETT a handsome leg
acy. Rouse's heirs, not being le>
galIy bound to carry out his wishes,
repudiated the moral claims and
Warren county lost her legacy as
did the man who, at the risk Of his
own life, saved the old prince to
his family at least for Christian bur.
ial. And this is why the dropping
of a pen gives me a most uncom.
Portable and nervous feeling. Phil
ddelphja Press.