The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-04-23
COAL OIL JOHNNY.
New Facts About the Spendthrift WHO
Spant 100000 a Year.

New Facts About the spendthrift Who
Spent 100000 Year.
The visitor to the oil regions asked
first about Coal-Oil Johnny and
next about john D. i;uckefeller.
rhe statement IS q ten published
that Coal-Oil Johnny has died CT
that be has rogsined his sQs1andered
fortune There is as mach truth il
one as in the other. He is still slive
at the age OF about fifty years, and
his address is Ashland, Saunders
County. Nob., whsre he has lived for
the past twelve years Ee is at pres
ent employed SIS statiol agent at
Ashland He has not recovered his
fortune OF any part Of it, bus makes
comfortable living and has sppar-
entity forgotten the princeiy Gays OF
his youth.
Coal-Ol Johnny was about three
years running through with his for
tune It was at Housewife where
Johnny began to throw away his
money, but that town, although one
Of the red hot oil towns, was soon
too small for him. Erie, Buffalo and
Pittsburg knew him nezt, but It was
at Philadelphia that he distinguished
himself most How much money ne
squandereG In three years IS & matter
OF conjecture, even IN the oil country.
There is, however, 8 wide misappre-
hension as to the amount His for
tune did not reach into tbs millions,
as has SO often been stated. The
bsst Judgment here plsccs it at not
above 100000. He was the adopted
| son of widow HcChntock, and at her
death her oil farm snd its accumulat-
ed esrnings passed to him Perhaps
| 100000 was turned over to Johnny
OF the settling Of her estate, and his
share O. the product o. the farm after
that time is supposed to have been
about 100000. he therefore squan-
dered about 100000 year for the
three years the money lasted. st
the end Of this time the old bonanza
farm had ceased to yield and his
money was spent.
His career ns a spendthrift came to
an end on Thursday, February "A,
1858, when he fled q voluntary peti-
ton in bankruptcy in the United
States District Court at Pittsburg
His indebtedness at the time was
thus scheduled:
II. ~. Kanga, Girard House,
Philadelphia, s19,s24
William E. Galbraith, attozney-
et-law, Erie, Pa 10000
J. Z. Caldwell 4 Co., Philsdel-
phia, jewelry. 5,S05
John D. Jones, harness 1880
". S. Horn, cigars 56
<. Il. Conklin, Philadelphia
liquors. 2,O24
Phelan & Couender, billiard Ia
bles. 1900
Unknown eredito<, oil painting 1000
For hats, 800
Total s42789
This scedule tells It's own story of
royal spree extending over a period
OF th1ee years. The indebtedness at
the Grard House was for board,
liquors, cigars, etc. While at this
hotel he occupieds suite Of rooms on
the parlor floor, and usually had
from one to three kindred sports with
him, whose board and expenses he
paid for the sake of their company.
The amount of his unpaid bill at the
Grard House, nearly $4,000, is an
Indication that he and his compan-
ions lived solerably high. How much
money he paid to the Grard House
isrot known, but it is thought to hsve
been as much as he left unpaid
It is curious fact that the old
played-out Steel farm has been revived
and is making another man rich. The
man is John ". Waits, of Oil City,
who bought the old place a few years
ago for $1,000. He has since been
offered $4,000 for it. Waits was a
street gamin about Rouseville when
Johnny Steel was cutting his wide
swath there, and frequently held The
young oil princes team while the lat
ter went into o saloon to get drink.