Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-01
COAL OIL JOHNNY.
Most Eccentric of All Men Who Go
Rich in the Oil Regions.

Rich in the Oil Regions.
The wealth OF Mr.. Steele, better
known as "Coal Oil Johnny" has un-
doubtedly been overrated-that is to
say, his wealth in cash. At the time
the Pittsburg sanitary commission made
an offer to donate soldiers monument
to the county making the largest con-
tribution, the producers of this section
set aside for that purpose the proceeds
from their wells for one day. Mr..
Steele's contribution for that day was
$2h00, which was a fair gauge of what
his wells were doing.
The farm and the conjunctive inter
ests bequeathed to him by his grand
mother he probably could have sold for
$500, 900 or more when the same came
into his possession, but it is doubtful if
at any time he possessed more than
500, 600 in cash.
His expensive eccentricities were
many, but did not include, as often
reported, the purchasing and giving
away of a hotel in Philadelphia. The
story probably grew out of the fact
that while in Philadelphia at one
time he experienced some difficulty in
securing hack, and finally bought
one outright; that when he got through
with the rig the driver asked him what
to do with it, and he told him to keep
it. 1t was on that trip to Philadelphia
that he. while with Slocum, the fellow
who was showing him the world" !" at
tracted so much attention by going
about with bills of various denomina-
tions tied in the buttonholes of his
clothing, by making small purchases
with good sized bills, taking no change
back, and even lighting cigars with his
money.
Another of his eccentricities on that
trip was the forming of negro minstrel
troupe at random, for each of the mem
bers OF which he boughta suit of clothes
when he engaged him.
The details of his doings in Philadel-
phia, New York, Saratoga and else
where, including his experiences with
sharpers, notably his $4,000 acquaint-
ance with John Morrissey, have been
written threadbare. Summed up
briefly the main points in his
life are these: When quite young
he became an orphan and was
adopted by his grandparents, Mr..
and Mrs. William McClintock. He was
married two or three years before he be-
came of age and worked at farm work
until the oil excitement began. He
then engaged in hauling oil down Oil
creek aud hauling coal back with pair
of old plugs. The result was the pos
session OF good team of his own. The
McClintock farm became one OF the
most valuable along Oil creek. Mrs.
McClintock survived her husband sew.
eral years, and when she died, in 1865,
the adopted Eon, Steele, became the sole
heir to her property.
He soon concluded to see some of the
world with his wealth. and he saw it.
He sought notoriety and he got it. He
spent his money like man with a
Monte Cristo backing was bled by
leeches, heeced by sharpers, and in a
few years, his oil interests in the mean
time rapidly depreciating in value, he
found himself again poor man. But
no one ever heard him express particu
lar regret over the return he received for
his money.
At one time when he was highest in
his eccentric extravagances Capt. j. j.
Vandergrift, I. HI. Williams and others
sent for him and kindly expostulated
with him on the point that he ought to
save some OF his money. He thanked
them for their friendly advice, but said
that he had made living by hauling
oil and could do it again if necessary.
He couldn't rest until be had spent that
fortune. Ultimately he got the required
rest. F
A cousin of Mr.. Steele maintains that
the estimates which have been put
upon Steele's wealth have not, as a
general thing, been exaggerated. He
says that he personally knows that
when Mrs. McClintock died Steele in
herited $l25.000 in gold and about
100000 in other money. The cousin
says that from his knowledge OF Steele's
affairs he should say that at one time
"Coal Oil Johnny could have produced
81 ,0O0, 900 in cash. s9sraaiasSi "a f.l II