The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-05-09
TOLD BY AN OIL SCOUT.
His Experience with Good Parson Who
Objected to Drilling on Sunday.

| Objected to Drilling on Sunday.
Oil Scout Joe Morton, from the Penn
sylvania petroleum fields, drifted into
| Washington one night to see the sights
of the nations capital. Morton is in
the employ of the Standard Oil COM
pany, and his headquarters are in Pitts
burgh. He is one of the oldest men in
the oil business and in his time as an
oil operator brought in as they say
in the oil districts, some of the gushers
l that have made the western Pennsyl-
vania fields famous He went bacl, to
the time when the old Bradford, Pa,
oil field was opened up, and told this
story:
After the rush for drilling territory
which followed the opening up of the
Bradford field was up that way and
found that about the only piecr of
ground at all promising looking, which
had not been leased, was a garden
patch, the property of a Methodist
minister at Bradford, Rev. Mr. Walker,
l believe his name was, and as it struck
me there might be oil under the clods
of his land, | leased it. According to
the terms of the lease, he was to get a
monthly rental and an eighth interest
in the oil output of the well which
was to drill. / had never done bust
ness with preacher before, and us l
didn't know how to handle them, had
no end of trouble with Walker. OF
course my programme of work on my
well included Sunday drilling-alt oil
| wells are drilled on Sunday, the same
as any other day. l didn't know how
this would strike Walker, for l had
heard he was crank on Sunday OBJ
servance and the head of society for
the prevention of Sabbath dissertation,
an organization which had given the
saloonkeepers of Bradford no end of
annoyance. l didn't care much how it
struck him, however, as there was
nothing in the lease agreement to stop
Sunday work at the well, SO | went
ahead.
ut was almost nine o'clock on Sun
day morning when the preacher dis
covered that his property was being
made the ground of the rankist kind
of Sabbath dissertation, and when he
did come into possession of this inter-
CoblhA PlCCS VI hc dCIcO
with energy. In less time than it
takes 10 tell it he was at the we'll and
stirred up nightly. What do you
mean?' he gasped. My property
Sunday l tried to reason with
him, but it was of no use. He wouldn't
listen to reason and alternately tried
threats and entreatIes to induce me to
shut down the well for the day. OF
course l wouldn't do it, and he con-
Guided to go into the courts. That
afternoon l was arrested for Sabbath
breaking and taken before a magis-
trate, but the magistrate was not in
sympathy with the aims of the preach
er's society, and when l pointed out
that drilling at an oil well on Sunday
was a work of necessity he discharged
me. Then Walker tried half dozen
other plans to stop Sunday work at
| my WELL one of which was an offer to
briba me and my men, but none of
them worked. At last he concluded to
sell his interest in the well, and started
out to get purchaser. He could find
no one who was especially anxious to
buy him out, however, and at last sold
his holding for cow in order to get it
off his hands"
"How is the well?" was asked. Get
any oil?'
YES" replied Morton. 1.-THE we'll
came in gusher. 1t was on Sunday
morning. too, that we got oil The
greatest strike / ever made"
"How did the preacher take it?'
asked one of the group who had heard
Morton's story
walker? Oh, he sent the COW home
and went to law for his share" was
the reply. Washington Post.