The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-25

sought in the right places.
Our people found miners working in
great slides-vast sections of The noun
| tains that had been broken OF. They fol-
lowed their ore into TIT hill and much
to their surprise found ii broken off af-
| ter getting in some ditance and then lost
it altogether. They did not understand
the reason Of this. and think the pub
LEGATION of our report will be of great
value TO the miners in the way of guild
ing them in the right direction
| Prof. Emomns, IT should be known. is
not the Prof. Emmons of New York who
claims TO have discovered successful
process Of transmitting silver into gold.
FIGHTING STANDARD OIL COMPANY
Toledo, Ohio, and Its struggle Against the
Giant Trust.
Toledo, o., July 24.-The Standard Oil
company is not unknown to Toledo.
When this city was attempting to estab-
l:sh right TO manage its own affairs
and conduct its own business in its own
way this corporation sought to inflct
damage on the municipality. 1t pur-
chased daily newspaper and conducted
il for years a a great loss 1t be-
sought the courts to declare the city un-
able to do business. 1t scattered broad
cast circulars attacking the credit of To-
ledo, thus reaching every money center
of the world. Indeed, so great was this
wrong that suit was begun by the
city ot Toledo against the Standard Oil
company asking for damages 10 the ex-
tent of 100000. Now comes a case
wherein is again shown how arrogant
and INSCRIPTIONS is tbs giant corpora
tiCn.
To begin at the beginning, when oil
Was discovered in Ohio the Standard
company insisted that il could not be
refined and that il was worthless. This
cry was kept up until the stock of Ohio
oil had reached %. 900 900 barrels. Then
The Standard company reluctantly con-
scented to take this great supply at Is
cents barrel.
And no sooner was tbs done than
Ohio oil. manipulated by this organiza-
| ton. jumped to so cents a barrel. By
thus keeping down the price Of Ohio oil
the Standard monopoly had secured
more than half of the richest oil ter
rIt0ry in Ohio at les than one-haH its
value. This, with the gain N the oil
rick, threw into the profits OF that con-
Germ not less than s20,oOO,oOo.
Having thus swept the platter fairly
clean, The Standard companw now takes
The position that no one else is allowed
to do business without its cordial con-
sent. The case in point is the fight in
Liberty township. Wood county. There,
one miSe west of Bays station, lies sec
ton q. OF this section one-fourth is
the land in dispute 1t lies on the
north side Of the highway and is sur
rounded on three sides by land owned
by the Ohio Oil company-which is the
Stardard-while directly acros the road
the same company owns the land, also.
Here it is 10 be understood that the
Cnwritten law in oil territory, never be-
fore violated so far as is known, is that
Gil wells snail not be located nearer than
eco feet 10 dividing lines. while the rule
usually obtaining is to make the distance
400 feet. Again, the territory for miles
in this section is so nearly uniform that
dry Well is exceedingly rare.
Holmes. Singer & Co.. prominent BUSH
ress men OF Weston, Ohio, owned this
property in fee simple ten years ago.
They leased il to the Ohio Oil company,
TO be pad an amount equal to one-siXth
of the production of oil on this territory
curing the l:fe of the Tease. which was
for ten years. At that time ole leases
we're not universally made 10 include the
clause now general for years or
quantities. During this ten years
the Standard Oil company tok out of this
forty acres Of land an amount aggregat-
ing about $50. 000 which, allowing fair
proportion for the cost of operation,
would have left neat sum equivalent to
$4,000
About a year ago the Standard Oil
company began negotiations for an ex-
tension of the lease Of for a purchase OF
the land outright. The owners werc
offered $1,000 to extend the lease and
continue ton of one-sixth royalty. OF
Sc 900 in fee for the property. Believing
the property worth more than this. and
also because they wished TO produce their
own oil. Holmes. Singer & Co. refused
this offer. Prior 10 the close ot the ne
they could not come 20 an agreement.
these gentlemen offered double price for
the material in the five wells then IN act
i've life
The lease expired June Is. and five
days prior 10 that date the Standard be-
gan 10 sink twelve hog wells on the
three sides OF this quarter section, CLOSE
10 the dividing line. And here ii should
be said that the Ohio Oil company owns
not only ali of the land directly adjoin-
ing this particular forty acres but
great bulk of the rich oil land for miles
around IN this vicinity.
The sinking OF these hog wells" and
the withdrawal Of the Standard from
further negotiations advised Holmes.
Singer & Co. that this giant corporation
proposed deliberately 10 sink wells all
about them and thus take the oil lying
under their ground. They therefore sold
tire property 70 the English Oil company.
composed of r. G.. Stitt. ?. ]. Pool.
| Will'sm Stitt. J. T. Montgomery and A.
r. English. for 81. 900. This concern inn
mediately retaliated on the Standards
OUTRAGEOUS intrusion on private rights
by locating Twelve wells on their own
property. beginning at the corners and
sinking the wells Immediately between
trose Heretofore sunk by the Standard
company.
Fr.or 10 this time, however. the Eng
ush Oil company. anxious 10 avoid dit-
fcul-v. Offered 20 sell the properly for
s. 600. but was advised that the Ohio
Oil company did not desire 70 purchase