The herald., 1897-12-26
JACOB LONG, WIZARD
REMARKABLE FINDS CREDITED
TO JEFFERSON CITY MAN
Forked Stick Predictions Said to Be
Invariably Accurate-Recent
Discoveries Made by Him


old, grayhaired man, with a once pow
erful frame, now bent with age, and
which shows the effects of unceasing
toll. He is none other than Jacob Long,
the Indiana oil wizard, whose phenom-
email predictions have attracted the at
tention of those who were the first to
ridicule his theory. Twenty years ago,
when yet in his prime, Long was sought
after far and near He was known as a
water witch and whenever a sawmill or
place of residence was selected it was
then that Long was called upon to see
if nature had made provision for wa
ter. By means of a forked stick. one
prong of which he held in each hand,
and the single prong pointing upward
Long would begin his search for the vein
of water. AS he passed over the vein
the forked stick would turn in his hands
and point downward.
So unerringly did Long perform his
work that no thought of putting down
well in his vicinity unless the water
witch was consulted.
PHENOMENON OF THE STICK
Once, about twenty years ago, while
Long was searching for water his forked
peach limb performed such antics that
even the diviner was amazed. When
seeking to locate water the stick always
turned outward from him and pointed
down, but only when standing directly
over the vein of water and losing the
strange power when it was crossed. But
on this occasion the peach limb turned
both inward and outward and on any
place within several-acre tract.
This phenomenon was more than Long
could comprehend. He studied about it
several weeks and finally went to ]. II.
Dowell, who is now, as he was then, one
of the most prominent citizens here, and
inquired what else could be found in the
earth. Dowell, after innumerating
many natural products. stated that in
some parts of the country oil and gas
were also found. Long then announced
to his rural neighbors that under their
farms lay vast reservoirs of gas and
oil. So absurd did this seem that he was
laughed at and suspicious cast upon his
sanity. He tried to induce some of his
acquaintance to aid in proving his as
sertions, but without success. By hard
work he had secured a little farm and
when confronted by financial difficulties
he decided it to a brother, who subse
quently refused to deed it back
Long naturally resented this injustice
and after a stormy interview with his
brother he decided to try his fortunes
in another state. He went to Crawford
county, Ohio.
LOCATES MANY WELLS
During his stay there the county ex-
perienced an oil boom, in which Jake
and his forked stick cut quite figure
Finding few who would believe in his
strange power and having no money of
his own, he gave his services for little
or nothing. He worked hard to ac-
cumuate money to put down a well for
himself, but fortune was reluctant to
smile upon him. He claims now to pos
sess the secret of pool of oil three miles
wide and little over mile long in the
Ohio field, which he hopes some time to
test and of which he has told no one the
location.
While in Ohio he learned that his
prediction made to a neighbOr in this
county twenty years ago had been veri-
fled and he returned here. His predic-
tions since then have been accurate and
precise and he is now beginning to enjoy
the local fame he has so long sought.
At the Kamer well, drilled on the Sam
Gadburg lease, a mile east of this city
| the grizzled old oil wizard said there
would be no OIL and he was right, not
| withstanding two small oil, producing
wells in the immediate vicinity, and OF
men confidently predicted that this par
ticular we'll would be a gusher.
| PREDICTS A BIG GUSHER
On the Harry Carroll farm, mile and
half west of this city, the wizard To-
| Gated a we'll for the Manhattan Oil
company, although there was not an oil
| we'll in radius of several miles from
there, and it was situated in wildcat ter
| ritory. Long not only said it would be
| good we'll, but stated the exact depth
| that oil would be encountered and with
in a few inches the thickness of the oil
bearing rock or sand. He positively
states that this well is on the edge of a
great oil pool, which is a little to the
southeast. This wildcat we'll located is
now making $50 barrels a day and the
same company is putting two more wells
| on adjoining leases and other companies
are being attracted to the field. which
| it is believed, is destined to outrival the
| famous Peru field. All this comes about
| through the efforts of the oil wizard
who was jeered at and considered luna
tic twenty years ago for predicting that
there was oil within the boundaries OF
the state The faith Longs farmer
friends now have in him is shown by
their eagerness to drill an abandoned
we'll 200 feet deeper, as directed by the
wizard.
The Manhattan Oil company drilled Il
we'll on the Knox farm four miles north
of town, near the wizards home. He
predicted that it's production would be
greater than that of any well in the
state. The company experienced great
difficulty in putting down the we'll and
finally abandoned it after reaching the
regulation depth, when it was a strong
gasser. Drilling stopped 200 feet short
of the wizards required limit and now a
movement is on foot to drill the well
200 feet deeper, as Long strenuously con-
tends and his followers believe it will re-
suit as he predicts. On many other wells
he has gratuitously volunteered his pre-
dictions with great accuracy.
Long is 60 years old and bachelor.
Although he was born in this country,
he can speak English only brokenly and
prefers German. He admits that aside
from being able to locate oil wells he Is
the most ignorant man in the country,
being unable to read or write and know
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