Times-promoter., 1898-11-12

room for it. Moses, / think we have
struck our gait"
No coal was found on Moses Jaca-
sons farm--no coal, no iron, no lehu
nothing but little better quail'9
of rock than appeared on the surface
No one blamed Moses. They had taken
"Mother Clark's" word for it. The ga
zette editorially observed that MOTH
ing was infallible, not even a witch
hazel rod. and that under certain cli-
matte conditions even the magnetic
needle had been known to have inc
iim-iams. For several weeks the eJach-
SON farm had a rest, though the Ia
zette kept on adding subscribers 10 i'S
list and taking in new Advertising
Then something happened to stir up
the public interest again.
"Mother Clark" had heard OF her
failure, and she wrote from Montana
to explain that she had had a trance
and discovered the reason. There was
basin of coal oil underneath the
farn.-a basin holding hundreds OF
thousands of barrels of oil. 1t was the
oil tie rod pointed to-not the coal
or iron. She directed that search
| he instituted for surface indications,
but her directions were needless. Even
before her letter arrived the 1amllS
| well had a greasy surface and a taste
| of oil and three days later so much
oil mad gathered that a bucket was
filed and brought to the surface.
The editor of the Gazette gave up MS
entire local page to particulars of the
Great Discovery" 1t was a bigger
thing than a coal or iron mine. OH
/ wells should be sunk, oil would be
found, and there would be such
boom as old Richmond county never
dreamed of. There would be a new
railroad line, refining works, factories
who would predict the result? lie
propnesied a rush, and there was
rush. He said that MosesJackson was
pettiug more than his share of the
GOOD things of earth, but people didn't
stop 10 remember anything to Moses
detriment. There were some that
doubted that oil had been found, but
their doubts vanished as they reached
the farm. There was the well, the
bucket. the smell. Plenty OF people
descended into the well, and they came
up convinced that petroleum was big
thing. That the coal men had failed
was no reason why the oil men should
not succeed. A dozen spectators
wanted options before the first week
was over, and every neighboring farm
er who would lease or sell found a
customer at his daar. A lease of the
jackson farm was taken for one year,
and when the papers had been made
out and the money passed over the
editor of the Gazette expressed his
readiness to figure again with Moses,
"Moses Jackson G. Co. will now dl-
vide uy the sum of $4,000" he said, as
he laid down his pencil. I'VE might
have got more by hanging out, but we
; are no hogs. The man who knows
when he has got a good thing is the
man who succeeds. incidentally, l
will add that have had to hire girl
to book subscriptions, and | must now
issue double edition to provide for
advertisers. Moses, you ought to have
about $4,000 in the bank"
"a little more than that" said Moses
81 move into town next week"
'sThat is well. You are now bloat'
ed capitalist and can walk around with
your hands in your pockets. 1t isn't
| ] 7 hi1,p
else in reserve. A few weeks hence we
I will have a long confidential talk"
For tn next two months the public
: heard nothing from Moses Jackson
Z Moses had been experimenting; he haC
made jug with two handle, and ap
piled for patent, and had also dscov
: cred the secret Of glazing pottery
q ware. The editor said that the two
handled jug was the greatest invention
: of the age, and gave 154 different rea
l. sons for it. Among them was the rea
I son that if one handle broke off theri
Il would still be one left. He computed
o the 1sOO,0OO jug handles were acci
81 dentally knocked off each year, ant
o 100000 jugs therefore rendered use
q less.
y As for the discovery it was wortl
t hundreds Of thousands of dollars t.
IS the country at large. Pottery could b.
glazed beautifully and cheaply, ant
( the days of tinware were numbered
$ Not reader of the Gazette brough
h up the fact that pottery had beel
l. glazed right along for hundreds o
s years, and that salt thrown into tn
u, kiln at certain stage was the onl
d thing needed. 1t read like ney
It thing and Moses Jackson was besiege,
d by strangers and overwhelmed by let
a ters. Everybody said the two-handle'
n jug was good for $1,ooo,00o, and the in
d ventor's right, title and interest wer
d disposed of after few days at goo
l. round sum.
e "Moses. | think we will do u littl
'e figuring" said the company, as tn
is shelf was cleared off. You have abou
'e $4,000 in the bank, take it?"
30 about $22,o0o," replied Moses.
n "A few months ago you were work
g ing from daylight till dark for bar
n living. In careless way may mer
ton that few months ago l was
a. dead-broke man and the Gazette wa
L., i l.. II. n.