The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-12
KANSAS NEWS.
Prominent Capitalists Over the
State Deal in Oil.
Dozens Of Politicians Getting
Rich in Ghanute Fields.
TOPEKANS DOING WE'LL
Ex-Mayor Parker, C. j. DevIin,
J. S. Parks, Interested.
Other Equally Prominent Citi-
zens Increasing Bank Roll.

Chanute, Kas., April 12.=Kansas
politicians are always looking for
easy money. Public Office probably
gives bigger returns for the amount
of work done than any other occupa-
ton Next &c. it comes oil. This ex-
plains why SO many politicians are
dabbling in oil Nearly every poll
tician in the state of any note is in
terested in some oil proposition in the
Kansas field. Some of them are hit
ting it rich.
state treasurer's Office under the Nor
r1ll administration. and later ser
geant-at-arns of the house, came to
Chanute three years ago with less
than $1,000 of his own money. To-
day he is worth 100000. He has
made it al out of oil
Senator Fftzpa trick, Representa-
tive Tulloss and w. H. SDroul. all pol
itieians or Chautauqua county. and
residents of the same town, Sedan.
are making money so fast that they
can't count it Sproul and Tulloss
have bunch of wells on the Peru
toWnsfte that are netting them $40 a
day profit They are also interested
with Fitzpatrick in several wells in
the ChautauGua field.
Senator s J. Stewart. of Humboldt
IS taking IN over 800 a day in royal
ties from his farm. Besides this, he
company that is paying 1 per cent. a
month
Newt Allen. of Chanute. is almost
doubling his already big fortune an
nually by investments in oil land.
Hugh Farrelly, of Chanute, is max
ing money so fast in oil that he does
MT care much whether he is elected
chairman of the Democratic state
committee again. He is interested in
several com panies having big holdings
lrhAn11fa
b.. T. Shawhan. also of this town
who drafted the Declaration of In
dependence" at the boss busters
meeting in Topeka. which turned the
tide and resulted in Ed Hoch's noni-
nation for governor. has his fingers in
several good oil pies.
M L. Jones, who represented Ne
osho county in the legislature of 1897.
has piled up a big fortune out of oil
and real estate. He happened to own
a quarter -sectio2, of land adjoining
Chanute when the boom struck He
plated it and it is now one of the most
thickly settled parts of Chanute
G. ]. Devlin, the. Topeka coal opera
tor, who takes a quiet hand in politics,
controls the America Oil and Gas COM
pany, which pays 1 per cent a month
on a $250,000 capitalization. Charlie
Short, who used to be passenger con-
ductor on the Kansas City-Topeka
plug, is the manager. He has cleaned
up 100000 in the past two years on
oil.
w. A! Northcutt, former lieutenant
governor of Illinois. and head guy of
the Woodmen for many years, is in a
big company here. Governor Dick
son from Illinois has made a
fortune here.
General Wilder S. MetcaIf, pension
agent, W. J. Wright and F. D. Hutch
ings, two Republican politicians of
Kansas City. Kan. are big holders of
stock in the Benedict Oil company,
oh, I.,c r~s,11 HI Low,
have drilled one gasser and are now
drilling for oil.
Mackey. w. S. Roark and some other
United States Marshal w. H.
statesmen of Junction City, have
bonanza in the Bolton pool near indie
pendence.
w. r. Stubs, chairman of the Re
publican state committee, and W. B.
Sutton, of Kansas City, Kan, are big
holders in the Chautauqua. Oil and Gas
company, which owns leases on 5000
acres in the Cfiautauqua district on
which are several big oil producers and
one good gas well.
H. D. Barndollar, of Coffeyville, and
A. c. Stitch, of Independence, are in
the Charlotte Oil company, which has
about forty producing oil wells and A.
$50 acres of leases in the proven dis
triet Stitch has made more than a
half million dollars out of oil property
within the past three years He is a
heavy stakeholder in the Consolidated
company, which has $4,000 acres in the
district under lease.
Even Populist politicians could not
resist the temptation to increase tn cir
per capiter." c. B. Hoffman of En-
terprise; John H. Curran, secretary of
the POpuliSt state committee W. z.
Bush, formerly secretary of state I'M
der the Leedy administration, and
Major A. NJ. Harvey, lieutenant gov
e1nor under the same administration,
have 1000 acres under lease. They