The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1905-03-04
TWO OLD
...FOOLI

nearest village 20 buy hoe. Ills wife
had asked him to drop into the Of
fce OF the Gazette and bring home a
handle Of old papers for the pantry
shelves. IL found the editor alone
and the paper about TO suspend for the
want Of patronage The editor noted
the farmers wrinzled frce bent back
and discouraged look, and after some
general talk said:
Look here. Moses, you are an old
fool and I am ditto. You are grub
bling your life out for a mere living.
and I am dead broke because the poo
pie here don't appreciate brains Let's
! go into partnership"
They sat and talked for an hour. and
! the result was an article in the next
weeks Gazette that created talk all
over the country and within a week
] had been copied all over the state
There was n spring on the Jackson
farm which hardly any one but the
owner knew Of and il was announced
that the waters Of this spring were
sure cure for all kinds Of skin diseases.
The editor gave half a dozen false
names and told a dozen lies in the
article but people with skin diseases
did not stop 10 question this veracity
The paper had been OF the press
only a day when they began 10 drive
Up 20 the Jackson farm. They wanted
that water in bottles. jugs. kegs and
barrels. and the old farmer was on
hand to sell il ut so much per gallon.
Inside Of a month he was shipping
spring water 10 points 400 miles away
While be was busy at the spring his
wife was busy az the house Scores
and scores OF people were willing to
pay 20 cents for a dinner, and before
the rush was over scores and scores
OF others paid 90 cents apiece for the
privilege OF sleeping on clean straw In
the barn.
The analysis Of the spring water
pricked the bubble at last. and people
ceased 10 come or send I'm orders. Mo
ses went down TO see the editor and
figure with him. AS they figured they
chuckled. When they had reached the
end OF il the editor said:
Moses, our firm has taken I'm $1,000
in cash. Figure out the expense, and
we divide $1,000 You still have your
farm left, and ! may tell you that the
Gazette has put on $50 new subscrib-
ers and has entered upon a boom with |
n big p. Go home and hoe corn and |
say nothing. In about two weeks our
trap will be ready again"
In the course OF a fortnight the neigh |
bors OF Moses Jackson noticed a strange
woman about his house. but before |
they had time 20 ask questions the Ca
zette came out with n two column art-
Gle and explained all. The strange wo-
man was Mother Clark. the great Iocat-
er Of mines by means Of the hazel rod.
She happened 60 be passing through |
the district. and, 10 her surprise. her
hazel rod kept pointing 10 the Jackson
farm. She had felt IL hec duty to stop /
and tell Moses that great wealth lay
beneath the surface. IL might be coal
or 1t might be gold. but it was there
for sure.
Again there was a rush 30 the Jack
son farm. There were scores OF diners
again nc 20 cents apiece. and this time
there were sleepers for the barn almost
by the hundred People wanted TO
prospect for that wealth, they wanted
privileges. they wanted options. they
wanted 10 go shares and work things
most any old way for mutual profit.
and the farm was torn up for the space
Of two months before the last digger
got discouraged and quit Then Moses
went down 10 make business call on
he editor, and the editor said 10 him: :
"We haven't done quite as well as
hoped for. but there is no kick coming
% us. We sold three options at ST.
100 each. and with the profits on meals
md dodgers the figures run TO about
10000.
The next week the Gazette stated :
hat there was every reason TO believe
hat the rod pointed 10 oil instead OF 4,
Minerals and that IL hoped TO soon
hronicle a great discovery. The dis [
overy was made I'm time fer the next :
ssue, and il was cOrker. on had d.
zen found i'm such quantities that no
ne could doubt the existence OF n big y
AXE OF Il under the Jackson farm. .
There were some who doubted that
81 had been found. but their doubts
anished as they reached the farm. l
here were the well. the bucket and y
be smell. Those who descended into
he well came up covered with grease
nd convinced that petroleum was a &
az thing. That the coal men had
allied was no reason why the oil men
hOuld not succeed A dozen specula- {
ors wanted options before the first d
'eek was over and every neighboring
lmer who would sell or lease found :
customer at his door. Leases and =
ptions we're taken on the Jackson \
arm TO the last acre. and when the
apers had been made out ana the
honey passed oveg the editor OF the a
iazette expressed his readiness 70
cure again with Moses.
THE firm Of Moses Jackson & co. !
-ill now divide up the sum OF S22.- b