River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-02-01

game. III S TOO Slow IL dn OAu
ladies' game"
One of the favorite stunts of Goal
Oil Johnny" was to walk into a gam
bling room with few of his choice
friends and ask the proprietor to sell
him the place. He usually bought at
fearful figure, and then would take
his place at the dealers chair and loan
his friends money to play against him
self.
The news soon spread throughout
the world of this modern lad of money
and that he was easy. From the north,
south and east and from the gold
camps of California came gamblers
with the old brace games for fleeing
Johnny Steele. For him, It's now said,
specially crooked faro boxes and rou-
| lette wheels were made, for he did not
long remain in ignorance of the games
and the time came when he had to be
shown that he losL on a turn of the
card. He was always shown. His
losings at the gaming table in the first
half of his moneyed career were some
thing fabulous. Then he seemed to
tire all at once of the game and sought
new fields for enjoyment.
Horse That Drank Champagne.
One night at Bradford, Steele rode
down the main street at full speed on
beautiful mare, for which he had
paid $4,000, and through the swinging
doors of a saloon where 100 oil men
were doing their best to emulate him
in getting rid of their money. He did
not know a soul, but that didn't mat
ter.
"I'm Johnny Steele. Close the doors
and every one make night of it with
me. Give Bess bottle of champagne
to start with"
Bess was the beautiful little mare
he rode, and Immediately interest was
centered on the horse whom her owner
said drank champagne. Bess, more
over, was the only sober one of the
outfit some hours later, for Johnny
Steele surely made good when he start
ed out to make night of it," and this
was one of them.
Nobody who hears my voice can
spend a cent. I'm Johnny Steele"
was the favorite cry of the little fellow
as he entered resort, and there were
always those within sound who at once
began to figure just how expensive they
could make the hour with Steele. There
is yet to be found the man who will
say he ever saw Goal Oil Johnny"
take cent Of change from the bar or
anywhere else, for that matter. For
such as the young fellow was no such
things as dollars or small bills.
Lights Cigars with 800 Bills.
What was considered the height Of
his extravaganza came one day when
he entered the Oil Exchange at Brad
ford to look around. He never dabbled
in oil himself. ST want to see my
money co." he always said when asked
TO invest in some seemingly luscious
bit of flyer in oil. But on this occa-
sion he came in from the street and
stood unnoticed by many of the oil
kings who were scrambling for a shade
on the market. One minute in obscure
ty for Goal Oil Johnny was enough.
The next moment he had clogged the
wheels of the oil exchange. He stepped
out where he could be seen, selected a
cigar from his vest pocket, pulled
roll of bills from another pocket,
skinned off 500 cote, and folding it
as lighter struck a match and lit
the 500 bill, then touched 1t to his
cigar. After getting good light from
the century note, he watched it burn
up, and threw away the icgar.
Taught That's a bad one," he said,
as he tried another cigar, and also lit
it with a new 800 bill.
This simply paralyzed the members
of the big oil exchange. They had been
used to making and losing fortunes in
day. but such wanton waste Of money
had never before come under their no.