The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-14

Enquirer
 Franklin, Penn.-The entire northwest ern part of Pennsylvania known as the "Oil Country" has been saddened by the news that most malignant type of pneu- monia had stricken John w. Steele, known better throughout the spending world as Coal oil Johnny In a little house on the Monit farm at Fee, few miles from Franklin, the once king of spenders fought it out with death and lost
 For years the outside world has given 1 no thought to "Coal oil Johnny" He had passed out of their sight for the time but a few days since the Associated Press sent flash throughout the world, Coal oil Johnny is dying" and since that time many inquiries have come regarding the once famous oil region chara,<er
 Inside of twelve months beginning at the close of 1863. John Steele did, per haps, more to advertise the wealth of the Pennsylvania oil region than any oth- CT ten men. He advertised its wealth by spending it. A beardless boy he woke one morning to find himself possessor of un- 1 told wealth in bulk and an income from oil royalties of $l75O per day, Sundays in- cluded. He did not know the value of money, had not to the day of his death any idea of how much money he had spent, but it has been estimated at from | $1, ,5OO,O 900 to $4.00O0O0.
 | Be the amount the first or last named 1 the fact remains that in seven months l time from his coming into possession of this immense wealth he went through it and was broke. Inside of year from the time he became Croesus he was back at l the little railroad station at Housewife, Venango county, hustling trunks at $40 per month. He hustled ever since to keep up with the grocer's bill
 Never was there man who made it rain 1 money in such showers as did Coal Oil l Johnny during his brief transit across the 1 horizon. It Is claimed now by those who 1 saw him spend that the newly rich Pitts 1 burg millionaire would look like piker in 1 his spendngs when lined up alongside the Housewife (Penn.) wagon driver who was
 in a night elevated to the millionaire class. l Steele simply could not spend his money 1 fast enough until he evolved the idea of hiring some good people to help him spend 1t and then-well the rest was easy. Adopted By Farmer.
 l Johnny Steele was born near Waterloo, Venango county, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1S41. He was left an orphan when but a few years of age, and when between and years of age was adopted by Gull l bertson McClintock, a well-to-do farmer living on the outskirts of what is now l Oil City. McClintock owned his own farm since world-famed in oil history as The McClintock Farm" From it mill 1 lions of dollars worth of oil was taken years later.
 It was mot for Culbertson McClintock, however, to reap the benefits of the oil. He died some three years before oil was discovered on his farm, and when his will was read 1t was found that he had left the farm to his wife during her life, and it was then to go to Johnny Steele. his adopted child. There was also an adopt ed daughter, named Emily Scott, but she does not appear to have been left any thing by McClntock. but years later, when Steele was rolling in wealth, he gave to the young woman enough to make her independent for life
 Mrs. McClintock was a shrewd business woman, and when oil was discovered on her farm she drove the closest bargain poss with the producers. The pool un- der the McClintock farm bade fair to be inexhaustible, and she had little trouble in getting a most fabulous sum in cash. reserving a big royalty on all oil brought from her farm. This was about three years after the death of McClintock.
 But Johnny Steele was not allowed to loaf because his mother had money He was sent out to work driving wagons for the oil men. He did not even have team of his own but hired out as a driver, and each Saturday night his earnings were brought home and given to Mrs. McClin- tock, who dumped 1t into the common bin at the old farm house. She rapidly ac- cumuated bank stocks and valuable prop critics in surrounding towns and cities. as we'll as New York and Philadelphia, but | nha 10 of living which had been that of her self and husband when they were trying 1 to pay for the rocky little farm on the | little run, afterward becoming world famed as oil Creek. She never hired servant, and never moved from the little | farm house which soon became hemmed l In by oil wells.
 Always insisting on doing her own | housework she came to her death in a | most tragic way while performing house | duties. Early in 1863 Mrs McClintock | rose one morning before daybreak, as usual, to prepare breakfast for Johnny | Steele before he went to his work as l teamster. She tried to light the fire | with a can of coal oil, with the oft i repeated result. There was an explosion i, end she was burned to death.
 In an old and crude safe in the corner | of one room in the little house there | was found s65.000 in gold. This was but | the SdNlnBS OI Il Week or bO ol hlTS IhC- clintock, as was proved by subsequent | discovery. The exact amount of cash | on hand at the time of the death of Mrs. l McClintock was never definitely known, ! but it is supposed to have been sl000,0OO, 1 and there were extremely valuable oil properties besides the McClintock. farm. which was at this time belchlng forth i royalties at the rate of $1750 per day for l the McClintock heir, Johnny Steele.
 
 A Long Vacation.
 Johnny quit driving at once. He never went back to work after the tragic death of his foster parent.
 And yet he could not enter into the full enjoyment of this money, for he was not of age, and the proper authorities simply took the immense estate in hand for the few short months which cruelty divided the young wagon driver from his millions. During this short time Steele showed some good business judgment. There were hundreds who would have loaned him anything on his prospects, hut to his credit be it said that he did | not 20 heavily into debt He was con 1 tent to wait until the money came to | him through the proper channels, and | in the meantime the proper authorities | through him sold an atom of his big in- 1 terests just at the time it had reached the crest He disposed of the two Lone Star wells to John Mawhinney for S6o,OO cash This went into the common pool which was swelling at an enormous rate against the day that Johnny Steele should become of age and comeS into his own. Al last the time came and an ava Ianche of money rolled down on the for r,.or ,,oor Sriver who had in his child