Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-09-30
HISSOURrS OIL MAGNATE
characteristics Of Smooth Member Of the
ShOwms Tribe.
u. CLAY PIERCE N TIE lIMEneHT
Man of Many millions Made I'm
ROckefeIIer's Mint-Methods
of EIudins Missourrs
Law Omcers.

II. Clay Pierce, the man who handles
Standard oil under various company
aliases in the middle west and southwest.
Mr.. Pierce is Missourian residing in St
Louis. He insisted on being. shown various
legal processes, though he did not geek
them. before coming to a show down. Je-
ing much in the limellght OF publicity, as
wen as a millionaire twelve times over.
his methods and characteristic are OF pub
lie Interest and are-detailed by Missouri
paper IN this manner:
The attempt OF Pierce TO avoid service
In the oil SUITS were numerous and at
times desperate Once he was penned Up
for several hours in bath room in the
waldorf-Astoria IN New York, finally es-
Gaping to his yacht at a moment when
the process server became unwary. Then
he promised at another time through his
attorneys to testify on~R certain date in
St. Louis, but he was in New York when
the.' time came. This occurred several
times. Once the excuse was illness. an
other time It was business. then some other
time Il was something else.
Mighty Close Cell.
Pierce has a seven-room suite Of rooms
in the Waldorf Astoria, where he lives
when in New York. 1t costs him si25 a
day. The rooms are on the second floor
and furnished as elegantly as any mansion
in New York. Next TO Pierces rooms
John W. Gates, millionaire Spectator. has
another suite Pierce and Gates are
friends. They play bridge whist together
and a mutual friend once said he under
stood the sky was the limit. Each has a.
valet and the young men are even more
friendly than are their employers. But
Gates employs an Irish maid. large and
muscular, who never had occasion to visit
with any OF the Pierce retinue of SER
wants.
When Hadley was trying to get services
on Pierce, Pierce stayed indoors most of
the time. One day Gates suggested that
his rooms were open to his friend any
time he should find It convenient to use,
them. Henry Woliman had charge of
securing witnesses and two young men In
his office were the process servers. One
at least was of Jewish ancestry The other
has Spanish name. but Jewish cast Of
features. This fact was duly noted by the
Standard OIL people and a young man of
Jewish features was looked upon with sus-
picioh by all of them
One day Pierce grew tired of his Sc
ciuded life In his rooms and was walking
In the hall when he suddenly discovered
the presence of a young man answering
the description of Wollman's process
servers The man was close to his door.
He .was $50 feet down the hall, but in
front OF he.Gates Apartments He dashed
into Gates room without waiting to be
announced. The maid happened to be in
the front room alone.
What are ye doing here?" she called
out quickly.
Pierce tried to explain. All she caught
Of the explanation was enough to show
that pierce was hiding from an officer
CIT out o. here. Git out O. here" she
cried excitedly yell not come into
Afisther Gates room thrying to get away
from a policeman. Git out o. here / tell
ye," and with that she made an effort to
throw him out bodily.
There. is no telling. how the affair would
have resulted had not the Gates valet
showed up just in time
sport aud CIubman.
Pierce is an all-round sportsman. and be-
longs TO many clubs in all parts Of the
country. Among these are the Manhattan.
New York, Coney Island Jockey. Jockey
and Reform clubs Of New York. Algonquin
Boat, Essex County Country. Eastern
Yacht, Manchester Yacht and Union clubs
OF Boston. Chicago and Washington Park
clubs OF Chicago and the St. Louis Jockey.
MONDAY and Country clubs.
He has an estate OF $50 square miles on
the northeast point Of the Gaspe peninsula.
on the south side of the Gulf Of st. Law
renee. which serves him principally as a
hunting and fishing. preserve. He has
another estate in Brule, MINI, which Is
also a sportsman's paradise.
Financial men estimate that the Pierce
fortune exceeds 100000 He has amassed
Il all. He did not start out in life exactly
as a poor boy. but he at least started out
as one with scarcely any capital at his
command and the results that he has
achieved are due to his own energy and
ability He was born on the st. Lawrence
river, near Ogdensburg, N. Y, where his
father. a practicing physician OF consider
able repute. had hunting lodge and COM
paratively large estate. Here the lad lived
from Infancy and received his education.
A relative of the Pierce family. ]. o.
Pierce. had gone TO st. Louis some time
previous to that period when young II.
Ciay's ambition began to manifest itself.
and his letters about the city and its pros
poets. were tinted in such bright coloTs
that the younger Pierce determined TO go
there for his start In life. Young Pierce
was lglven place In his relatives cracker
factory and In time became its manager.
Then T., O Pierce started a bank and ii.
Clay Pierce entered the banking business.
frst as clerk and then in an executive ca
pacity,, Then came the oil opportunity In
which he became partner 1.-THE John r.
Findley oil business.
SEEKING the Opportunity.
The of business had been established
by Mr.. Finley only comparatively short
time, before Mr.. Pierce became Identified
with H. and had prospered only in
small way. The oil II sold was made by
the dlstiliation OF turpentine over quick
lime. and was the sort OF illuminant gen.
orally IN use at that time. Petroleum had
not entered much into the oil field but in
his Investigations of the possibilities OF
that fluid. Pierce had become convinced
that in It lay the great secret for success
IN the OIL trade. In the conduct OF the
business Pierce had charge OF the financial
effairs OF the firm primarily, a position
his experience in the banking house quail
Ned him to MI. but he did not neglect a
study OF the other departments OF the
business and gradually his ideas began TO
have their effect i'm much increased
activity.
The use Of petroleum In a refined state
was introduced and advocated. and the oil