Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1907-08-02
Buncoed In OIL.

Buncoed In Oil.
1t was before the day in which
Standard Oil was chris.ened, but not
before the business wcrld was amazed
at the vast outputs of oil in Penrsyl-
vania and Ohio. One bright April
morning. at work in my field as a
farmer, there came over the still air the
soft mellow notes of a flute-the air Of
Annie Laurie, followed by other pieces
of old-timeVnvsic. This continued, day
after day, until curiosity as well as bus
mess led me to an interview with the
musician
On the roadside, a quarter of mile
aW ay from my field, lying beneath q
couple of boards raised on stakes at one
end, with a blanket or two ana sacks
of hay for pillow and bed, kettle
frying pan and cofiee-pot in which te
cook his frugal meals, was the person
who had charmed me with his flute
His sole business pursuit was, in local
hiiiAiAiS WINS SOIihSiAhS W. ANe'N
that is, digging such holes with pick
and shovel as one man could put
through soil and gravel on lines dis
tinetly marked by oche. which is fre-
quently associated with the lead mines
of Wisconsin. There was some lead
about, as l knew, having myself often
picked up little cubes of ore styled float
mineral. In such manner this humble,
civil, suave person passed the summer
away.
The next time L saw him, however,
it was in new role. 1t was late au-
tumn, in the beautiful little city of
Prairie du Chen, and had sold any
load of oats at the principal hotel in the
town. In its office were many business
men, and in the midst of these was my
quondam acquaintance, the gopher
miner in his hands a large bottle
chiefly filled with water, but on top,
at least an inch in depth, was crude
petroleum.
"Yes, gentlemen he WAS saying,
"there is no doubt IT. l have a certain
good, valuable proposition on my land
up near Seneca, and i want men with
cash in hand to help me develop it, for
l am poor. There is no risk to run, as
some of these gentleman have visited
the place and have viewed with their
own eyes the oil oozing out of the
ground and flowing down with the
water from the spring. You all may
go and see for yourselves"
to conform the statement made by a
dozen other parties.
But the case was already won, The
jury were agreed. the verdict, at is
OIL was returned, and a mpaBy
formed promptly, and officers elected
with our gopher miner, owner of the
land and discoverer of the oil, as treas
urer. He, claiming experience in the
oil fields of Pennsylvania, was granted
full power to proceed to Pittsburg or
other suitable place, and purchase a
outfit to operate the plant. In
order more fully TO carry out this pro-
vision, he said, cash must be forthcom-
ing at once For his land and oil the
promoter was to have half the capitali-
cation, being twenty thousand dollars
No money ever rolled more rapidly
into any enterprise than the cash
which was cast into that treasury. In
due course the treasurer departed. With
him went the treasure. He has not yet
After days of anxious waiting, self
a ppointed investigating committee
V sited the plant and were made wise.
Above the spring on that bluffy hill
side were found beneath the soil two
empty barrels, which had once con-
tained petroleum. Planted there and
tapped at the proper intervals, they
had allowed oil to seep down through
the soil into the waters of the spring
Below the spring little dag had been
built to catch the oil, whilst the water
escaped beneath The whole contriV-
ance showed the skill of the gopher
miner in the settirg of bunco trap.
He had even awaited the growth OF
to hide any traces of dis
curbed soil in planting those barrels,
before he sprung his scheme. For my
own part, / had lost five dollars, IS
the promoter had insisted | should
take at least one share. }. w. b.
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