La Junta tribune., 1910-04-23

ly covering about four thousand acres
met several pratles OF whom such
leases had been taken and who had
received cash payment OF two dol.
lars per acre
A merchant OF Rodessa who had
leased his land said to me: we
have a niger woman In this town
worth over fifty thousand dollars. She
is widow and owns over one thous-
and acres OF land. She leased to
the Standard five hundred acres and
got over eleven hundred dollars
cash" Now, here Is not an helress,
but woman who IS actually possess
sor of a fortune Let the fortune
hunters come on. Let the nobility
Of the old world come to Rodessa.
! don, think this widow would re-
iect Count Abruzzi. even IL Miss
Elkins did snub him. There are a
few. a very few. wealthy niggers In
the south. ] met a bright young mig
ger. as black as coal. who had two
loads Of cotton for sale. one day, In
Texarkana. l talked with him a few
minutes about his cotton and the
other crops he had grown and found
him very intelligent niger. He
vas managing hts fathers farm OF
over six hundred acres I asked him
many questions and asked him the
price OF his land left him, but
only a few minutes afterwards. while
was waiting for the elevator. he
came TO me and wanted to know II
| wanted to buy land. He told me
his father owned one-half interest
In another farm OF one thousand
acres. and owned another farm Of
over four hundred acres. all Red river
bottom land. ] asked again what his
land was worth but he said he didn't
know, and referred me TO a lawyer
who attended to his fathers business.
/ learned. however. that on account
Of loss OF the last three cotton crops
from the boil weeyil and damage sus-
tanned by the overflow OF 1908. the
old niger was hard up and will prob
land
One company operating In this
field. the Bush-Everet, Company. is
boring for gas only. This company
has piped gas TO Texarkana and to
other cities. II is now laying a pipe
line to Little Rock. and will lay a
line to St Louis. They have sew
eral gas wells all OF which are capped
save two or three. still they continue
10 sink wells.
| drove into the field east OF Vivian
one day and saw large number Of
wells. Those within two to two and
one-haf miles east OF Vivian are oil
wells as well as gas. bu; the wells
beyond are gas wells only. About
ten O'Clock we heard a great roaring
noise. My driver said they must have
brought In a new well The noise
fairly shook the great forest Il
could be heard several miles. Az
We returned. 1t grew louder and loud.
er. until 1t seemed but few hun
dred yards away. while II was stili
miles away. Within one-quxrier of
= mile We could only hear one anoth.
er by speaking into each Others very
ears. II grew In Its terrific. jarring
roar as II the whole forest was crash.
Ing into splinters. like the lightning
shiyers the oak. and the earth was
laboring In an earthquake shock. We
hitehed our team about two hundred
yards from the well, and then ap-
preached within one hundred yards.
when my driver refused to go near.
er. saying: Don't you see those
stumps In that field on fire. am
afrah 10 go to that well. II the gas
takes fire II will blow us to pieces"
told him | wanted 10 see II and
that l Was going TO the well. The
gAs Was pursuing up All ABOUT the
well. for more than nifty yards. spout.
Ing up mud and water In every direc.
ton. The gas was bubbling In the
little creek near by and. In places.
the water was boiling like great
springs In the bed OF the creek.
Fully scven,y-fi,e yards from the
derrick. At the side OF large pine
stump. the muddy water shot up. In
spouts more than two feet. while at
the very side of the casing OF the
well the gas was forcing up. with rx.
plosive gusts. the mud and water.
threatening TO blow up the QuiverinG
earth for rods around and hurling the
casing and the derrick high Into the
air