Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-29

meet again for some time Meanvrs,,.
he determined not to go TO the trvs4
| ing place again in the day. But m,
night when all were asleep. arroad
with a spade, a lantern and sona
matches, he stole out OF the ~.
quarters to revisit his find. Had -
not gone there often he would rot bsvo
been able to find the entrance. ID ~
dared not light his lantern until vel
screened by the thicket.
On reaching the trysting plaes ~
struck a match and, he wing found -.
hole he had dug with his knife. bez,,
to throw out the earth with his srade
He had gone down but a fez fss.
when there stood on the bottom o. n.
hole he had dug several inches Of
fluid. Lighting his lantern, he sawthat
the oil was slowly rising. Dipping
dry twig into 1t, be held it over u
fame In the lantern, and It burned
brightly.
This was enough. He reflled IT,
hole and smoothed the ground aboys
it, then went back to his quarters.
The next day Manuel went 70 Con.
zales and offered him the $50 he had
borrowed, with interest The haeeu-
dado accepted 1t, and Manuel went
forth a free man. Before leaving tie
hacienda he made an appointment 10
meet Maria clandestinely, and when
they came together he told her that
there was a fortune at their trysttng
place The location was wild land out
side Gonzales hacienda. NeTertha-
less Manuel had but $40, and this was
too little to tempt the owner to sell any
of his property. Maria was accorded
liberal pin money by her father and
could produce 500. But she owned a
jewel which would bring a hundred
more. In all the two raised $500.
Then Manuel found the owner Of the
land, and, representing that he wished
to erect a sawmill beside the stream,
which could be used for power, he SIC
ceeded in buying twenty acres Of
ground at SO an acre.
As soon as the deed had passed 10
him Manuel threw up his hat joyfuIly
He had 500 left with which TO de-
velop his oil well He dug with his
spade a sluiceway by which he turn
ed a part of the stream into new
channel that ran within a few yards
of his well. Then he made a mill
wheel and bought pump with gear
ing Lastly. he dug his oil well to
depth of ten feet, at the bottom Of
which stood several feet of OIL
When Manuel set his machinery to
work to prmp out the oil he was anx-
ious as to the flow continuing. He
20 INT ta
well and was delighted TO see that tie
flow continued as fast as he pumped
Then he knelt and thanked his patron
saint for the blessing that had beea
bestowed upon him.
Manuel said nothing to any one about
his oil property. He bought a few
empty barrels and filed them with oil
With his ak he cleared a way so that
a team could haul them away and with
the money he got for the oil bought
more barrels and very soon had money
enough to build a shed over his ma
chinery.
One day Gonzales, who was riding
over his hacienda, saw a well dressed
man, also mounted, coming toward
him. When the stranger neared him
Gonzales recognized his former peon,
Manuel Perez.
What are you doing here, and in
hose clothes? ?" asked the hacendado.
II came TO ask the hand of your
laughter"
my daughterr'
Yes, senior. I have good blood in
ny veins, and am rich"
Rich? In what does your fortune
IF you viii come with me I Will
how it to you"
Moved by curiosity, Gonzales rode
With his former slave to the oil well.
When he saw the crude machinery
md, Manuel having turned on the
lower, a barrel of oil filed in q few
he was aStonished. He dif
Ot give Manuel his daughter, but b.
respected for oil not only on his ha-
ienda, but on contiguous property.
No other outlet for the petroleum
vas found, and the failure greatly en-
anced the value of Manuel PereZs
roperty. Americans, Englishmen, ey-
rybody, came to see the well. and
lrge sums We're offered the owner fof
is property. He would not sell, ana
nth his profits he developed his means
Or getting out the oil. and since II
Ontinued TO flow as fast as he took
ut he soon had an enormous income.
When Gonzales had tested all his
wn and adjacent property without
nding oil Manuel went 10 him again
, ask for Maria. and this time the
acendado succumbed. The wedding
,sdvities took place at the bride5
ONE, but when they were over her
ashland took her TO a handsome place
his own. He has never sold foo'
the ground he purchased for sohs
i'd has refused every offer for the
hole property. Whenever he neeu' 1
oney he sets his machinery Coins
Is few hundred barrels with OF
I'd sells them.
This course certain MeNicans VINO
I'VE owned gold mines have pursued
It it has not been common with OIL