Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-02-04

While | was in Oklahoma City, every
one was talking about Shamrock. and
determined to see this Irish queen of
the oil field" as it is called
So 1 took the Frisco to Depew, and
boarded the tank line for Shamrock,
through the typical Gushing field coun-
try. where the Oil wells are thicker than
the trees, in size, 40 well as number.
l have been going to the movies now
for some years, but when l got off the
tank line in Shamrock, l seemed to be
acting part in the movies, rather than
seeing them. Here WIS the typical Nov
ing Picture town, only rougher and
tougher and cruder than any director
would dare show it in the movies; it had
the COW boys on horse back. the gam
bling joints, the Indians, the DRINKS and
the Main street i, is called Tipperary
Road. would be a great stage set for
far Western movie.
Shamrock is now 10 days old. and has
a population of 5000 people, and it is
growing at the rate of 100 or more a day.
If people think New York is the seat
OF Night Life, let them try Shamrock;
there is as much doing there at five in
the morning as there is at II at night
Let's take a walk down Tipperary
Road The first building of Importance
is the Lumber Company's office; next to
it is the Citizens State Bank; then the
inevitable land office; next door to it
Ahra ham Casey has his clothing store. !
asked some one if THAI his real name,
and they said. no, of course not Abe just
ion ia,
there is the pool hall, a read beautiful
shed with six tables, and | walked in to
look The place over. Every time a man
bent down to take 4 shot, | could see Il
decided lump on his right hip; they ali
kept their coats on. wondered If they
carried a lot OF tobacco or a pocket flask
or what, but after one of them brushed
UP against me. and | felt the barrel Oh
his 81 Kit my leg, it suddenly daWnei
on me that every man in the place was
: packing a gun, IT might be well here to
explain their clothes Ii seems TO be an
unwritten rule that no hat shall nave a
hrim less than six inches wide, and no
man shall wear boots less than IA inches
in height Next door TO the Pool nall IS
the Club house. SO called, as Oklahoma Is
bnoye i'm for medicinal purposes or his
own personal use. AT the end Of the Clup
/ House is the bar. beer dollar pot'le
/ and bonded whiskey four bits drink, at
the left are the Poker players and al
the right the craps, faro and Red-pal!
n]avers are congregated. while on the
second floor is Dublin Castle which Is
the official dance hall The gamblers take
i'm so much money it seems to bore theh'
! Then there is a drug store and doctor
office combined.
/ Now. let's turn off 'Tipperary Road
and walk up Killarney avenue Inc
nonulation of Shamrock when it was as
4 covared was 1900 Irish, it is now a
I strong 50 per cent
Here are the names of their princlpa'
streets: Tipperary Road. ireland Noi N
Bantry, Dublin. Killarney. Terry 81. Fa''
rick and Blarney Avenues. All the paper
used in town is green. the INK is gree"
thav use two one cent stamps in place
of a two, the buildings are pain'eI
| oro.n the Frisco railroad humorS
! .,o,, ~ the extent of printing all rail-
road tickets green. and no one dare onei
70 nav for anything or gamble WIN
! yellow backs
! Th.re are $50 oil wells in Shamrock ano
! al, is now selling at $3.50 barrel. ana Tic
Standard Oil Co. is trying TO nuy IN.
tow, over oOC0 wells are being oriiieo
:, three-mile radius. and the common
,.,orer is drawing $40 day, in goid
-. .ho mon that own the wells are
ar,v;ne-well one old man l talked VIII
has seven wells Of his own, MS pest wei
10 flowing $50 barrels day, OIL az si''o
barrel. And it is the only coh,ihoo'.S
,,no, of where the purchasers are neg
.;,. Won to sell to them. the Stahoar'
ond .Indenendent companies keep buyers
{, ~. field with cash. and just as 500
nc vour drill hits oil, they start co"
nettiye bid for the output OF the We'll
A little Indian girl owned a WELL ina
hit a regular gusher and the stanoa u,
ou ~ bought the we'll Of her for $SV'"c
Tho next day she married one OF th'
Sh.mrock gamblers. He had only KNOW
r.r for a few hours. but what of 1t, ISM
49, such a thing as love at first sight
The bank Of Shamrock. the CHizen'
| State Bank is in tent ana as 'nei
have been some 30 banks roobed III oh
| lahoma in the last elght moH'"S' "
guarded by an armed guard night ah'
dav. I don't mean one man, but seVera'
There is. however, very little shooting II
Shamrock now. as they have hired
follow named "Texas Rufe' to do tn
fighting for the town. And by his pas
record and present looks. he can holt
the lob down pretty we'll. He has alleged
TO have killed q men SO far. and all OF
the speed Of his draw: it is said he cal
get his revolvers into action quicke'
than any man in the West. He shoots
as we'll with his left as he does his RICH
hand.
They haven't any Jail yet in Shamrock
hut one is being hauled over from Clifton
It doesn't seem that jail will be niue!
use though. because so far. all they hav'
had to do is bury the ones that Texas
4 has beat to it, on the draw.
The next time go to Shamrock. which
will be in March or April, it will NJ
doubt be a city of 5000 or 10000 people. bu
I shall always be glad that I saw on
of the boom cities of the West at IT.
start. And in the meantime II an.
doubling Thomas thinks the West il
entirely civilized and 'hun,drum'; jus
| nd Sfo