Baxter Springs news., 1918-09-13
BAXTER SPRINGS MAN
DOING BIG THINGS IN
HOCKERVILLE DISTRICT

DhO NASA
p. w. George, often referred to as
the mysterious Mr.. George, the man
who nearly purchased the Hockerville
field, two and one-half miles from
Baxter Springs, says the Guggenheim
is not behind the new activities there.
Mr.. George arrived in the Oklahoma
field few months ago and secured
options on the Lucky o. X, the Farm
ington, the Lucky Jack and the Brew
ster eighty. He paid for everything
with personal checks, according to
local men, and carried on such stu
pendous business in such a common
place way that he was called "Whis-
pering George" or the mysterious
Mr.. George"
Mr.. George spent money like d mil
lionaire but it always went for some
thing that was worth the price or q
little more. He bought a flock Of drill
rigs and placed them on the Lucky o.
K. and when it was drilled out he
moved them on the Lucky Jack and
the Brewster properties which were
tested out and it is said that the Far
mington will be drilled in the same
methodical manner in the near future.
About two weeks ago the Lucky o.
X. was placed in operation for the
first time in nearly year and has
been kept going as steadily us a new
plant can run. Friday it made its first
turnin of lead, selling in the neigh
borhood of 100000 pounds but several
immense bins of jack are still at the
plant.
The Brewster eighty has been taken
over and a mill, the Ice Plant No. 2,
of Webb City, has been purchased and
the work of moving and rebuilding it
on the Brewster land will be begun at
once. The mill has capacity Of 300
tons in the old field but it will be
equipped by the new owners to be able
to handle that much dirt there.
The Lucky Jack and the Farming
ton will be taken over soon it is be-
lieved and if they are the Mysterious
Mr.. George will probably place them
in operation at once as that is what
he does with things that he buys for
the interest he represents.
Mr.. George has heretofore been
"clam" when approached by report.
er, so all the news that could be OBJ
tanned was secured from outsiders but
the papers printed it as the best that
could be obtained, which didn't suit
the new management the best in the
world.
Friday when the writer approached
Mr.. George he found him in a more
communicative mood as he said he
wanted the public to get the facts in
the case although his clients didn't
want any advertising as they were
not in any promotion business.
Mr.. George went on to say that the
Lucky o. X. had been purchased by
one Fred Burbidge, of Wallace,
Idaho, and that the Brewster proper
ty by F. H. Brownel of New York
City, and that the Guggenheims had
to do with it but when inter-
rogated as to the two other properties,
he hesitated and then said that the
same parties had purchased them,
tina it was all the same. He said that
Mr.. Burbidge is the general manager
Of the new organization that he,
(George) is the superintendent, which
still allows the new operator to quail
fly as the Mysterious Mr.. George"
Whoever the men may be they are
a dead field into live one
and for that reason they are welcome
10 the district. The Lucky Jack is the
only plant in the Hockerville field that |
mas ever run in anything like a sys-
.ematic manner up there but anyone
who has ever seen Mr.. George, knows |
hat as soon as he gets hold of it, that |
t will run, for while he unusually |
,till, he bristles with business.
1t is hinted that other mine owners
lave been approached by the new
.omers with offers and it would be no
surprise to citizens to see every mine
lp there under the same management.
One of the peculiarities Of the
strangers is that they don't insist on
'wning all of the property, just a con-
rolling interest, as is the case in the
lucky o. K.-Frank D. Hills, mining