Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-13
Where Millionaires
Bloom Over Night
Continued from First Page.)

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poses, In some instances big sums
were paid for these leases and the
churches which have profited in this
way are erecting new and handsome
edifces.
Long before the Duke gusher was
brought in J. w. Carruth. a barber
OF Hogg Town. was talking oil in
season and out of season. For several
years he had had a "hunch" that
crude petroleum existed in paying
quantities beneath the surface of the
lands around the little struggling.
povertystricken village. He was
known then and is still called Shorty
the Barber" He proved his faith by
leasing 5000 acres of land around
town and organizing the Hogg Creek
Oil Company. He paid virtually moth
ing for the leases. The farmers
thought 1t a good joke that Shorty
the Barber" believed there was oil be-
meath their lands. This company was
formed some time before the oil
strike. The company has subleased
It's lands for enormous sums and
Carruth is well up in the millionaire
class.
In the old days Hogg Towns most
notable citizens were Shorty the Bar
ber." a. one-armed school teacher
named l.. L. Steele and a former rural
pedagogue named Dan Powers. Wi
ley Powers. brother Of Dan. also
lived at Hogg Town. Wiley was q
wagon driver or teamster in the old
days. With the coming Of oil. Dan
and Wiley Powers formed a partner
ship and are now piling up a fortune
at the rate of about $500 a day. Steele,
who used to loaf around the barber
shop in his spare time. is getting we'll
along toward a millionaire.
j. II. Rushing. a deputy sheriff. who
has lived in this county for thirty
three years, has found time to dabble
in oil, along with his duties as peace
officer At the time the oil excitement
began he was the owner of 200 acres
of land situated In what has since
proved to be the producing field. He
had never considered this land to be
OF any value, and 1t was more Of a
burden to him than source of in
come. AS result Of the oil discov-
cry, however, he found himself sud-
denly on the road to great wealth. 1t
took but little of his time to sign
larger companies, and the drilling of
wells was soon under way. Notwith-
standing the riches that have come to
him, he devotes his time strictly to
the enforcement of the law. He gives
special attention to violations of the
liquor traffic In his bailiwick boot
leggers find it very difficult to do
business.
In this connection it may be mem
toned that. Notwithstanding the great
influx of visitors to the different oil
fields of central west Texas and the
motley type of men that go to make
up the transient and ever increasing
population. bootlegging is kept down
to minimum. While it is admitted
by peace officers that considerable
quantities of whisky are brought into
the town. these violations are not nu-
merous enough to cause any drunken
ness
1t is certain that there are no secret
dives or drinking establishments in
any of the towns. Neither is gam
bling permitted. There is a demand.
however, on the part of the red
blooded. energetic newcomers for GER
tain forms of entertainment, and this
demand is being met with to the full
est extent that the laws will hermit
In all of the throbbing, growing boom
towns nightly public exhibitions OF
boxing and wrestling are given. These
athletic affairs are conducted in an
orderly manner and are witnessed by
great crowds of all sorts and condi-
tons of men, from the driller and
helper in the oilflelds to the wealthy
banker from the north or east who
may be here for the purpose of MAX
ing investments. Recently move
ment was started at Desdemonia to
have nightly dancing entertainment.
Local authorities, however, would not