The evening world., 1921-01-05
WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 5, 1921
How to Squander $2,OOO,OOO
And Die Poor
" Coal Oil Johnny
Tipped Cabby $4,000 for Block Drive
Leased Hotel One Day for $4,000
Bought Out and TrOuped With Minstrel Show
Wealth Came From Oil Lands and Cash Left by an
Aunt When He Was 2I-Was Broke
at 25 and Until Death.


oil had been discovered ON the farm,
ana 1t was in trying to light the fire
with oil that Mrs. McClintock met
her death. 1t was through lighting
the fires Of senscless extravaganza
with the proceeds of the oil that
Johnny Steele came to grief
For at twenty-one this unsOphisti-
Gated country youth, with a wife and
a small baby, found that Il sum esti-
mated at 100000 was tucked away in
his aunt's safe, The dear lady had
put no trust in banks or in trust
companies Before we criticize Coal
Oil Johnny" too harshly, let us stop
ana think just how wisely we would
have handled a cool half million in
cash, with hundreds Of thousands
more in prospect, If such a sum had
dropped into our laps at orphaned
twenty-One without a stroke of work
on our part.
Naturally enough. Coal Oil
Johnny" hit it for the bright lights
which, for him, seemed to burn in
staid Philadelphia. one wonders that
the dear town should ever have de-
served that adjective after Johnny hit
il. He had with him a chun named
Seth Slocum and the contents of the
Widow MCClntOCk's safe. At the sta
ton he was met by W. II. Wickham
u ol NeW lOIh VINO OLle cu AilI Sl'OOo'-
UOU o LOT ylG t.llloGh am, Ml'n gov,
wv IN VdSI 10 o,nu ll'c D'I S'lln' IlieIe ,'.-.
seems 10 % no exact IeCoIu ds 70 JUS
now Iluth ne ulu spehu III ms VIM
career DuI aGCoruiLE 70 one sOorE' De-
a!Ges lhe h'l IillIlIoh or more win
winch ne began, ne received cash IN
puhuleS from Ihe manager OF ms
2uhts OIL larm' Also ne borrower .i
HuEt sums on ms prOSPectS' anu
around Two InllIloh seems 10 ne Ia'r
roush estimate or ms tNPehHltIrSs;
lie IlrsJ invested IarBeiy IN uTluhs
ana IN cIothes' "'c3 3,ulhs 10 contriil-
polary accounts re H"u " loIuIy
way oI WtIHlhs mo salooh anu
ou!ihg drinks LOT every one VIZ
would swallow then-WlIh as many
encores as Jhe auaiehcG deslred' lie
Is said TO nave ordered SS'Uoo worth
OF clotheS from one IdlioF III one
morning
He moved IRON the sIIlall holel ln
Wnlch ne IiAu I'Fst StoppeI 70 tn'
conseT 'arINe ana "IIstgclpspc Co. j.
nehIali IIere ne coi'S.ue'cu .I. IlaI n'I I,lt
cierk IN CLligS ilou iIoI iGyos ,tizcG
ms NJ ~
ihe 4ahuIoru 10 u'StIl.S'S tIle cltIN, oilu ,,I
men tried 10 ouy NHe HUIei ,Il MleIr ~, n5
iequeSt was Iel uSeu. 5, io SuC se GO 900
c out i wSnt ,S,o-, the Clerk in went Johnny
as landlord. . . -,
The doors We're thrown open; ana ilii
every guest IN lhe mousse llytu ms Il,
"i vine dlu ITou a. no SiI'' -
P.ta4nu was p'4Ctu on r -, oui',uo ,ro
~ 't,is sas s,yftIiSy, III ~, 49, ono Jo,,
d5S ITee IN noSPlILl!.H: On Im1L s o.J H', ~
ba,,e +bro,,-n au,a,y s1Oo OoO
no no., cgnocioiI,, loon on ,nipstraI
,ta,,,, IIe E,o,,gs,,f ~, Inc ClyjNr and
C,,,,Io.5 ,,t,o,,, tTot Ma foIIer an nviI
49, 80 ,,,",,t az, tbo ,.o,d MIR tbo
,,-,,,, =, r,,,,, Tn I-tiCn bo cove tbc
co,,Ipony s,rDne,. ~ a cost Of q oo0
Tbnp r'tLS bS bomCbt ~ an ere.ine sleener and
t,a goo a,e cor ana ,,ent i,nl,otfn,r In
pjs pi,S ou-r train He tricd ~ INV mi
cago's most aristocratic place of en-
tertainment, at that time the Crosby
Opera House. when the manager re-
fused to omen II to his show.
He wanted to take a cab in Phila-
delphia one rainy day, hut the driver
said it was engaged Johnny tossed
him a $500 bill ana the cabhy decided
TO forget his other customer. An
other calbman told him his wife
wanted a diamond ring.
'T'll give you $4,000 for your cab"
aid Johnny.
you bet" promptly replied the
cabman.
Drive me around the block" or
Do" Johnny. When the trip was
...sned, he said, "Now, my boy, you
can have your can back and keep
your $4,000 TO get your wife "A dia-
mona ring
lie spent money ON others at least
as freely as on himself, giving his
friends-thc more or less dubious
characters who surrounded him, or
any one with whom he picked a
chance acquaintance magnificent
presents Of diamonds, sllyerware or
yeWeIIy' lie took flyers Of folly on
5roadWay', as well as on Broad
Street Philadelphia.
But the Oil farm dwindled in pro-
duction ana Johnny's lavish oxpon-
dltures ate up his ready cash and
MS borrowings. In 1868 he filed a pc
uuon OF bankruptcy in which he was
SHOWN to owe no less than S32 7S9 foI
cigars, liquors, jGWelry, billiard
tables, hats and hotel bills.
That was the end of Johnny as d