Daily picayune., 1921-01-11

themselves at home so Tar as lHc thrifty views of their neighbors might permit and set out to get some use ont of his fortune As suddenly as wcal7h had come to Oil Creek valley, tha name of Coal Oil Johnny became known Throughout the length and brea lth If the land,
 He was the man who saw SnHn x Gaylord's minstrel show in Philadel- nhia-perhaps the first minstrel show Jt bnny ever had seen--anoi undertook h finance 1t. Smith & Gaylord's min streIs needed financing badly inst at that moment but such financing as they received from Coal Oil Johnny was beyond their farthest dreams.
 It was beyond the dreams of any mortal save one who had been brought up under the thumb of the Widow Me CIintock in Oil Creek Valley. Johnny bought a third interest in the show on the spot, bought locomotive, sleep ing car and baggage car and started the shoy on the giddiest route that Smith X Gaylord's or any one else's minstrel show ever travelled
 One day while they were in Utica, N. Y, Johnny decided to celebrate the era of prosperity in which the min strel show found itself He did so rega gardless of the strain put upon the resources of Utica, N. |. Some how or other Johnny managed to have a dinner eoncocted and served to his show people which set Johnny back just sf,0OO
 There was a $500 supper for the show at Erie, Pa, and in Chicago John ny leased the Academy of Music for the season for the minstrel show. This wasn't extravagant enough for his tastes and he announced monster benefit performance" for which he would rent the Crosby Opera house, then the finest structure of the kind in the country.
 The management of the Crosby Opera house was somephat put out at the announcement It was much as if the assistant in a medicine show" today were to announce that he intend ed to lease the Metropolitan and give q monster benefit performance. The opera house manager said that noth- ing of the kind would occur. It did, though The manager changed his mind when Johnny visited his office, pulled $2000OO from his pocket and of fered to buy the opera house. He didn't find it necessary to buy it.
 He did buy hotel once though, or at least became its proprietor for q day for the sole purpose of discharging a clerk. It was the Continental hotel, in Philadelphia. Johnny who was q youth of not really imposing address in spite of his magnificent ways, hap pened to enter the hotel. and according to his custom. asked to see the pro prietor
 The hotel clerk replied. apparently without glaHeing up, That the proprie- tor was busy. A hint from Johnny tha it might be worth his while to sum mon him made no impress on upon the clerk. In a cold rage Johnny tossed q S20 gold piece to the belIhop and told him to take the message to the pro prieto9. The bellhop did SO Thc pro prietor appeared promptly
 Johnny tried 10 buy the hotel The proprietor was willing but said that he would consult his partner in the en- scrprise who could not be reached for two or three days. Johnny said that he might not want the hotel in two or three days but he did want it now and 1 intended to have ir. The proprietor said that the lease of such q property for q single day would be Ss000
 Johnny fished the money out of his l pocket and turned around and fired the clerk who had been listening to the proceedings with mouth agape He posted a placard in front of the place, saying that for the day everything in 1t was free. Never before in it's history did the house do such q business as it did that day The entire transaction k said to have cost Johnny $100,000.
 The next day the hotel went back to the old management, and Johnny, ehaneing to drop in, was mortified to discover that the clerk had been rein stated at the desk All his ragings were In vain The clerk was to stay, the proprietor said.