davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Montana oil and mining journal., 1937-04-03
w E "LISTEN IN"
ON AN INTERVIEW

handle-more than he could afford. He
actually borrowed money on his life
Insurance. to pay for it. After the drill
ling of the Montana POwer-Nen and other
wells which proved mp the area between
the main field and the sO-called 'sOuth
field,' ne was on 'easy street" He sold
one royalty for TWELVE TIMES what
he paid for it. That paid off his loan
and left him with small investment i'm
the balance of the royalties, which viii
provide him with a substantial income
for the rest of his life.
Would you sell some of your royal
ties?" asked the visitor.
''rH sell anything / have, except the
wife and kids" was the retOiner."I will
sell my best producing royalties any time
/ can get a price that approaches one
third of the value of the probable oil In
the ground"
Here was another one.
He figures this way: il he believes
that the future production per acre of a
tract Of ground win be 5000 barrels, he
win sell out ON a basis of 1895 barrels.
He gives the buyer a chance 90 get his
money back plus 200 per cent profit.
what If there is a big gusher on the
tract, earning yOu several hundred per
cent per annum?'' we asked him, to get
his line of reasoning.
IT would not sell until it was off its
peak" he replied quickly. The time to
sell is when it starts the decltne-and we
all know that every oil well declines from
it's initial production. 1 suppose that a
man can make q mistake once I'm q while
and sell out on a weu like the Baker
or the Lander, but know that the fellows
who sold out at the peak ON the Howling
and Byrne gushers were smart.
III sell part of my royalties to my
friends, once in n while when need
money, and 1 always aim to give them
a chance for a profit. After I have tax
en- the risk i think / am entitled to a
profit. 1 use my knowledge and money
to bring them an opportunity. When
they buy a producing royalty from me
that / have nursed up-y0u might say
from a wfldkitten. i see to IL that they
are not paying more than the value of
the oil I'm the ground. II my guess
is too low, / am satisfied with q fair
profit and glad that my friend has made
more than expected him TO make. That
is the case OF the Ewing royalty where
1 sold too cheapIy But needed the
money at the time and IL did me q lot
Of good, and the fellow to whom 1 sold
Montana oil and mining journal., 1937-04-03
SUE FOR ACCOUNTING

Suit for accounting on a $3.50
operating agreement has been start
ed by John F. Pewters and others
against Texas Pacific Coal q OH
Co. Pewters and associates secured
one Judgment for $4,000 against
the TIP and that suit developed
the expenditures of the operating
company as against receipts from
sale OF oil. Pewters claims that
$4,000 or more is due him on the
operating agreement. z. J. McCo be,
f. Z. Hall and Edwari c. Alexander
Montana oil and mining journal., 1937-04-03
IMPERIAL Is

The turmoil resulted from an
nouncement of Santa Rita Oil Co.
that it would sell its production to
Northwest Refining Co. for $1.26
per barrel, which is the Midconti-
nent price for crude of SO gravity.
At the same time, Santa Rita an
nounced to royalty owners that they
might sell the oil at the same price
il they so desired, else be free to
sell to some other buyer who would
pay a higher price. About 800 bar
rels per day of royalty oil is in
volved. 1t is understood that roy
atty owners are signing up division
orders, glad to be assured OF an
all-year market for all OF the oil
produced, rather than to depend on
the uncertainty of the open mar
ket with a posted price of $145
per barrel.
Home Oil & Refining company
has been for several months buy
Montana oil and mining journal., 1937-04-03

has been getting about so per cent per
annum on his investment"
We are troubled by members who do
not grasp the principles OF royalty invest
ments as does this man. Many people
hear that someone else has made money
in royalties, so they send S1O0 or $500
or 81 900 TO o broker and say: buy me
a good royalty" Then they sit back
and wait for riches to shower down upon
them. Occasionally such an investor
makes a big profit but we are safe I'm
saying that it is the exception rather than
the rule. The man who makes money
in royalties is the one who realizes that
he Is BUYING OIL IN UNDERGROUND
STORAGE, and treats his investment as
such. He knows something of the prin-
ciples of oil geology and oil field OPP
Grating: he knows how to figure for him
self ROYALTY VALUES, based on the
probable amount of oil in the ground.
He knows that whenever he buys land
owners royalty that he is buying oil
that viii be delivered to him free OF
cost of production, as the operator
brings it to the surface of the ground.
He knows that If a well costs the
operator 100000. the operator sees his
way clear to get back his $40, 900 plus
a profit of two, three or perhaps five
times his investment The royalty In
VeSLOF KNOWS GnAb WnAle GNe operator ~
getting his $50, 900 back, the owner of
one per cent royalty is getting 5000, for
he gets I Oh of all the production of the
ground. Thereafter, If the operator
makes a profit of s2O,OOO, the royalty
owner Is getting another $500 and
so on, ON each well drilled. II an OPP
orator drills 10 wells costing $40 900
each, the owner of 4 % royalty win have
received $4,000 before the operator makes
ONE CENT of profit.
We were highly pleased with the con-
versation above recited and after the
second visitor had left the office we
enquired of the member:
''Where did you get all these facts and
figures on rOyalttes?"
''You ought to know: from your own
publications and none other" he satd,
adding 'T have been reading your stuff
for fifteen years. Don't you think that
I ought to have some ideas by this
timer
For the guidance of those who are
not following our new royalty buying
program we may say that we are today
buying royalties that have greak-per-
haps greater-OppOrtunf than we have
ever before enjoyed.-We will supply
details TO those who enquire.
Montana oil and mining journal., 1937-04-03

Mary" said her mother 10 nv
little neice, every time you are
naughty get another gray hair p
Gee, Nom" the kid snapped
back, " you must have been a ter
ror when you were young. Look al
grandma"
Father and son were enjoying an
afternoon in the country.
"Just fancy, William" said the
father, pointing around him, ''at one
sea and fish were swimming abouh
on the very spot where we stand. /"
"Yes, Papa" said little William
suddenly STOPPING. Look, here's
an empty salmon can"
Melvin! MELVIN"
Eyes Mama?"
Are you splitting in the fish
bowl
NO, but been coming pretty
close"
A visitor at an asylum was watch
ing one of the inmates pushing a
upside down.
That's not the way to push that
thing" the visitor exclaimed.
You've got it upside down."
"Oh, have II" answered the luna
tic. Il used to push it the other
way, and they put bricks in it."
Doesn't it strike you that's a
queer harp that new woman angel
Is Juggling around?" asked st. Peter,
with a perplexed frown.
THAT isn't a harp, it's a radio
set" answered Gabried. "She's en-
ioying her husbands howls from
Station HILL"
A Scotsman, leaving his friends
house where he had been paying
4 visit, held out a nickle and dime
saying, Now, Sandy, which one will
re hae?"
Young Sandy. being a cute. wee
Deggar, said: Zach, Mr.. M'Tayish,
was always taught no. to be
greedy, so I'll hae the wee one"
M'Tavish, not to be outdOne, re-
1lied "Weel, Sandy, for being
good boy, and not being greedy,
IL gle the big one to ye."
Montana oil and mining journal., 1937-04-03

] SILENCE WITH "A AtANN
An old lighthouse keeper had held
his Job for thirty-six years. Every
six minutes during those thirty-si1
years a signal gun had doomed
from the lighthouse tower as a
warning to mariners. One might
at the beginning of his thirty
seventh year, the old keeper turned
in, and was soon deep in slumber.
At exactly II O'Clock the gun, for
the first time, failed to go off.
The old keeper leaped from his bed
with a wild look in his face and
with hair on end. shouted: MY
God, What was that"
Little Joan was caught stealing
jam from the jar on the pantry
shelf and was roundly spanked by
her mother as this was her third
offense.
Little Joan flew upstairs crying
to break her heart.
About ten minutes later the
mother went upstairs and heard
Joan in the bathroom still crying
and sobbing Now you done it"
The mother opened the door and
there stood Joan in her birthday
suit with her little back to the
mirror.
Done what?" inquired the
Cracked it," said Joan
Naturally, folks who cannot
change their minds never get bet
ter ones.
Montana oil and mining journal., 1937-04-03

II am buying OiI-in underground
storage"
This statement, although q fact, was
a surprise 20 us, coming as It did from
a member of this organization who came
to the office to complete his payments
and here engaged in conversation with
another visitor who was not versed in
royalties.
The conversation which ensued gave
us the novel but accurate viewpoint OF
the member who so described his pur-
chase of landowners royalty.
The other visitor asked him: ''How
much OiI-Or do You know"
''No, I don't know" answered the
member, "but know that there is surely
5000 worth I'm each acre. That is my
investment in this royalty. III each acre
produces $500 worth OF oil, / win get
my money back. II 1t produces @4OO
worth OF OH per acre I win get my
money back and 100 per cent profit.
For every extra 5000 worth Of oil per
acre will receive 100 per cent profit"
sI don't know anything about Oil''
said the visitor. How much oil can
you expect In an acre: in other words,
how much oil i'm an acre in Cat Greek
oil field? / know something about that
field, as lived in LewistOwn during
the BOOM"
The member was unable to answer
this question so we supplied the answer;
Thirty five thousand dollars per acre"
''But that Is no criterion he said.
"Cat Creek contains only 600 acres..--I
doubt that any acre in Out Bank will
produce $4,000 worth of OIL"
''How much has Cut Bank produced
per acre?', was the next question
We wondered whether our friend would
be "stumped'' by this one. He did not
hesitate: About $2,25O per acres
The visitor had TO be told how the
average recovery per acre Is figured.
Our member took out a pencil and ex-
planned with surprising clarity, conclud-
ing: ''If this tract on which i Rm now
buying produces much per acre as
the average developed acre I'm Gut Bank
has yielded in the last five years, VIII
have my money back plus q profit OF
1000 per cent"
This member was one who plunged
heavily ON South Cut Bank. I'm the
days before there was any certainty OF
production I'm the "sheep pasture" be-
tween the little Montana POwer-8tmer
pumper and the Te0as-Stafe discovery
well, he bought all the royalty he could
Montana oil and mining journal., 1937-04-03

Il had a date with mind reader
last night"
''sure enough? Did you have any
fun?"
mo, he Just sat around all ev-
ening and blushed."
Montana oil and mining journal., 1937-04-03
oHIo's GOLDEN CELEBRATION

UTAIU y WVA1VAN-N NA217A11 ~. 7 = = y
Lee YeaXey, superintendent of
Ohio Oil company in Montana has
been notified of the coming golden
celebration of the oil Industry to
be held at Findlay, Ohio, the week
of June 80. Nine employees from
each OF the seven districts Of the
Ohio will have all expenses paid 20
Findlay during the celebration. o.
]. Gdffin OF Hobbins, NJ NJ, will re-
present the Rocky Mountain dis
triet.
Montana oil and mining journal., 1937-04-03

are attorneys for Pew.A-s, as IL
the plcI Gus case.
Evening star., 1937-05-23
AUTHENTIC OUT
DIOR nm :;
Mode Building for Young or Old

Wodo7 bUIding Tor Young or Old
its walls stretched gardens with sparkling fountains and
palaces of such fayke beauty that the world marveed
But Christian kngos in northern Spain united against
Mohammedan M And last Boabdi surrendered the
Alhambra and Moorish Ferdinand and Isabella
the second Of January, 1892 The following April at the
Alambra Queen Isabella told Christopher Columbus
he could have three ships for journey unknown
And from this SPAIN dreamer rode forth to
find world.
Evening star., 1937-05-23
Z ASTlES IN SPAIN

Mountains and castles of Spain make its map look like
giant washboard Ages ago. fought with stone
tipped spears among its cliffs Thousands of years later
Phoencian seamen carried metals from mines to the
Mediterranean world Armies from Carthage and Roman
legions batted the native "Iberians in their mountain
strongholds Waves of Gothic warriors beat down from
the north And then food of Arabs the Moors rolled
up from Africa in the south, and overwhelmed Spain.
These Moors lived in Spain for almost eight hundred
years They built many cities and castles its hills
One such CITADEL the Alhambra at Granada Behind
Evening star., 1937-05-23

Paste background pieces
one inch from end Of
Frame at back
Evening star., 1937-05-23
THE w g RID
mu scum

4 Series OF FlotuTas History Groups
By hOLLlNG CLANCY HOLLiN<s
Evening star., 1937-05-23

Paste background piece.
one inch from end Of
Frame at back
The Washington times., 1937-12-18

buys an estate there, and at
tempts to scale the social
wall.
Old Newport residents to-
day laugh about the man
who was formerly a servant
in one Of the households.
His savings, shrewdly in
vested during the boom
years, and even more
shrewdly realized in cash be-
fore the depression, made
him a rich man. He bought
an estate in Newport and
there, I am told, he enter
tains after the manner Of his
former employers. Quite as
snobbish as they, he invites
to his parties the chauffeurs,
buffers and footmen Of only
the smartest families!
X X X
FOR the life of me I have
l. never been able to see
why a Vanderbilt or a French
was inherently any better
than a Jones. I didn't see
it when my fathers sister,
Elsie French, married Alfred
Gwynne Vanderbilt; and l
could not see it when my
father objected again and
again to my paying attention
to girls I liked, but who were
not in the Social Register.
No more could I see it when
The Washington times., 1937-12-18

HAVE lived, too, in Tux
l. edo Park and on Park
Avenue. Listed in the New
York Social Register, and
subsequently delisted there
from, and having been as
sociated with and related to
so-called smart society all
through my life, I feel quail
fled by experience to write
with authority on the sub
ject.
When society turns thumbs
down on a family, or on one
individual in a family, it is
done with a deliberate cru
city that surpasses any die
tator. I have been told that
when Mrs. James Snowden
married Lieut.. Walter Davi-
son and came to Newport
she sent out invitations to a
large dinner at the Muench-
inger-King to introduce her
two daughters by her mar
riage to Mr.. Snowden. By
the afternoon of the day be-
fore the dinner only three or
four of the more than 40
invited guests had replied to
the invitations. The snub
was obvious. The story goes
that Mrs. Dawson and her
daughters packed up and left
Newport that night, and
sailed for Europe the next
day. One of the girls whom
The Washington times., 1937-12-18

from Tucky asked if she
could come and visit me.
Mary (my second wife) and I
drove down to Providence to
meet her and later drove on
to Newport to have dinner.
On that drive Tucky told me
a great deal concerning John
Jacob Astor Sd. Enough, in
fact, so that for a time, SELL
ing life insurance (Which I
then was doing) was not the
first of my thoughts.
lucky was only 18. She
was very young to make a de-
cision that would affect her
whole life. True, she was
more poised, more level
headed than most girls are at
that age-or than I was, for
that matter. Just the same,
I was very happy she had
turned to me for advice on
something so important as
her falling in love.
We had many talks later
on the subject. In the course
of one of them I asked:
eff your mother is against
your marrying Jack, how will
that affect things?"
''It wouldn't phase me-"
Tucky replied.
A little later in the spring
she told me:
'I've been sitting in a
sweat, to put it in a most
unlady-like way, because of
the Astor Gillespie affair.
Jack was also in Newport
and told me a lot about it"
BEGAN to find out about
i her mothers opposition
to John Jacob Astor. Mrs.
Burrill, Danny" (Ellen's
maternal grandmother), was
on Tucky's side, although
Mr.. Burrill, I understood,
was not. Eleanor (my first
wife) perhaps considered
Tucky too young to know her
own mind. Perhaps there
were other reasons. But l
made it clear to lucky that
l cared first and foremost
for her happiness. And that
l wanted her to have that
happiness with the man she
cared for whether he were
rich or poor, important So
cially or a nobody.
Therefore I was glad when
the mail one mornin g
brought me the following let
ter:
$50 Park Avenue
dearest Paw:
cat this point I have
The Washington times., 1937-12-18

kANC1S ~ n M " IN -
FIR EN- O n s first wife,
Eleanor Burrill, now Mrs.
James Lenox Banks, jr.
York Social Register. Like
the two Coogans, I am not
mentioned, either, except in
parentheses and to designate
that Ellen Tuck French is
my daughter.
A PPARENTLY, "once a
IA gentleman always a
gentleman" is no longer a
consistent theory in Ameri-
can social circles. I tried to
make Jack Astor (my son-in-
law understand this as my
reason for writing this story.
l don't know if he under
stood or not. But he said no
more, except, as he dropped
me at my house after the
drive, to make this final, ex-
traordinary prediction about
my readers:
eff you do write your book,
you may be sure Of one thing.
The parlor maids will buy it;
but the chauffeurs won't"
This opinion, given to me
by my son-in-law after he
had spent several hours try
ing to persuade me out of the
idea of writing the story of
my life and my experiences
in American Smart society,""
threw a new light on the sub
ject. What was there in my
story to appeal particularly
to the parlor maids, and to
frighten away, or bore, Ii
censed drivers of motor We
hicles?
X 4
T T makes me think back to
l. that time, Lincoln g birth
day, 1885, when a telegram
The Washington times., 1937-12-18

MARRIAGE OF "Jack"
Astor and "Tucky" French
followed breaking Of his
engagement to Eileen Gil
lepsie (above).
sent to the marriage. So I
was nonplussed when Tucky
wrote me indicating that her
mother was being difficult
about the plans.
"Please tell me exactly
what a mother can do when
her daughter says she is go
ing to get married." Tucky
demanded. 'T wouldn't take
that attitude, of course, un.
less it was absolutely neces-
sary. However, she can't
stop me one way or the
other"
Late in May l had a tele.
gram from John Jacob Astor
asking if he might come to
dinner with Mary and me on
the night of the thirtieth. I
had never met him but l re-
membered his father. Later,
as we sat on the porch after
dinner that night, Jack said
to me: 'I intend spending
$4,000 a year on Tucky."
I told him that unquestion-
ably this was generosity it"
self but that he should not
spoil Tucky, as she was not
used to such a scale of ex-
penditure. But, l added, it
was none of my business how
much he spent or did not
spend. It was his money.
Mr.. French ,oiH continue the
story of his experiences in So
ctety in nert Saturdays Wash
tnoton Times.
The Washington times., 1937-12-18

my daughter, Ellen Tuck
French, married young John
Jacob Astor!
I told "Tucky" then: eff
you love Jack, and really
want to marry him, then I'll
help you all I can"
1 would say the same to
either of my little girls, no
matter who it was they
wanted to marry.
After all, every man is
The Washington times., 1937-12-18

writer's cramp as I have
dutifully written II letters
to relations and teachers in
forming them of my engage
ment which is to be an
nounced May 31st. The we'd
ding lat which you will be
expected to escort me to the
altar) is to be either July
I'd or Sd.
"I am sorry that we had to
have such a heated argu-
ment the other day-though
I don't bame you at all. How
ever, you must realize that
up till now I've been in a
most awkward position, hav-
ing neither Mummy or Danny
really at my side-having to
fight for dates with them
and Jack accusing me of
stalling, which I wasn't do
ing at all. E. The wedding, in
cidentally, is going to be very
small, family and a few
friends.
''No bridesmaids. Danny
refuses to give it. She said
she'd buy my trousseau but
she couldn't afford a we'd
ding, big or small. So Mum
my appealed to Aunt Pauline
to get Aunt Elsie or Grand
pa or someone to do some
thing on that line.
II got my ring today and
am I thrilled! 1t is just the
right size and isn't too big"
The news that Mrs. Burrill
had refused to give lucky a
wedding and that there were
to be no bridesmaids set me
to considering my bank &C
count. I wired Tucky:
what do you figure it
would cost per bridesmaid,
say a bakers dozen, to COM
pletely outfit with shoes, hat,
gloves, and dress-let me
know. Lovingly - Daddy"
The reply came immedi-
ately:
"Under circumstances,
think it best to have no
bridesmaids, so thank you so
much for your kind thought,
but cannot take advantage of
it. Will write. Lovingly
Tucky."
A LII this correspondence
Amade me believe that
Eleanor had given her con-
The Washington times., 1937-12-18

Mine are drawn from my
own experience and from
what I have seen take place
in the lives of my brothers
and sisters. Since my boy
hood, my family have pre-
sented a fighting front
against my independence of
thought and action.
In my youth they fre-
quently won out over me, as
the older generation which
holds the purse strings
usually does win. But as 1
grew older I persisted more
and more in going my own
way, sometimes in defiance
of "Smart Society"
WIS determination on my
L part, provoked bitter
family quarrels and estrange-
ments, some Of which be-
came front page news in the
press. The way I chose was
not wrong or destructive.
Its only crime was that it
was different.
Reviewing the events of
the years just before the
Great Crash I see various
members of the French
family pursuing their indi-
vidual lives more or less gov
erned by an idea. My father
and Matte divided their time
between "Tuckseden" (the
old house in Chester, N. H.,
which had once belonged to
that eccentric colonial mer-
chant, lord" Timothy Dex-
ter), and visits to Uncle Ned
in France.
'Elsie and Bill have been
here at this time," my father
reported after one of his
visits abroad. He described
his nephew, Bill Vanderbilt,
as a "queer fish" and a 'dull
dog" He said: Nobody can
get a word out of him. He
acts like a child"
But back to my own prob
lens.
Nv HEN I tried to put my
w life with my first wife,
Eleanor Livingston Burrill
French, and our two daugh-
ters "Tucky" and Virginia,
on a simpler, sounder basis,
which would enable me to
start to pay off some of the
debts mounting against me
debts which we had piled up
by trying to keep pace with
"smart society," worked
out a plan which seemed to
me wise and honorable.
I rented a low priced
apartment in a perfectly re-
spectacle but questionable
section Of New York, and
proposed to move there and
send the girls to public
school, while their mother
and I turned our backs on
society. At least, until I
could look my creditors in
the face.
My wife objected to this
so vehemently, inspired by
her father and mother, who
refused to have "their daugh-
ter" and "their grandchil-
dren" live at such an ad-
dress, that the terrible quar-
rel that ensued brought us
into the divorce court.
"Smart Society" would
rather continue to be smart,
The Washington times., 1937-12-18

Newport refused to meet be-
came Princess Rospigliosi!
This snobbishness is not
confined to the old families
who have been securely
established in society for sew
eral generations. It attacks
like a virus every family
which, in the redistribution
of wealth which is constantly
going on in this country,
comes to Newport, rents or