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"COAL OIL JOHN! NOW A Oil Croesus of Sixties No How he Spent a 1 Hotel and Quietly working out his destiny on j \ a farm near here, John W. Steele,; t known throughout the world as s "Coal Oil Johnny," the man to whom I - f riches proved to be a bane, is re-1 : E gaining his self-respect, after a hard . i t fight, and has become a credit to: L himself and to his family. ; a After several decades of patient! c labor, the one time oil king, now nearly 70 years old, reviews his past ) t with regret, tinged with a certain i, * quaint philosophy of life that some- s how lessens the enormity of his of- j f fenses against himself and society.j g In the estimation of the world j r "Coal Oil Johnny" stands as the rep- t resentative type of the spendthrift i a and oil region prodigal. Coming into an immense fortune before his judg- i; ment had matured and without any one to advise him, he set out to see j l; the world, abandoning his wife and p child and friends; and he saw it. He > saw it as few have seen it before or! b since. . ; ^ This young oil Croesus, who had; more thousands than he knew any-' r thing of, went a pace that set the whole world agog with stories of his : ^ extravagance. When he had finished g witn the world Steele went back to j the soil, not as an oil producer, but i f as an agriculturist, and he admits a that He Has received more pleasure 0 wielding the hoe than he obtained in squandering his fortune. j y Johnny was born of poor parents, I f near Sheakleyville, Mercer county,! Pennsylvania. At an early age he q and his little sister went to Venango y county to live with an uncle and aunt, a Mr. and Mrs. McClintock, who had a v > large farm on Oil creek. When: n Johnny was 12 years old his foster a uncle died. A few years afterward ti oil was was discovered, and Widow | i] McClintock, along with other land- j t: owners in Oil creek valley, found j ti that she was encamped above an in- i c ^ dependent fortune. She soon found j p * herself a rich woman. One day, b while attempting to hasten a fire by i means of oil, Mrs. McClintock was burned to death?the first victim ofI the treacherous oil can, which in sub- j n sequent years came to number its; d dead by the thousands. With her d death Johnny came into all her pos- b sessions, his little sister having died; ^ some years before. j i] Mrs. McClintock had hoarded her c wealth in a safe, which was opened a after her death. The amount of cash 0 found has been placed as high as e S500.000, but Johnny claims that it b was less. At this time Steele was b just of age. Wealth continued to ? roll in on the innocent and well-be- o haved young man, and he soon lost j p all track of how much money he had. s ^ But, like all youths who suddenly b acquire great wealth, he had advisers c by the score. They told him to "save his money," that he would "need it e some day." The retort was that, o since there seemed to be a disposi- ? tion on the part of everybody to I o ; \ get it away from him, he guessed he i e ^ would spend it before it was stolen, i Johnny started for Philadelphia, s -J leavingbehind his wife, whom he v had married in 1862, and a baby b son. He took with him Seth Slo- o cum, the man at whose door Steele j t lays the greatest blame for his undo- t ing. G Upon his arrival in Philadelphia a Steele was met by W. H. Wickham, 4j of New York, who offered him $1,-, p 000,000 for the McClintock farm, c Johnny accepted, and received $30,- n 000 to bind the bargain. With more o than $1,000,000 dangling before his h eyes Steele and his friend Slocum, a tn whom Steele had sdven the power ^ f of attorney, started out to paint the ii town. They did it?all at Steele's \ expense. II While in the Quaker City Johnny a * came in contact with the managers i: of the Skiff and Gaylord minstrel u show, that was then in sore financial \ straits, and decided to finance the $ concern. John W. Gaylord, a mem- s her of the minstrel company, tells an interesting story of Steele that o throws some side lights on the char- a acter of the oil king that have never f been published. b 9 "Yes," declares Gaylord, "Coal Oil a Johnny was my particular friend: v during his palmiest days. Johnny! p saw our show perform in Philadel-! s phia, got stuck on the business and! c bought a one-third interest in the; show. We went on the road, did a; t 4> monstrous business, turned people j b away, and were prosperous. ! s "Reaching Utica, N. Y., Johnny | f gave a supper to the show that cost j h him $1,000. He then conceived the v idea of traveling by his own train, e and accordingly purchased an engine, h sleeping and baggage car. Dates for S two weeks ahead were canceled and r % NY" PLAIN FARMER 8 t] iw (.PArlinor Sirrmle Life. c """" or Fortune?Leased is Theatre a ve went junketing, Johnny footing he bills. At Erie we had a $500 ^ upper, and so it went. It was in p ^iladelphia that Johnny bought his ^ Irst hack. After a short drive he tl resented it to the driver. Our dates n eing canceled, Johnny indemnified is for the loss, estimating the prob- b ,ble business receipts on the basil b if packed houses. B "In Chicago he gave another exhi- p lition of his eccentric traits. He q eased the Academy of Music for the p eason, and we did a big business. ir Anally he proposed a benefit for jg ikiff and Gaylord and sent over to h ent the Crosby opera house, then ti he finest in the country. The man- h ger sent back this insolent reply: n: " 'We don't rent our house for an a ufernal negro show.' . tl ''Johnny got warm under the col- tl ar. He went down to the office in p toot & Cady's music store. o: * "vvnat win you taKe ior your louse to sell it outright?' he asked f< lr. Root. " 'I don't want to sell/ was the w eply. a " 'I'll give you a liberal price, h loney is no object,' flashed back tl teele. p "Then Johnny pulled out a roll g. rom his valise, counted out $200,000 ri nd asked Mr. Root if that was an a; bject. Mr. Root was thunderstruck, i " 'Oh, if you're that kind of a man b; ou can have the house for a benefit o: ree of charge.' w "This benefit was a big success. c< 'he receipts were $45,000, and more P rere turned away than could gain F dmission. m "Johnny was a prince with his F loney. I've seen him spend as high a] s $10,000 in a day. That was the gi ime he rented the Continental hotel ri i Philadelphia and wanted to buy a] he Girard house. He sent to the Con- u inental and politely said to the si lerk: 'Will you kindly tell the pro- M rietor that Mr. Steele wishes to see 1 im?' a: " 'No, sir,' said the clerk, 'the tl mdlord is busy. tl "Johnny suggested that he could m lake it pay the clerk to accommo- n ate 'the whim. The clerk became a: isdainful and Johnny tossed the e< ellboy a twenty-dollar gold piece a] rith the request. The result was an m aterview with the landlord. Johnny ir laimed that he had been ill-treated nd requested the summary dismissal la f the clerk. The proprietor refus- tc d, and Johnny offered to buy the a; .otel. The man said he couldn't sell g< ecause he wasn't the entire owner, at i bargain was made to lease it for jc ne day for $8,000. The cash was ir aid over, and Johnny installed him- p. elf as landlord. He made me bell- tc oy, while Slocum officiated as r< lerk. ai ''The doors were thrown open and ir very guest in the house had his fill tl f wine and edibles free of charge. B l huge placard "was posted in front tc >f the hotel: 'Open house to-day; n: very thing free. All are welcome.' at t was a merry lark. The whole city ai eemed to catch on, and the house tc /as full. When Johnny thought he fi iad enough fun he turned the house ver to the landlord, who reinstated fi he odious clerk. Johnny was fran- n ic with rage. He went over to the tl lirard house and tried to buy it. He F rranged with the proprietor to w buck' the Continental, by making ti irices so low that everybody would tc x-i J:J ome mere. ine ^unuueuuu mu u aighty little business as the result H f the fight made by Steele. Finally ff ie had enough of this sort of fun 2 ,nd offered to sell out and quit, but tl Ir. Wickham declined to purchase ii t, then Johnny came to himself. c< Vhen he hurried home he had very tl ittle money left. While he was n way from the oil farm it dwindled h n production. In 1867 he was sold inder the sheriff's hammer to Geo. a: V. Hinckle, of Philadelphia, for aj 35,000. It was at this time that ii iteele 'shook' Slocum." ei Steele's wild career had bereft him B f every ounce of pride he ever had fi nd he became a wanderer on the oi ace of the earth, with only a few oi tundred dollars in his pockets. Wife ti nd child he left behind. Try as he rould he could not get away from his fi ast, and he was heart-sick, but he s< ays he never once thought of sui- A ide. Forgiven by his wife, Steele re- j urned home, was warmly received $ y Mrs. Steele and his relatives and ai tarted to live down the past. For a a] ew vftars he lived in the west with lis family and engaged in railroad tl fork. In the nineties Steele return- li d to the oil regions. Since then they c< tave all been living on the farm of tl Iteele's father-in-law, where the for- w tier oil king enjoys himself leading s] XO LEGAL MAGISTRATES. upreme Court Ousts All Claimants to Job. Columbia, June 5.?By ousting, by tie supreme court, of both sets of laimants to the office of magistrate 1 Spartanburg county, that, county > now without a magistrate. The upreme court this afternoon handed decision ousting both the hold-over laimants and the Blease appointees :> the offices of magistrate in Sparmburg county. The ones which eld over were recommended for apointment by the senate on the last ay of the session this year, when le governor refused to submit his st of appointees. The supreme court, in a decision y Justice Watts and concurred in y the entire court, ousted J. M. owden and A. H. Kirby, S. S. Tiner, i T T r. TTnwlpr and W. . Harrison, W. R. Tanner and T. otter from the offices of magistrate 1 Spartanburg county, declaring, "it ; judged that each of the defendants erein are guilty of usurping and in-uding into, and are unlawfully olding and exercising the offices of lagistrate in Spartanburg county, nd it is the judgment of this court lat the defendants be excluded from le offices of magistrate and that the laintiff recover costs against each f them." The situation is set forth in the allowing excerpt from the opinion: It will be seen that A. H. Kirby as appointed magistrate on Februry 5, 1909, and February 8, 1909, is appointment was confirmed by le senate. J. M. Bowden was apointed and commissioned by the overnor to this same office on Febiary 22, 1911; D. T. Gossett was ppointed magistrate on February 5, 909, and his appointment confirmed y the senate February 8, 1909, and q February 22, 1911, S. S. Tiner + ktt a rrATfA^r> Ar q n h <15 dJjpUlULCU uy LUC guvciuui uuu )mmissioned to the same office; E. otter was appointed magistrate on ebruary 8, 1909, and his appointment was confirmed by the senate on ebruary 28, 1911, W. R. Tanner was ppointed and commissioned by the Dvernor to the same office on Feblary 19, 1910; W. C. Harrison was ppointed a magistrate to fill out the nexpired term of R. L. Pearson, regned, and commissioned as such on [arch 4, 1910, and on February 27, 911, T. O. Fowler was appointed nd commissioned as magistrate for le same office. It was conceded at le hearing that Bowden, Tiner . Taner, and Fowler's appointments had ever been confirmed by the senate, ad that the legislature had adjournI and was not in session after their ppointments until 1912. There is 0 evidence that Harrison's appointtent was confirmed by the senate." By the quotations above as the iw and an application of facts there), says the opinion, Kirby, Gossett ud Potter being appointed by the overnor and confirmed by the sente in 1909, held office until the ad)urnment of the general assembly 1 1911. Harrison having been apinted in 1910 for an unexpired jrm, and his appointment being a scess appointment, held until the ijournment of the general assembly i 1911. There being a vacancy in le offices, the governor appointed owden, Tiner, Tanner and Fowler ) these offices, and they were comtissioned and were entitled to hold Qd enjoy the offices until the general ssembly. met and their names sent ) the senate for approval and conrmation. The senate having failed to conrm them, they were no longer lagistrates after the adjournment of le general assembly in 1912. Since ebruary 28, 1911, Gossett has rongfully held the office of magis ate. Since February 28, 1911, Potir has wrongfully held the* office of lagistrate. Since February 27, 1911, iarrison has wrongfully held the ofice of magistrate. Since February 8, 1911, Kirby has wrongfully held le office of magistrate. Since the time > 1 01 9 +Vi?+ tVio conofn rafnaad tn X JL?7X^ l/Ua 1/ Clio gouuvv i vi.uwv\? w Dnfirm the appointments made by le governor, of Bowden, Tiner, Taner and Fowler they have wrongfully eld the office of magistrate. The court orders all the defendnts to be ousted and costs assessed gainst them. The ousting proceedlgs were brought by Attorney Genral Lyon, who asked that Governor lease's appointees be ousted and ned $2,000 for illegally holding the ffice of magistrate, and that the thers be held to be the legal magis ates. $25.00 up suits made to order of ne woolens, made with snap and ;yle to please you. F. G. MERTINS, ugusta, Ga. Hats and caps the largest selection i Augusta; straw hats $1.00 up; 8.00 Panamas at $4.75; Stetson ad other fine makes $2.25 up. Caps ad hats, a full line, 25c up. Write . (jr. M Hi it'll INS, Augusta, vja. ie simple life and working about the irm. He has enough to live upon j >mfortably, and is contented, though | ie past does worry him some, he i ill admit.?Franklin (Pa.) correpondence Pittsburg Gazette-Times. SEEMS A BIT FAKISH. Says She Has Communicated with A the Late Major Butt. That she has been in psychic communication in the "other world" with c Major Archibald Butt and others * who went down on the Titanic, is the statement made by Madame De e Meissuer, a widow of a distinguished c g Russian statesman and scholar. r Madame De Meissner lives in Georgetown. She is a tall, stately t woman, retaining a great deal of her youthful beauty, despite her 65 years of age, and is the acknowledged arbiter of Washington's most exclusive residential set. "I c.o not see ghosts," said Mad- a ame De Meissner, "but I have the r ' t power of communication with spirits in the other world. That is I can hear them when they talk to me. This happens when I am sitting r quietly sewing or reading. I have r long been interested in psychic mat- a ters and was first interested actively when I was in Russia with my husband, who was a great statesman. "Some of the communications I \ have had lately have been from those who lost their lives on the Titanic. Probably the most interesting was a ^ private message to the president ' from Maj. Archibald Butt, which came to me April 24, at 4 p. m. Some * parts of the message were strictly private and I have sent it to the s president. Among the things Major r Butt said was: " T was standing on the deck of the Titanic and I fell forward into * the gulf and when I came to myself I was standing here on the grass * with Mr. Stead and several others, and we did not knoW where we were. . We had no idea we had died. We J ?, "V never thought of such a thing, we were simply thunderstruck when some one told us we were in the oth- * er world. I think it was Mr. Stead * who remarked there is no such thing ^ as dying. It is simply marvelous this passing from one world to the world t we are now in/ ' " 'Will you take a message to ~ President Taft for me and say that I never felt more happy than at this s moment, but I regret that I cannot ? be with him at this time, when he = needs friendship.' ''There was more to this message," said Madame De Meissner "as I have said before, but it was private and I cannot betray the confidence placed in me by Major Butt."?Washington correspondence of the Tennesan. What Became of Little Child? Union, June 6.?Absolutely no trace of the mysterious little girl who gave her name as "Eileen" and who appeared at West Springs last Tuesday morning and dropped from view as if the earth had swallowed her up has yet been found. The mystery, the pathos of this tiny little girl, apparently not more than six years old, who said that her Darents were dead and she was afraid that some one who was looking for her would find her, the thought of this little one wandering around in the woods and hiding in the underbrush by day and night, has aroused the people of West Springs section, indeed, has evoked interest all over the country and many expressions of sympathy have been heard as to the distressing condition of the poor little girl. A diligent search was made for miles by a party of from 50 to 75 persons, who, going about 20 yards apart, formed a perfect dragnet of the whole west side of the road for . miles around West Springs and later on a partial search was made of the other side of the road, though the last time the child was seen she was not going in that direction. However, there has arisen a question in the minds of at least a few persons as to the possiblity of the child having crossed without being seen and having, for the sake of hiding, concealed herself in some of the numerous tunnels or excavations of the Ophir gold mines, which are half a mile from where she was seen. It is possible that a search will #be instituted to see if she has been in that neighborhood. There was a report current last week that she had wandered from Clinton, and at once a letter was written to Dr. W. P. Jacobs, of Thornwell orphanage, asking if he knew anything about a child and whether she was from his institution or from the town. A reply from him stated that she was entirely unknown but that if she was found and had no home, to let him know, and he would provide for her. First Bloom in Barnwell. Barnwell, June 6.?A cotton bloom was brought to Barnwell Tuesday, which establishes a new record, being three days ahead of the previous record date. The flower was picked -from a field belonging to Mr. W. H. Black, of George's Creek Township, this county, and presented to Major John W. Holmes, editor of the Barnwell People. Highest prices paid for beef cattle. H. G. DELK, Bamberg, S. C. BARKING DOG SAVES FIVE. Voman Clings to Window Sill Until ! Ladder Reaches Her. New York, June 6.?The barking if a bulldog saved five lives in a fire hat destroyed the three-story frame , >uilding at No. 3662 Third avenue ' arly to-day, Mrs. Mary Daley, a widiw, 60 years old, being rescued as he hung by her fingers from the sill . if a window on the top floor with he flames bursting out above her. Shortly before 3 o'clock John Shteian was roused by the barking of ! 'jjpV hie nri7P-winniner dnsr. on the Irst floor of his home, and assisted , lis wife and two daughters, Marcelle ,nd Flossie, out on to the roof of a ear extension, from which they were aken to the ground. To reach Mrs. )aley seemed impossible, but Marus Weler, who lives directly in the ear of the Sheehan home, and Patolman Bartsch raised a ladder from , fire escape and rescued her from ter perilous position just in time. SHOT AND KILLED MULE. Vork of a Parlor Rifle in Hands of Unknown Parties. A mule belonging to Randall Wiliams, a negro who lives near the Sealoard trestle over Hard Labor creek tear town was shot and killed one lay last week by a party of boys hooting at a target with a parlor ifle. According to one report there were wo white boys, a white man and two legro boys shooting with the rifle. Vhether they meant to shoot the I nule or hit him accidentally is not mown. Anyway the mule was hit, ust back of the upper end of the aw and died from the effects of the round. Every now and then something of he kind is reported from the use of he parlor rifle. More often it is the [eath of a human being. The mule was the only dependence he negro had for working a crop rith this year and his loss is heavy. ?Greenwood Index. We recover umbrellas and paraols of all shades and sizes. F. G. 1ERTINS, Augusta, Ga. fipr* n |f I I Rol - i ffl Uf?jj [ ^ conque ij Fevers like maj jsss&k? \ and banishes tl tSSZI h Puts new l! "TSveST 3 strong and well k MAum I . ,f% l j your life s worii S.tHm 2 |lpk 1 ^ls guaranteed m money refunded if it " At your drug Suffolk Drug C > CORTRft arc as good as i ? JMflf g need attention ol PwlPimB cept an occasion* I Storm-proof FTre-prc B Don't buy that roof for the new bi I em mined the Cortright Metal Shingles. I We hare local representatives almost t B locality, write us <?rect for samples, prices i g CORTR1GHT METAL 1 I 50 North 23d Street fDONTF ^j* When you have use for a one that will not fail to fir so, one that you can feel & (ft, "just right." Bring your ?? repaired and you can then ing" when you have use ^9 Bicycles, Automobiles, Ix J* prices. All work guaranty |j. B. BI 2 The Repair Man. m WATSON BOUND OVER. Georgian Most Face Trial Before the Federal Jury. Augusta, Ga., June 7.?Thomas E. Watson, the former Populist leader and presidential candidate, was bound over to the grand jury to-day under 5500 bond after a hearing before United States Commissioner Goodwin, on the charge of sending obBcene matter through the mails. The ^ ? A _ J i._ ? + ? matter uujecteu tu waa wuuimcu m an article in Watson's magazine, attacking the Roman Catholic churcb. Watson was arrested at his home at Thompson last week. At the hearing to-day, District Attorney Akerman represented the government while Watson presented his own case. In his argument, Mr. Watson claimed the warrant on which he was1 arrested should have been issued against the publishing company which published his magazine, if issued at all. To Mr. Watson's claim that the objectionable matter published had been copied from a copywrighted book, the district attorney answered that any person could get a copywright for anything by establishing the fact that he is its author. TRED RUH-DOWN PEOPLE | A North Carolina Man Suggests a Remedy Greensboro, N. C.?'Tor a long time I was so run down and debilitated that I could hardly drag around. My appetite was poor and I could not sleep nights. I had tried different socalled tonics without benefit I was advised to try your cod liver and iron tonic. Vinol, and I am so glad I - *||? did, for it gave me a hearty appetite, I soon commenced to sleep soundly, and I feel strong, well and more active than I have for years. Every rundown or debilitated person should Just give Vinol a trial." K. Allsbrook. What Vinol did for Mr. Allsbrook it will do for every weak, run-down or debilitated person in this vicinity. To show our faith we will furnish the medicine free if it does not do as we claim. Come in and get a bottle on these terms. Peoples Drug Co., Bamberg, S. C. ibiverandShakol 1 with hiilSandfeVGr Drive the malarial conditions forever out system with berts' Tasteless J| Chill Tonic. rs Chills, LaGrippe and | *ic. It purifies the blood bat tired, lanquid feeling, ife into you, makes you , able to easily accomplish to do what we ray it will. Your fails. store?25c. and 50c. orporation, I 31t metal 1 III I crniuaRC MLJL JL,^UU1WIM it On 5 Ago > > lew, and have mrf Lightning-proof | aiding, or re-roof the old until you hare | srerywhere, but if none m your immediate G ind full particulars. 5 I HOOFING COMPANY I Philadelphia, Pa. | ===??===== gun or pistol you want |? e when you want it to do y atisfied that it is working w V*rt^/vl ?M A 4- /-? WA gUJU UI piSIVl IU uuc W UC M have that "satisfied feel- t >cks, etc., at reasonable .3