Hide Article Text (OCR)
TXTOTTOH3ETCnuKht on die Track.a TimnxiKa tale op tee oh. RKatos. %BX T05T, 6R. ^UI shall never forget,” the narrator, a,9 he borrowed a chew of fine out of me, and proceeded to stow it away in the cavity in his month, formerly occupied by several teeth, “1 shall never, while I live, forget an incident that occurred daring the early period of the oil excitement in Pennsylvania, and there are many nowliving who were eye -witnesses of the occurrence, which was the theme of tmivar-aal conversation, while strong men, accustomed to scenes of bloodshed and? deadly peri!, shuddered as they releated the story to those who were hold enough to desire to hear the same. In the Fall of 1855 the southern terminus cf the Oil Crock Railroad was at Shaffer, a small town on Oil Creek that had been called into existence by reason of the discovery of oil, and noted principally as being the nearest railroad point to then famous Pithole City, the general headquarters of oil operators, and the most northern outlet of petroleum•tupment#-Among those attracted to the oil region aft-jr the close of the civil war, was a young man named James B. Hathaway, who, after four years of brilliant and distinguished service as an officer of volunteers, had come hither in search of the wealth that was supposed to be within the grasp of everyone. Energetic and ambitious, it was not ’ long before he had acquired a little property, which, by a judicious system of manipulating, he had disposed of to certain speculators in New York, who in turn sold the aamo for the snug little sum of one million dollars, which at that time was about the average price of farms really, or supposed lo be, upon the “belt.” This transaction netted Hathaway nearly four hundred thousand dollars, which he had, with a wisdom seldom witnessed at that period of oil history, sent to his father residing in Massachusetts. A few days later, after writing to his friends of his fortune, and more especially to a young lady named Laura Dc-Haren, then about concluding her studies at Vassar College, and to whom ho had for years been engaged, ho left the scene of his good fortune near PI thole, and alar ted forborne, via Shaffer and Miller forms.As might be supposed, hi? thoughts were pleasant ones, and as he passed through the woods on bis way to the railroad, it seemed as if all nature was in joyful accord with htft feelings. As he passed along, the golden sunshine of October tinging the scarlet and yellow leaves of the oak and maple with more brilliant hues, and a soft haze in tbo distant horizon adding to {be loveliness of nature, as a veil over the for in of beauty heightens the effect without concealing the loveliness beneath.Ho pictured to himself a happy home upon tho banks of the Mtshamunketian in his native State, where safe from the prying eyes of the world, and the officers of the Maine liquor law, he could pass emootblyclown the vale of hfo with the fair being who had promised to be bis, enjoying his daily “tod,” and in dreams of blissful repose rebuild tho air castles of his youth and people them with bright creations of fancy, until their mystic halls should resound with echoes of joyful recreation. He saw a happy home with loves of children climbing his knee, and while Laura— his Laura—sang sweet songs to the delicious accompaniment of the barpi^diord, he would, as evening's shades fell like a velvet curtain adown the mountain rido, tell the little ones of his adventures by flood and field, and how in tho mountain fastnesses of the Keystone State be bad found the fluid that supplied the flame to tho Alladin * lamp of his wealth. But assuch thoughts as theso passed through his brain he had been gradually nearing hie destination, until the evergreencrowned bluffd that marked the» 'site of Shtiffer appeared in view. Passing over the ferry and in the excitement of his joyful emotion, forgetting tu pay the ferrjm.in, he was aroused from his reverie by the voice of tho latter asking for his customary fee. Placing a 10.40 coupon bood in tbo grim ferryman** digits, he bade him good night, and walked down the track towards the platform which at that time served a* passenger station for the railroad, then in ifc* infancy.Ah! could he hut have looked ahead and seen the fearful fate that threatened— could ho but h.ivo known that the ferrv-bre the locomotive 4*Af and quicker than tbo flash of a comets rail be acted upon it He began to whirl violently, and just as the cow-oatcher reached Mm ho hopped lightly to one side, and shouted in nrirthfal accents to the brakemn on tho rear car, “Sold • again; you bleated wheel jerker—I wear a oork leg ”Such waa indeed the case, but in the excitement he bad forgotten the fact until the last moment) whoa be- discovered It was bia ” gams* leg that had become fa?=t, and anftcre\rjag it bo had escaped ththreatened fate. Ha bopped down to the station, and in a few minutes a small boy brought in the mining member, none tho worse for the encounter, save a few splinters had been knocked off from the calf.He sa now married to Laura, baa a double-headed baby, and receives a snug little income from its exhibition throughout the country.A Card.It having been stated in the other paper that a guest of the United States Hoteli* —had made complaint against Jim Gray for committing theft, I would state that no guest at the United States Hotel has been robbed, and no such person as Jim Gray bae been near there to my knowledge.The new paper having been requested to make this correction, and failed to do so, I find it necessary to make this statement to the public over my own signature. W, H. Sinx,Proprietor of the U. S. Hotel:Tire at Oil City.Special to the Herald.Oil CiTy, Nov. 11.The fire that broke out about half past one, has proven of little importance to what was anticipated, The loss of oil is 2,500 barrels, divided between Lockhart and Frew, Parker, Tompson tfe Co., and Pool Brothers. That of the two former was in the large iron tank of each firm. Nine loaded tank cars and one lumber car were also defclroyed. The fire was caused by a passing locomotive. s.Table Talk.A stuttering editor in Wisconsin recently called on a brother quill, and in his call wjs announced next day: “L-l-lute Taylor, of the L-l-la Crosso fowler, w-w-w-w wwwwas in, town y-y-y-yesterdiy.”It is to be regretted that Mr, Greeley’s able agricultural dissertations did not reach Iowa sooner. Two fannsra there wont to law, five years ago, over $25. The suit has just ended, and both firmer* had to sell their farms to pay the coats.Female journalism has broken out in itsworst form in Forney’s Press. Oil via”writos to that paper from Washingtonthat Wendell Phillips!, lecture ‘^provedthat an hour can be spent no moro instructively than in listening to satire beside which Xantippe’a forked tongue sinks to the merest lullaby. Wendell Phillips1 voice penetrates tho brain like abaynthe. The truths which he utters are flung like pieces of ragged metal, where they stick and fester in the nrinV’Desirable bodies in Cincinnati stand the resurrectionists in from fifteen to twenty dollars apiece. They raised a eraal 1-pox subject the other nigbt and have been disgusted with the business ever since.The New York Ecemrg Post thus describes a few of the Democratic leaders in that State: “Mr. Oakey Hall is a joker ofjoke*, but, to be effective, he has to puthis jokes on paper; Governor Seymour is heavy and solemn, and, besides that, he bates the Tammany leaders; Tweed is probably too wise to Bay much; Sweeney is too wise to say anything at all, and, as u rule, the Democratic big guns are very-much liko other big guns, great bores.”The latest thing out in Paris, in the belligerent line, is a rocket which does not come down a itick, liko other rockets, hut spills about a bucketful I of ignited petroleum on the place where it alights. Bombs full of petroleum are also said to have been thrown by the Pnisaians into Strasbourg. Thus there is a prospect that wnr inav create a new demand upon the well*of Pennsylvania. It should have occurred to smno military genius, ere this, th it a gredt deal of havoc might be . wrought in the enemy's country by the j judicious introduction of kerosene lamps. !A lady, who has been long and well acquainted with Louis Kossuth, has written out her personal reminiscences of him for the New York Tribune. ‘T remember once asking biro,” flhesnjs, “If it were really true that he learned English from Shakespeare, during his three years’ imprisonment in Buda.” “Yes,” he said, “and for that reaaonhe is more to me than any other poet. T was in prison, and he visited me/”■Wyoaijxi Mission,— Rev. Jno. 0. Fit-nam Missionary of tho Episcopal-n»____r
Newspaper Details
Titusville Herald
Titusville, Pennsylvania, US
Sat, Nov 12, 1870
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Carnegie L.
Pennsylvania, USA 31 Oct 2020
Other Publications Near Titusville, Pennsylvania
Titusville Petroleum World
Titusville Herald
Titusville Weekly Herald
Titusville Morning Herald
