had  Stipulated  that  one  half  of  the  flowing  well  in  her  garden
should  belong  to  her.  That  well  yielded  from  five  to  six
hundred  barrels  of  oil  per  day.  You  may  be  sure  tlie  old
lady  doted  on  it.  Sbe  visited  it  a  hundred  times  a  day,
always  surveying  it  witb  amazement,  and  ascertaining  whether
it  was  as  productive  as  ever.  Even  at  night  she  left  her  bed
to  go  and  view  the  marvellous  spring.  During  one  of  these
nocturnal  excursions,  she  imprudently  drew  too  near  the  well
with  a  light — the  spring  fired  up  with  lightning-like  rapidity,
and  the  poor  woman,  becoming  wrapped  in  the  flames,  was
burned  to  death.  The  coroner  was  summoned  to  hold  an
inquest.  When  it  was  over,  the  widow's  neighbors,  desiring
to  ascertain  whether  she  had  sold  her  farm  for  as  large  an
amount  as  was  rumored,  prevailed  upon  the  coroner  to  open
her  safe.  It  contained  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  gold,
which,  no  doubt,  represented  the  widow's  profits  for  her  re-
served rights  in  the  well;  and  also  bonds  of  the  United  States
to  the  amount  of  two  millions  of  dollars,  the  said  bonds  regis-
tered in  the  name  of  Peter  Grazy,  the  widow's  adopted  son,
and  only  heir  and  legatee,  according  to  her  will,  that  was  also
found  in  the  strong-box.
"Now,  the  young  man,  whose  large  stakes  a  few  minutes
ago  caused  such  a  sensation,  is  the  same  Peter  Crazy,  the
widow's  adopted  son ;  and  he  came  here  to-night  to  complete
his  ruin.  But  I  must  now  relate  what  became  of  him  after
becoming  possessed  of  a  princely  fortune.
