In a 1915 book, The Oil Scouts: Reminiscences of the Night Riders of the Hemlocks, author J.C. Tennent tells why the Oil Scouts group was founded and how it helped stabilize the oil industry in the 1870s and 1880s by keeping tabs on drilling and production.
One story had to do with P.C. Boyle, an oil scout known in the oil fraternity as a great practical joker. Everyone was always on the lookout for Boyle and especially watchful for ways to pay him back.
A practical joke
One day in spring 1884, oil was discovered near Marietta, Ohio. All the scouts were there except Boyle and a man named Tim Mullen. They were to come later. Boyle was wearing a fancy new suit, and Mullen thought it was a bit too fancy for sleepy little Marietta. Then an idea struck him. Boyle wasn't arriving in Marietta by train for 2 days, so his "friend" rushed ahead to arrange a proper welcome.
The plan was explained to the other scouts. Circulars were printed saying that the governor of Pennsylvania was arriving on the train and that a band, parade, and dinner were being held in his honor.
The street was crowded with spectators as the train arrived. The band began to play as Boyle stepped onto the platform and was greeted by a designated scout.
"How do you do, governor! Allow me to assist you," said the scout, taking Boyle's satchel (which later turned out to be full of nitroglycerine for someone's well). Boyle knew immediately that something was up but said nothing. The procession marched down the street as children scampered back and forth and the crowd cheered and waved. What an honor it was for Marietta to be visited by a governor!
The "governor" was given the best room in the hotel but was indisposed because he was tired from the trip. The crowd surged around the hotel hoping to get a glimpse of the governor, but he did not appear. After dinner, he again was not available but sent word that drinks in the bar were on him. That generous offer was well accepted, and the next day he had to pay a bar bill of $23. News of the joke finally leaked out, however, and even the townspeople who missed seeing the "governor," got a big laugh out of it.
The rest of the story
A few years later, P.C. Boyle purchased the Oil City Derrick newspaper. And because he was a stickler for accuracy, it became the authority for news and statistics in the oil fields. In 1910, Boyle purchased an oil industry magazine in Beaumont, Tex., named Oil Investors' Journal.
He then moved it to Tulsa and renamed it the Oil & Gas Journal.
