Haworra.| Historical. 23 
houses were hurriedly built, the less fortunate ones being 
compelled to repose upon Mother Earth when darkness over- 
took them, with the canopy of heaven as a sheltering roof. 
Those who did the most lucrative business at first were the 
ones who could secure a tent or a shack and prepare any kind 
of food to appease the longings of the inner man. 
‘‘The scenes following the discovery of ore in such rich 
bodies as that at this place have often been described as be- 
ing the most exciting of any of the actual events of human 
life, and I have been told by those who have been through 
such experiences before that, for intenseness of feeling, with 
some features rich in comedy, the strife following the dis- 
covery of ore on the Nichols tract would eclipse anything be- 
fore written, and might even cast a shadow on the ‘Arabian 
Nights.’ 
‘‘Just south of the Nichols tract, on which the discovery 
was made, was the farm of Egidius Moll, an old German who 
had eked out something like half an existence cultivating a 
few acres of this very barren soil. Being the first high 
ground above the creek valley, it was naturally the place for 
the town to be built; accordingly Mr. Moll had many appli- 
cations for his land. The first to come were two prospectors 
from Missouri, named Cornwall and Johnson, with not more 
than money enough to pay their fare back to Joplin, who 
represented themselves as capitalists, and secured a contract 
from Mr. Moll for the purchase of eighty acres in considera- 
tion of $2500. Soon after, probably on the same day, a 
party headed by Dr. William Street and John M. Cooper, of 
Baxter Springs, approached Mr. Moll and obtained a written 
contract with him for the sale of his farm for $5000. Next 
came a party from Missouri, headed by Colonel Fairbanks, of 
Joplin, and bought the property from Mr. Moll for the con- 
sideration of $10,000. All these purchases were entered into 
in writing, but it soon became known that Mr. Moll had 
made more than one bargain, and as each purchaser insisted 
upon his rights there was a few days’ delay in locating the 
town site. | 
‘‘The first lead ore taken out by Shew and McAllen was 
secured by Mr. Patrick Murphy, of Joplin, and was hauled 
