Pattillo Higgins

Pattillo Higgins was a businessman as well as a selftaught geologist. He earned the nickname the Prophet of Spindletop for his endeavors in the oil business, which accrued a fortune for many. He partnered to form the Gladys City Oil Gas and Manufacturing Company and later, established the Higgins Standard Oil Company.

Pattillo Higgins was born to Roberto James and Sarah Higgins on December 5, 1863, in Sabine Pass, Texas. His family moved to Beaumont when he was at six years old. He attended school until he reached the fourth grade, after which he apprenticed as a gunsmith under his fathers direction. In his youth, he was a violent troublemaker, pulling pranks and harassing African Americans. When he was seventeen, he pulled a prank on a black Baptist church that got the attention of a sheriff deputy. The deputy fired a warning shot over Higgins head, after which Higgins fired back and delivered what would later turn out to be a fatal hit. The wounded deputy managed to fire again, striking Higgins lower left arm. Higgins arm would later become severely infected, requiring amputation from the elbow down. Higgins was put on trial for the murder of the deputy, but he would be found not guilty by a jury that perceived his act as selfdefense. After his acquittal, he worked as a logger along the TexasLoui

Source: Wikipedia