Mr. Koepfle, the owner of the land upon which the well was located, arrived just at that time from Switzerland, and I soon became acquainted with him. He came into my office one day and said: "Mr. Latimer, do you not think there is water under that ground?" I replied, "Yes, I thought so." "Did you ever hear of 'water-witching?'" he then asked. I said "Yes." "Can you tell where water is?" Upon my affirmative answer he requested me to go down and try a switch. I did so and found that it turned down in a number of places about the well. Mr. Koepfle came to me again to say that there was a "dowser" in the neighborhood and to ask me what I thought of his employing him. I advised him to try the skill of this man by all means. I was not present at the trial, but a short time afterward Mr. K. came to me in great excitement to tell me that the man said there was a subterranean lake at that very point. Among other things, he told me that the wand in this case was a bit of whalebone--an item I treasured for future consideration. Mr. ---- had already commenced another well in a marsh about half a mile west of the first. Mr. Koepfle asked my advice as to what he should do. I replied, "I cannot take any action in the matter officially, but if you will take it upon yourself to bore through that rock and pay the expense of it, I think that no objection can be made to it, and I believe that you will get plenty of water--in which case, I am sure you will not lose your money." "But where can I get a man?" urged Mr. Koepfle. "Try Mr. ----'s man. I think Mr. ---- will be glad to get rid of the expense," I said. Mr. K. came soon after with the man and agreed, by my advice, to give him $7.50 per day for his own work and that of his man with the drills. In five days the rock was smitten through with a three-inch drill, and the water immediately rushed up to a point above the natural surface of the ground, only held by the railroad bank--which surrounded the well--and there remained. I am not aware that Mr. ---- ever knew that his excellent well water was provided for him by the magic power of a morsel of whalebone and a peach twig.