The town of Overton feted Joiner with an all-day parade. When the inevitable finally occurred—one of his investors, comparing his certificates to others, realized he had been cheated and sued to place Joiner’s acreage in receivership—the Tyler Courier-Times rushed to his defense, denouncing the “slick lawyers” who dared to attack their savior. “It’s high time the independent operators had their inning,” an editor wrote. “Now, if this be bolshevism, then we’re bolshevists.
