Convinced he'd found oil on the property of the Negro New Hope Baptist Church, Bobby Joe found himself in urgent need of two things: money for drilling and consent from the parishioners. For the money, he wired Dempsey. According to his autobiography, the Manassa Mauler barely remembered Bobby Joe—who'd mostly served as Dempsey's chauffeur—but he sent $400 anyway. As for getting permission from the parishioners, here's how the Dec. 18, 1937, Baton Rouge State-Times told the story:
Starting out with the deacons, he ran the negroes down in his flivver until all 40 would permit him to drill in the church's backyard.