The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1877-07-11

This was proved by the great demand
hrTuElltRALn of last Sunday wh.olI
contained the account vi the big INC
In ihls town seventeen years ago We
orr nuW about TO relate Tie experience
Of some of our oldest aud1pst citizens
who, in 1909, maddup their minds 10
90 into heaoap business on a large
scale, This Ia the yarn, rs we got II
rom one of the victims;
Ia 1850 Wallace Peak and his partner
kept u drug store ON the square, which
was Il sort Of rendezvous for all the
bows in town. one day nm erratlc
genius named johnson, who hailed
from Georgia, aud who had been for
some time stopping with old NJ, A.
Johnson, at johnson station, came in
and made himself at home lie was
u sort OF genius, and was invenling a
ship Of the desert, a conveyance 10
travel the prairies ty wind. A cannon
that would slay it's tens If Thousands
was also one Of his pet projects. Well
he was there and several others, when.
the conversation turned on soap
"Why," says johnson, " ! can turn
water into soap just MS easy AK
the Savior turned water into
wine " tie wedding,n Doubts
were expressed by the audience, So,
asking for dig kettle, johnson set to
work, assisted by Peaks partner. lie
tool, the kettle upatairs aud then went
around the drug store and collected
certain ingredients, and in short
time came down again with kettle
full of the MISUNDERSTANDING and
sweetest porlumed soap that eyes ever
ga2od on. Asking for handkerchief,
he told the bystanders TO put anything
they liked on IL ana hy would take the |
dirt out. Axle.grease, tar, molasses,
linseed oil and other stun, was put on
it, and he, taking n little Of the soap,
retired to the wGshstand, and in a few
seconds, cleaned il as white az snow.
by this time, u crowd had collected
and the excitement was great. He
informed the crowd that he had the
patent right for the United States, and
would sell all who wanted it, territory.
He had plenty of customers. Wallace
Peak gave him a house and lot corner
of Market and Main streets, for the
rights Of the states of Mississippi and
Texas, Colonel John G. Mccoy gave
him deed of three hundred and
twenty acres Of splendid land for the
state of Indiana. Colonel Pryor gave
him farm and other property. DR.,
stewart traded him the finest set of
dental Instruments ever brought to
leXas Colonel Martin gave him three
and twenty acres Of land and
his note, and others bought states free
y. The excitement became intense.
were sending to the drug
tore constantly for soap. Everybody
van happy, aud for several days all
lands had a Jolly good time, till John
on got tired and taking his buggy,
tarted OF for J0hnson's station. The
u}ky purchasers were happy, One {
aid he could turn the Trinity river ,,
nto soap, from the gulf Of Mexico to
he West fork, In the meantime sew
raj barrels full of the stuff had been
repaired and put upstairs over Peaks
tore. The next day after Johnson'S
departure, somebody went up to look
t it, when 10, and behold no soap ,
vas there. 1t had evaporated, and
lothing was left but sediment re.
alkali. The fat was in the
ire, and about this time Colonel Billy
Miller came in town and the boys told
Tim about the occurrence. lie laughed
It them and told them that the re-
eipt was an old one that had
,een in use in Georgia when he
vas boy, years ago. That settled it,
Wallace Peak and Dr.. Ste wart hitched ,
10 aud rode all that night to catch
Johnson. Arriving early the next
morning they found Johnson just
out of bed. "A they en-
cred he had just taken his portman- !
au to get clean shirt, when he
stumbled across the big package OF
leeds and mortgages he had got in
DALLAS. Peak and Stewart were
.sked, "How under the sun did !
ret these things" He had been so
happy all The time that he had no re
collection of the Transactions lie
tarted the thing in a joke, and it took
% well that he kept it up ESpIana-s
ions were made, the deeds returnel,E
md p good laugh had all round. The I
poys were laughed at for long time c
or being sold. Colonel NJ Coy one
lay, on being asked If it was good ,
Ioap, replied the best l ever saw. II {
washed three hundred and twenty I
acres of dirt oil my handssin two min
ltes. Even to this day, the old boys
don't like to hear about that soap.
4 Reminder for Rutherford
baltimore Gazette: II Mr. Hayes has
The leisure occasionally to look through