The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1877-07-14

acceptable. and are read with pleasure
THIS was Psavrj ~ the great demand
for Tus HEgAI.Dnf last sunday, which
contained the account IT the Zig Ere
In this town seventeen years ago. We
are now shout to relate the experience
81 some OF our oldest aud best citizens
who, In lS5D, made up their minds 20
go iuto the soap business 90 IA large
scale. rhis IL the yarn, ~ We got 1t
from one of the victims:
Iuis5s Wallace Peak aud his partn er
Kept drug store GA the square, which
Wa a sort 81 rendezvous fai all the
huys IN town. One day an esTaiie
geniu- named johnson, who hailed
from Georgia, aud who had been for
some time stopping with old NJ. T.
Johnson, at Johnson station, came in
and made himself st home He vas
a scrt Of geuiua, ana was inventiue
ship Of the desert. conveyance to
travel the prairies ~ wind. \ cannon
that would sisy it's tens Of thonsan Is
was also one OF his pet projects. Well,
he was there and several Others, when.
the conversation turned on soap.
4" Why" says Johnson, +" i can turn
water into soap just as easy US
the Savior turned water into
vine at the wedding" Doubts
were expressed by the audience. 80,
asking tor a big kettle, johnson set to
work, assisted by Peaks partner He
took the kettle upstairs aud then went
around the drug store and collected
certain ingredients, and In a short
time came down again with "a kettle
full of the MISUNDERSTANDING and
sweetest perfumed soap that eyes ever
gezed on. Asking for handkerchief,
be told the hystanders 10 put ANYTHING
they liked on ii and he would take the
dirt out. Axle-grease, tar, molasses,
linseed oil and ether stuff, was put on
1t, and he, taking little of the soap.
retired to the washstand, and ia few
seconds, cleaned II as white as snow.
Na'tN iAAHNf "a ttOHh Atdit NptibtAEl,
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.
lie had plen.y of customers Wallace
Peak gave him a house and lot, corner
Of Market and Main streets, for he
gigifa ff I no .t.tau nc AGs,s.;,,,.i -.
Texas. Colonel John G. Mccoy gave
him a deed Of three Hundred aud
tyenty defes of splendid land for he
state Of Indiana. Colonel Pryor gave
him farm and other property. Dr..
Stewart traded him the finest Sc, OF
dental iustIuments ever brought TO
ie&as. Colonel Martin gave him three
hundred and twenty acres Of land aud
his Dote, and others bought states tree
iy. The excitement became intense.
Familits Were sending to the drug
store constantly FOR soap. Every body
was happy. and for several days all
hands had Jolly good time, till John
son got tired, and taking bis buggy.
started Oh for Johns0u's station. The
10 Ky purchasers were happy. One
said he could turn the Trinity river
into soap, from the gulf OF Mexico to
the West fork IN the meantime sev.
erGl barrels full Of the stuff had been
prepared and put up stairs over Peaks
store. The next day after Johnsou'@
departure, somebody went up 20 look
at 1t, when 10, and behold no soap
was there. II had cvaporated. and
nothing was left but sediment re-
semblirg alksn. The lat was in the
fire, aud about this time Colonel Billy
Miller came in town and the BOYS told
him about the occurrence. He laughed
at them and told them that the re-
eeipt was an old one that had
been In use in Georgia when he
was q boy, years ago. That settled IT,
Wallace Peak and Or. Sta wart Litrhed
ug aud rode ali that night 90 catch
Johnson. Arriving early the next
morning they found Johnson just
crawling out OF bed. As they en-
tered he had just taken his portman-
tan 10 get clean shirt, when he
stumbled across the blg package OF
deeds and mortgages be had got In
Dallas. Peak and Stewart were
asked, How under the sun did ]
get these things.r He had been so
happy all the time that he had no re
collection Of the transaction. He
started the thing in joke, and it took
so well that he kept it up Explana-
tons were made, the deeds returned,
and good laugh had all round. The
boys were laughed at for a long time
for being sold. Colonel NJ Coy one
day, on being asked if it was good
soap, replied the best | ever saw. 1t
washed three hundred aud ta enty
acres of dirt of my hands,in two min,
utes. Even to this day, the old boys
don't like to hear about that soap.