Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-02-19
JOHN AUSTIN
In CALIFORNIA
Was Well Known to Grand
Forks People a Number
of Years Ago.

A stray copy OF a Los Angeles pa
per came to town the otner DAY,
bearing in the center of a fuli-page
advertisement the picture of a dlgnl-
fed and scholarly-looking gentleman
looking intently through a very elab-
crate microscope and surrounded by
an imposing array of hair M face
lotions. Under this establishment APP
pears in large letters the legend,
prof. John II. Austin says" JUS
what the professor says is not to the
point at this moment, but how many
people living in Grand Forks today
know anything about Professor John
Austin?
To those who have been here less
than 20 years, the name will mean
nothing, unless they have come across
it elsewhere, but there was a time
when the name was as frequently
heard as any other in Grand Forks.
In the early nineties John Austin was
the barber-and a very good one
who operated tharshop"in the old Ho-
tel Dacotah. Viets & Dow "a the
Phil Grurniller, Harold Brown, and
probably some Of the other local bar
bers of the present time conducted
chairs in Z the establishment. and
Frank Dudley dropped in occasional
~ to swap yards or exchange def
ances with Austin.
John had a free flow of language
and a fertile imagination. and it was
worth the price Of a shave just to sit
in the. shop for half an hour and en-
joy the conversation, even if one did
not get shaved at all. In addition to
being a good barber, John was a stu
dent and an investigator. and he
burned more or less midnight oil on
dull evenings when none of the boys
dropped in for a little game, in in
vestigating the cause Of badness, and
search was rewarded by the discovery
of the dandruff germ. then unknown
to science. and even up to. the present
time no other scientist has been able
to corner one of the bugs with whose
name, nature. and family history John
has become familiar. and whose oft
published photographs bear a strik-
ing resemblance to the ordinary do
nestle bed bug.
From the discovery Of the creature
to the taking Of steps for its destruc-
ton was but a step for so versatile a
genius as Austin, n there was plac-
ed before the world a dandruff de-
stroyer which was warranted to save
hair if any remained to be saved. The
discovery Of such priceless boon to
mankind naturally needed a handle
! " kF9 LII "Ilu c"stiA ~ L ASA !"
came Professor Austin. Nothing less
than the great metropolitan centers
would suffice for the work Of such a
genius, and the discoverer Of the dan
druff germ betook himself to Mime
apolis. and then to Chicago, and he
has operated on a large scale in sew
eral If the great cities. For some
time he~has been in Los Angeles.
Austin had a most convincing man.
irer He exn1ained that mis- lotion was
distilled from soft coal. and when he
| talked largely Of the retorts and
things in which his materials were
treated. the boys in the shop who
knew nerfectly we'll that the stuff
was put up in Frank Schlaberg's drug
store. ware almost inclined; to believe
him. and there were times when JON
probably believed sore of it himself.
ON one occasion the fellows bribed a
rhabhy-lookirg transient tn go i"tn
the shop n~d Josh Austin about his
rostrum. The man entc-ed the sh",,
hut ne had not heen the-e lo"e he
fore he was conrle+elv nnda~ the r-n-
f~eseor's hynotjc irAner"o. ond "'to-
a careful examination John SOLD h'"r
a bottle of dope for a dollar and told
him-to report next week.
In Minneapolis he met 2. Grand
Forks man on the street. chattAd for
a few minutes and then excused him
ealf. saving tat he had to ro down TO
the freight office to see about tn" WV
loading Of q carload ~ corks which
had lust arrived for him.
Old tirre~e in Grand Forks will re-
member John with rnanv kind'v feel
jngs. for he certairlv c~ort~'h,|ad
much To the paie+v ~ the opportunity
ara ri, who knew him IN the old days
will wish him well.