The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1922-02-22
BLIND 81 YEARS,
YET BUILT CITY
Gen. A. R. Johnson of Burnet,
Tex, One Of the Figures
Of the Civil War.
IS STILL HARD At WORK
At Eighty-Eight He Looks Back Over
Practically All Of the History Of
Texas Lost Eyes in
Battle in Kentucky.

Austin. Tex.-Blindness is a seri-
Gus impeachment to most men, but 1t
did not prevent Gen. A. Il. Johnson OF
Burnet. Tex. from accomplishing
whatever purpose he had in mind
and he has had many purposes. After
he had lost the sight of both eyes the
general built the city of Marble Falls,
made several trips East to interest
capital and succeeded: built a water
power plant, Il school house, a shoe
factory. a cotton mill, secured a rail
road for his town. fought Indians and
raised and educated six children he
never had seen. He also has taken a
prominent part in Texas politics and
civic work since losing his sight. The
general is now eighty-three years OLD
and is as enterprising as ever.
Brilliant War Record.
,Johnson'S record in the war between
the states vas aS brilliant as his work
after the conflict had closed. 1t was
along in 1864 that he lost his sight
from explosion of a shot. Johnson is
one of the few remaining generals OF
the Confederacy and has been a resi-
dent of Texas for more than sixty
years.
When Johnson came to Texas be-
fore the Civil war. Kentucky being his
native state. he had charge Of a sec
ton of the Overland Mail Route. n
of the links in the Butterfield Mail
Route between New York and San
Francisco. The COmanche Indians
often attcked and killed the station
agents, and in the fights with them
Johnson always took Il hand.
When the war came he hurried to
Johnson had two brothers in the fed
eral army and having been absent In
Texas so long it was supposed his
sentiments were similar and so he oh
tanned valuable Information for For
rest. 1t was at this time that John
son earned the sobriquet "Stovepipe
Johnson" Learning that there We're
500 stands of gum at NeWberg. Ind.
he took but 30 men across the Ohio
river. found some broker down wagons
and joints of stovepipe. Mounting the
pipe on the wagon wheels, he was
able to deceive the people at Newberg
into thinking that he had several pow
erful cannon trained upon their town
and when he demanded Of the Federal
officers that they surrender their sup
plies they did so promptly.
Lost Eyesieht in Battle.
rr~ 49, IL. -:r.lA r.
fight at Grubbs Cross Roads, Ken.
and was left for dead upon the
battlefield. His obituary was pub
lisled all over the South, hat the Fed
erals picked hin, up with other wound
ed and sent him to Boston harbor
prison. Later he was exchanged. and
spent the remainder Of the war period
filling. cartridges. After Lee surren-
dered Johnson and his wife returned
to Texas. where he still found his
old enemy, the COmanches, on the war
path. and he accompanied several Ak
petitions against them. Then he BE-
gan his plans to build Marble Falls.
liking the location because Of the falls
In the Colorado river at that point
and the natural dam. Thus the Blind
Mans Town" with It's fine water pow
er plant and factories. became a real
ity.
The general, though living at Bur
net, q short distance from Marble
Falls, takes great interest in the wei
fare Of the projects begun by him,
and is still planning new enterprises.