Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 December 1881 — FINE CUT. [ARTICLE]

FINE CUT.

Hbw John Anderson. £p«e*4idd ft • r and Made a Fortune. - » * i Kew York Sun. j John Anderson made his foriotje mainly from a brand of Hr# cut chewing called Solaoe, which was first produced when “plug” Was . the popular form of cheWiifg 1 tobacco. ace has made.other Jprtunes besMe Mr. Andersopto. The milflouMye/tobacconist was fond of recalling tne history of this brand, and It made an interesting tale. ' • Thirty or more years ago he kept a little tobacco shop on W4U-street,close to Broadway. It was so small that three*men could not move freely before the,counter, yet It was haunted by the conspicuous men about town. General Winfield Scott, Colonel Mon-, roe, son of,the president; Mr. Williams, the translator of Eugene Sue’s works; Park Benjamin, of whom Mr. Anderson used to say “he was the editor of more papers than there were streets in that ward;” C. Edwards Lester. who wrote “The Glory and Shame of England,” and many of the fops, the merchant princes, and the politicians of the metropolis were among the frequent visitors there. Snuff tt&ing was universal then, and many of the youDg men felt privileged to go behind the counter and mix the snuff to suit themselves.

One day Gen. Scott asked why it was not possible to obtain a. special brand of chewing tobacco better than that which was iu general use,and of course at higher cost. John Anderson replied that it was possible, if they would pay to have the tobacco specially manufactured. “How can it be done?’’ asked Gen. Scott. ■ ‘How can you make tobacco better than tobacco?” “I’ll tell you how,” Mr. Anderson said, and then he addressed Col. Monroe, adding, “And you, Colonel will understand me, because you are familiar with tobacco. You know that the top leaves of the tobacco plant are always the finest, just as the fruit on the south side ot a tree is always better thau that on the other side. Well, I would use nothiug but the top leaves, and those I would treat with special care. You know that the tobacco leaf is always rid of the central stem, a woody, fibrous stock, containing properties that do not exist elsewhere in the leaf. I would not only take out the backbone, but I would carefully cut out all the smaller ribs leading from it. I would brush each leaf to rid it of foreign particles, and all through the process of preparation I would use the utmost care without sparing expense.” The military men ordered this especial brand made, and it was not long before it became the standard tobacco among the officers *of the army, and thence it become known to the public generally. It was packed in big jars, which Gen Scott ordered, an.l emptied rapidly, for he was au inveterate chewer.

“As it was mainly the fancy that they were paying more than others could afford, that Gen. Scott and Col. Monroe dwelt upon,” said Mr. Anderson last summer, “I compliment d them, and those who adopted the lashion of chewing new tobacco, by charging a handsome price.” At this time chewing tobacco was Eut up in paper wrappers. This was ad for it. In a dry place it crumbled iuto a became musty. The Mexicau war broke our, and General Scott was ordered to the command of tbe troops in action. He was a very big man, very gorgeous in dress and very imposing in manners,and Mr. Anderson recalled the fact that all these characteristics became imm* a-urably aggravated when the big chieftain stopped at the doorway of the little tobacco shop and made his way in. What with his high chapeau and higher plume, his widespread epaulets, and his rattling sword, he always seemei, as the wit of the day put it, to be in the mysterious position of those ships that ingenious triflers build in wine bottles to excite curiosity ap to how they got in or out. “Anderson,” said the General, “I have got to go to Mexico directly. You are an ingenious and inventive man. I want you to suggest some way of packing chewing tobacco so it will keep, 1 can’t' go lugging that forty thieves’jar around Mexico with me, and I must hkve some means of packing small quantities of tobacco in my saddle bags.” “How would India rubber do?” queried Mr. Anderson. “It. wouldn’t do at all,” the general replied; “the smell of it would get into the tobacco.” “Bladders,” the tobacconist suggested; “how would bladders suit you?” “No, d the bladders,” replied the commander-in chief: “1 see too much of bladders in the army. Whisky is smuggled in*to the men in bladders wbicu the women conceal about-them. Bladders won’t do.” Mr. Anderson thought it over, and tried tin-foil. General Scott was delighted. He took a packing-box full of little oblong ) ackages. Down in Mexico the people In the commissiouary deSartment broke open the box, and fen era! Scott had only what he had put in his Eaddle bags. He wrote a characteristic note to Mr. Anderson, saying that he was thankful for a plenty of whisky, but wretched for want of tobacco. He ordered thiee ca°cs Jo be sent to as many Mexican cities, eo as to be sure of tobacco whereever he might be. While the war went on, the-proprietors of the city hotels sent word that they wanted to put on sale sojne of the tobacco General Scott wtausing, and thus began the distribution of tin-foil parcels of cut. But Mr. Anderson was troubled for a name to give the new brand. One day Mr. Williams, the English literateur, who translated Eugene Sue’s books, happened along, and Mr. Anderson confided his trouble to him. Williams laughed at Mr. Anderson /or poring over tne dictionary, and hastily wrote down a dozen words, the first erf which was “Solacfe.” “That ’la’ the* word,” said the tobacconist, adding r “I won’t look at any other.” Z When General Scott returned to New York he found John AnderSod in a big and showv store at Pine street ana Broadway.: He took the tobacconist’s band and looked at him with an expression of friendly regard. “John,” said General Scott, “you are going to be a rich man. .1 know

Nothing ,of affairs, buhl have seen all along that you are goiag*to*e j 4 very successful. man. -Take my ad- I ,fioe. “Don’t giye way la whisky, and pn no acoount he lctf iritb* fashionable Society.V --4i*>»*■• * nr