In the fall of 1885, Jacob Salzman built an adobe house, located just east of the present William's Market. He also bought a log store which John Slinkard had built, located south of the southwest corner of Main Street and Eagar Road, and across the road from the store which Gus and Julius Becker had completed in the spring of that year.
The Clanton boys established a limited credit with him and he carried them for almost a year. But by the fall of 1886, he needed repayment in order to continue in business and so he pressed them to pay their accounts.
One day, Renfro, one of Ikes gang bought five gallons of kerosene from Jacob's young brother. That night the building caught fire. Gus and several others rushed over to put it out. They found the logs saturated with kerosene and the empty can laying near the blazing building. They broke into the rear of the room, awakened and saved the half sufficated young Salzman who told them about selling Renfro the can of kerosene.
Ike Clanton came to town the next day and pretended to be surprised. Gus found him and told him: "You owe me some money too, Ike, but if our store burns down, the first thing I'm going to do is hunt you up and kill you, if you don't kill me first." The store had no fire and Ike never paid his account which was over five hundred dollars.
