When the temperance preacher was trying to gather signatures, he said they could sign their john henry's on a petition.
As for the bullet and Bible-- Earlier in the show Kitty gave a dress and necklace to the preacher's daughter. When he saw her wearing them in the Long Branch he snatched the necklace off. The bullet was embedded in the necklace. The bullet held up better than the necklace.
The preacher asks the crowd to sign their John Henrys on his petition. That was, and is, a common idiom in the South, Midwest, and Great Plains, but it's actually incorrect. John Henry is a folk hero who worked with steel. John Hancock is famous for his large, flowing signature on the United States Declaration of Independence, and the original saying referenced him.
Incorrectly reported as a goof.
For decades before and after this episode was made, it was taken as gospel that a book could stop a bullet -- in this case, a pocket Bible halting a .44. But "Mythbusters" revealed the truth -- it takes a lot more than a holy book to block a bullet. Note that the bullet is flattened on the exit side. What, exactly, did it strike that was hard enough to flatten it?
For decades before and after this episode was made, it was taken as gospel that a book could stop a bullet -- in this case, a pocket Bible halting a .44. But "Mythbusters" revealed the truth -- it takes a lot more than a holy book to block a bullet. Note that the bullet is flattened on the exit side. What, exactly, did it strike that was hard enough to flatten it?
In a conversation between Kitty and Doc Adams Kitty refers to something being like a "buzz saw". In actuality a buzz saw is a an electric power saw with a circular cutting blade otherwise known as a circular saw. It's safe to say that the time period for Gunsmoke was long before electricity and power saws or "buzz saws".