Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1861-05-29
General Houston all right--A Pa.
sFiotlc Speech from him.

The charge that S. Houston made seces
sion speech at Galveston. ia all false He
spoke there. however in defiance of threats.
aud an eye witness says :
Aeent al hour before the time appointed
Tor his address, he appeared, riding through
the Prineipai streets Of the city. When he
alghted from his carriage he stood for few
moments. fearlessly before the crowd. to con-
verse wish some friends, l followed him.
With other gentlemen, into an adjoining Of
hce- Here were present about twenty,
uo ~ lacminent secessionists. but friends of
of the General. All united in entre,tiug
hun rot 10 persist in speaking, when it uo'd
Inevitably be at the peril of bis life The
brave man. however. had but Que answer
Il have lived in vain, gentlemen. if l can
not now speak what l think. Ii it has come
to tat, asre, may ss we'll die now as at any
tune"
"A rrOuinent secessiouist, whose name is
conspicuous among the rebels OF Texas, Gen
Nichols, during this conversation, put numer-
Gus questions to Houston touching his present
position, and relative to certain remarks he
was reported to have made. He asked Hous-
ton II he ever ha9 said that JEFF Davis vas a
peThdloue traitor, and was aiming at dictato-
rial powers Turning o him, with look OF
81 did say SO. aud ia the presence of God
think so ; and l will say what l think. tho
the heavens blast me here " AS We started
to go up 90 the place where Houston had ao-
pointed % speak, heard mau iB the crowd
ask this same General Nichols, We'll, what
dad You get out OF the old man 2 To which
be replied that. All he got from him was,
that he vas going 10 say what he d-d
pleased
General Houston walked almost unatten-
ded 10 the Hall where be was TO speak. his
frieEds avoiding him from fear of injury from
the excited crowd. On arriving there he was
told that it had been closed against him by
the owners who feared Its destruction bv the
mob. ii ustou replied that be would speak
III the opeu air then. and walking fearlessly
through Ihe GRO to an elevated balcony
commenced his address without the least sign
of aglta ion or alarm visible upon bis cOunte-
nance. Alter aliuiing briefly to the events
which had transpired since he was last at
Galveston, he boldly viBdicated his own char
acIcr from the calumuIes which had been hea-
ped upon him by some of the lying journals
In Texas He then characterized Ihe seces-
sion OF TeGss InigEitous and pFeIni'ois IN
every way 10 her best Interests lie said that
though diSusiOn might be In the sScen ant
now, that there was a terrible reaction yet to
come, which would be heard, aud that he
stood i'll waiting attitude for that time to
COME"
Mr. Duncan, of Texas. [son of james Il.
Duncan, of Haverbi!l, Mass. says
Gen Houston told Mr.. Duncan that the
feeling in Austin was strong in favor Of
the Union, that bad be given the word. be
could have turuel the Convention out of the
city. lie told him also that he wrote TO
Twiggs to hold firm in his position. for he
might need to call upon him aud had Gen.
Twiggs Lot proved traitor, Texas would
have been saved to the Union. He said that
there vas no Office he would accept but to
Iut himself at the bead of the reaction move
rlent for the Union 10 the South