The Lincoln County herald., 1870-01-20

costing vote. was il his room when
after delegation called on him
Tho spokesman of one Of these told him
that he was "cutting his threat polit
cally." MIR. Dallas answered, "Proba.
bly,; but q consideration like that can
have no influence oven an honest man
aud it is not complimentary on your part,
when you have known me SO long, to
urge it as q ground for my action. am
not sensible that any act Of mine ever
gave you any cause for the insult.
v.-sAM HOUSTON.
The "Hero of San Jacinto," as bis
friends used to call him, was capital com
pany. He was exceedingly full ofauecdotc,
and his "reminiscences Of the Nashville
bar, in his younger days, when General
jackson, Tom Benton, Felix Grundy,
aud others equally famous, rode circuit
there, were very entertaining. He was
courtier- like enough when he chose to be,
but in his ordinary intercourse with peo-
pie, he had very much the free and easy
manner Of the backwoodsman. 1t sat
we'll On him, however, and carried with i.
a deal Of that magnetism so difficult to
describe, with which the popular men
Of the southwest used to draw all sorts Of
people to their support. Occasionally
Sam would get in bad odor with the Tex.
ans-hs enemies would make the people
there clamor against him buthe had only
to take the stump to recover his fading
popularity. He must have been q win.
ming, off hand speaker. An old fellow
once said to me about him: "de's
pow 'ful man, sir-pow' full 'as he's great.
Jes let you aud some other high-larn't
chap git disco'sin on somothin' Gin'rl
Sam don't know nothin about-'Gyptian
hecrygeycphics, f'rins,'ns. He'll listen
an won't say nary the word ontwil yer
pooty nigh worn out. Then he'll open,
and he'll satisfy yeh dreckly Of two
things-fust, that both of yeh understand
yerselves cl'arly seckuut, that neither
of yeh don't know the tust word yer talkin
about an. lastly, that he knows mo-
about the subjeck than both Of yeh to.
gether. Oh, I tell you, Gin'rl Sans
po~'ful, he is. He kin wind 'em he
KIM"
I remember a curious instance of
Houston's fascinating power. In the
winter Of 1916, Hugh Hastings, then
of the Albany Knickerbocker, came to
Washington. He was not king Of the
lobby then was little unsophisticated,
and not as familiar with notabilities as
now. He was anxious to see the lions,
and among the rest Sam Houston.
took him first to General Rusk's sleep.
ing room, where We staid but ten or
twelve minutes, aud from thence to that
of Houston, who was on the same floor
with myeolf tapped at the door, and
we walked in at the Generals loudly
given invitation. Houston was lying on
the carpet with his feet to the fire, and
using his wrists and hands for pillow
a camp.trick Of comfort.
"Get up, General. I have . friend
here"-and l presented Hastings in due
form.
Sam raised himself up-shook hands
with Hastings, and said: "T'm glad to
see any friend of yours, Doctor; but as
he's your friend. I'll take the same liberty
as I would with you, and ask him to ex-
cuse me from rising I'm taking it camp.
fashion, for I'm tired and if you don't
like to follow my example, there are
chairs-and there's the bed. Make
yourselves comfortable. Do you stay
long in Washington, Mr.. Hastings ?"
| And then he began. For two hours
he poured out . stream Of anecdote, some
of IL entirely new to me. who had heard
him in that way hundred times. and all oi
it new to my companion. Story after
story followed each other, until at loagth
had to tear Hastings away. When
we left the room, the latter turned to me
aud with . long drawn breath, said, "wha'
q wonderful man that is And while
he was in town he would recur to it Of
ten, saying: II wouldn't have missed
seeing him for anything" I question
whether Hugh would admire any notable
man now-much. "Familiar,ty breeds
contempt" Hastings has had ample
chance since to sec how really small th'
great men" of the public are. Ther
| it was all new and lovely.
Gen. Rusk, Houston's colleague, va
very much devoted to Houston, however
though he was perfectly familiar with al
Of Housson's weak points-quite as fam
iliar % Lamar, or Commodore Moore, hi
foe, or "Cora Montgomery"-that astut'
, politician, and born female diplomatist
. who still survives 10 the fall vigor of he
! extraordinary mental power, though q
Mrs. Cssnesu, she has faded away int
the shades Of Dominican politics. Their
I is no doubt that to Rusk, and not t.
. Houston, the success at San Jacinto va
/. due; but Rusk would never allow hil
. friends to state his claims, lest Houste
. would be annoyed at Il. Houston fasci
&. mated hin, as he did most people. Rusl
was . man to grow on you. 1utsllectu
D ally, he was not Houstou's equal, though
] man of mark; but he was o frank, brav