The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-09-03
SAN HOUSTON.
How He Resigned the GovoruOrshfD al
Tennessee. FOFsOOIx His Beautiful VVsts
and Joined the Cherokee Indiana

!
How He Resigned the GovornOrship oi
| tennessee, FOFsOOk His Beautiful TVfts
and Joined the Cherokee Indians.
The true story of Sam Houston's res.
! lgnatlon of the governorship of Tennes.
see, and his joining the Cherokee Indi-
| ans IN Arkansas, has never vet been
| published, and when I heard it a few
days since from the lips of gray-haired
| resident of Nashville who had been the
warm personal friend of the hero of
San Jaclnto, made mental note of it
for the benefit of the Times readers.
g You see" said the old gentleman
referred to, Houston and I were en-
ployed in a store together at Kingston.
East Tennessee, when we were bows
That was about 1912. The next year he
enlisted as a private in the army and
marched of to the Greek war. He was
soon made an ensign, and was the first
to scale the works at the battle Of the
Horseshoe, when he was shot twice in
the right arm.
He came home and finally got well.
and was appointed sub-agent to the
Cherokee Indians, but he soon got into
quarrel with Calhoun, then secretary
of war, and was removed Then he
came to Nashville in 1913. He began
to study law with Judge TrimbIe, and In
SIX months time was admitted to the
bar. At the first session of the IepisIa-
ture after he was elected attorney gen
eral of the state, over Francis B. Foep,
who was one of the most prominent
and scholarly lawy ers in the state.
He was then sent to congress, where
he was warm Jackson man, and while
there he had a difficulty with John T.
VrsrTT
to Nashville Irwin challenged him, send
ing his challenge by noted desperate
of st. Louis who had killed several
men. He was not considered a gentle
man, and Houston wouldn't take a
challenge through him. Gen. White
heard this and made some remarks
about Houston, which led to duel be-
tween Houston and White, in which
White was seriously wounded.
This added to the popularity of
Houston, and he was elected governor
of the state in 1927. He had succeeded
Governor Carroll, who was very popu-
lar man, and who was spoken of prom
inently as a candidate for reelection.
Houston was afraid of him, and in or
der to secure his own reelection. to con-
gress in case Carroll beat him for COVER
nor, began to strengthen himself polit-
ically, and in order to carry out this
scheme married, in January, 1929, a
lady belonging to a very influential
family at Gallatin, thirty miles north
of Nashville. She was a very hand
some, brilliant young lady, and at
tracted great attention wherever she
went, which exasperated Houston, who
was of a morose, Jealous disposition. I
used to see him frequently and knew
q Ind al =,
political reasons, and soon saw that his
domestic life was an unhappy one.
Zone Saturday in April met him at
a big barbecue Just west of the city,
where he and Carroll both made
speeches. I saw that the feeling of
that crowd was all in his favor, and told
him so, which caused him to be in the
very best of spirits, and while in that
mood we separated. Monday morning
1 called at the Nashville inn, where he
and his wife had been boarding since
their marriage, but was refused ad-
mittance to his room. I persisted,
however, and was finally admitted by
Shelby. I found Houston lying on the
bed with his face covered up, and, In
answer to my astonished inquiries, DR..
Shelby told me that Mrs. Houston's
father had come down from Gallatin for
her the day before, and that she had
left her husband and returned to the
home of her childhood.
"Said I, General what's this hear?"
"Said he, I'm a ruined man I'm
ruined man 70
"I told him he owed it to his friends
to give some explanation for his conduct,
and asked him why he and his wife sep
arated, to which he replied that he
hadn't word to say against his wife
that she was a high-minded, virtUous
lady.
ssHe then said that he alone was to
blame that he had decided to exile
himself among the Cherokee Indians,
and that he wanted me to carry his res
ignation as governor to the secretary of
state. This I emphatically refused to
do, at first, but at his earnest solicita.
tion and that of DR.. Shelby, finally
consented.
4" The next morning, Houston, Shelby
and went aboard a steamboat, Hous-
ton being disguised SO that no one re-
cognized him. We bade him goodbye,
and he went down the Cumberland. He
told me afterward that he got as far as
Ark, without being recog-
nized, and in that case, he begged the |
man to say nothing about meeting him. |
Joined Cherokee by the name of Jul |
ly. whom he had been familiar with |
while he was agent for the tribe. He |
the Indian dress, painted his |
face, and could not be distinguished |
from tbem.
GA few years afterwaId he passed |
Nashville, with delegation of
Indians, on his way to Washington. I
him, but wouldn't speak to
him. The fact is, his friends here con-
sidered he had disgraced them, and
we're disgusted with him. While in
Nashville he went with his delegation
and called on Gen. Jackson at the Her
mitage."
"Ind how did Jackson treat him ?"
asked.
''I don't know, but I suppose he
treated him all right, as they had been
great friends. After reaching Washing
ton, I know he whipped a member of
by the name of Stansberry for
saying something disrespectful of Jack
son.
q After this, we heard nothing more
of Houston until just before the Mexi-
can war, when we heard that he had
gone to San Augustine to practice law.
You know his connection with the Mex
icAu WtL5 pIOpaplyS eS wen aS uOs
" He married again, I believe g?
Yes. His wife got a divorce, and
he married Mobile lady, and she made
a man of him. They visited Nashville
together, and L went with them to see
Jackson at the Hermitage, twelve miles
from the city. His first wife married
again, and is now living near Nashville,
unless she has died recently. Mash
vile Cor. Chicago Times.
The Slave Trade OF the Nile.
In 1870 or 1871 Sir Samuel Baker, the
welI-known English traveller and ex-
q e. -.--s.. z Al LIZ