The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-12-11

UP HIS AFFAIRS IN TRNN ESSEE AND JOIN
ING THE RED MEg-AARRIAGR WITH AN
INDIAN Made -HE RETURN TO CIvILI-
ZATlON.
il. n. Williams, in November Magazine of American
Hisbyl
In April, 1929, Ssmuel Houston, then
thirty-six years Of age, in the full flush
of personal popularity and political sue
cess, surprised the people of the United
States by reHgniug the Office of Gov
ernor of Tennessee, which he held for
two years, by letter of digniied stateli-
ness, assigning as reason an exigency in
his personal affairs which he did not de-
scribe. What vas the cause of this
abandonment of successful and promis-
ing career has never been definitely dis
covered. Houston meyer revealed it, 30
lar IS is known, feo his most inti-
mate trends, and conjecture was left to
invent various sensational and romantic
stories. He had been married three
months previously, and the most current
romance was that his wife confessed in a
moment of despair or irritation that she
had never loved him and that her affec-
tlons were still engrossed by another.
Such blow might have been sufficient to
have unhinged an ardent and passionate
nature like that of Houston, never re-
markable for sef-control, and it is also
impossible, although it might be consid-
cred more extraordinary, that a longing
tor the savage life, such as he had expe-
rienced during his youth, had become ir-
resltlble, and that no pI.ce was too heavy
to pay fer its indulgence.
There is no instance of SO conspicuous
ABANDONMENT OF FORTUNE
and honor from the motive, but there
have been, even to this day, in which per-
sons of intelligence have abandoned all
hopes Of a successful career and the
charms Of civilized society for an irresis-
tlble impulse to live with the children of
nature and indulge their primitive in
stincts. Houston had shown a strong bent
in this direction throughout his whole life.
When a mere lad he left his mothers
cabin in the mountains of Tennessee, and
lived for five years with his friends and
neighbors, the Cherokees, learned their
language, which is so difficult that no
adult person is said to have ever acquired
it, and thoroughly adopted their ways and
customs. Tradition says that he had
been adopted into the family of chief,
and at any rate his courage, activity and
companionable qualities made him fa-
vorite as well rs a tolerated resident of
the tribe. After he had left them and re-
turned to civilizat on, in his early man.
hood, he shared a campaign with them,
allies to Jackson's army in the Creek
war, and they had seen his acts of des-
perate valor in the charge upon the last
fastness of the defence at the battle of
the Horse Shoe. At any rate, whatever
the cause of the abandonment of his ca
reer, it was with his old friends and COM
panions that he sought refuge and seclu-
sion.
Having settled up his affairs in Tennes-
see he descended the river to Cairo, then
small trading post, where he fitted up
small t1at-boat with whisky and Indian
goods and floated down the Mississippi
to the mouth of tie Arkansas. After a
long laborious voyage up the river he
finally reached the mouth of the Bayou
Illinois, a small stream flowing into it
Here was situated the original town cnd
councilhouse of the tribe, and here was
the home of his friend, the principal chief,
known by the English name of John
Jolly
He took up his abode with the chief,
putting on the Indian dress and adopting
all their habits and manners. Living
witnesses among the Cherokees have seen
the old chief and Houston seated on the
earthen floor of the cabin by the wooden
trough of ka-nau-ha-na, hominy cooked to
the consistency of paste, which always
stood in the centre, and feeding each
other in the original fashion of friend
illness with the common spoon; and,
although assuming too much dignity for
the ball plays and sports, he took part in
all the occupations of hunting and fishing,
and was to all intents and purposes a
Cherokee brave Houston had more than
one natural characteristic of the Indian
besides his fondness for the wild life, and
particularly shared their fondness for bar
baric display and theatrical effect. He
may have been as careless and slat-
ternly as they when lounging about the
cabin or on ordinary occasions, but at the
council or any gathering Of the tribe he
arrayed himself in all the picturesque
habit of the Indian brave. The Chero-
KEGS did not paint themselves like their
neighbors, the Osages, and the other plain
Indians, but maintained at this period
their barbaric dress of buckskin hunting
shirt, leggins and moccasins, and adorned
their locks with the feathers Of the eagle
and the wild turkey. On occasions Of state
Houston arrayed himself with the best.
He has been described as wearing in full
dress a white hunting dress brilliantly en-
broidered, yellow leggings and moccasins
elaborately worked with beads, and a
circlet of turkey feathers for his head.
He let his hair grow and braided it in a
long queue, and wore his beard upon his
chin in "goatee," shaving the rest of
his face. The Indians are very quick to
ridicule any tricks of ways and manners,
and Houston's theatrical dignity and
splendor did not escape their satire. On
one occasion, at a council meeting, they
! arrayed negro in caricature of his at
tire and stationed him behind his seat
where he initiated his pose and manner,
to the great glee of the assembly. Hous-
ton bore the presence of his imitator with
ashrewd indifference, and the joke was not
repeated.
Houston remained an inmate of the
cabin of his friend, John jolly, for more
than q wear. and was regarded as his