St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-07
A YARN BY MR., COUP.
The Veteran Circus Manager
Tells a Tale of Long
Ago.
Gen. Samuel Houston and the
Pathetic Story of His
Career.
Why He Deserted His Indian
Bride and Left the
Nation.
A Romance Of the Great Ten
neSSeean's Life as He
Told 1t.

"W. G. Coup was the name that
adorned the page of the register at the
West hotel at Minneapolis few days
ago, and when representative of the
GLOBE saw it he recognized it as the
name of the greatest circus man and
general Snowman of America. Asking
at the desk for Mr.. Coup, the reporter
was referred to quiet, sOberly-dressed,
middle-aged gentleman, who sat in the
rotunda quietly smoking cigar. Ad-
dressing him by name, and stating the
nature of his profession, he received
cordial greeting from the veteran of
many "tented field" and the twain
seated themselves and began to talk of
life behind the ''red wagons and his
peculiar experiences.
''Ah, yes" said Mr., Coup, GIVE met
with many strange and laughable adj
ventures, and have come across hosts of
peculiar people, but l think the
strangest that l ever met with was
about thirty years ago. away down in
Dixie was not in the show business
then, but was travelling in Louisiana.
One night stopped at small town
and put up at correSpOndingly small
hotel, and the second night succeeding
my arrival was honored with cali from
the landlord.
Mr.. Coup said he. 'there'll be an
other Teller in the bunk with you in
few minutes. so you'd better wait I'D
and arrange about the side of the bed
you are to sleep on, for if he should
happen to wake up in the night and
find you sleeping on his side there
would be GOODNESS spring up between
ye.'
cat that time L was stranger to
Southern customs, and though their
way OF doing things struck me as being
a tritie irregular, never offered any
objection, but took the goods the gods
happened to provide. / found out after
wards that three in a bed was the rule.
not the exception, at that particular
hotel. Well, in little time nv fellow
wayfarer came in, and l sized him up
pretty closely. as L was in a measure
anxious to discover what kind of
roommate l had to accept. He was all
elderly man with eyes which seemed to
pierce me through at glance, and
when his candle was lighted | saw a
face which l have never been entirely
able to eradicate from my memory.
1t was thin almost to emaciation,
but was at the same time one of
the most interesting that L have
ever seen, and when he smiled it was in
such a sweet, pathetic way that was
lrreslStlbly drawn toward him. He
spoke kindly to me and drew up chair,
and we fell into conversation, the Way
men will when thrown together i'm a
strange town, and twenty minutes after
we had sat there l could have sworn I
had known him all my life. After we
had talked along quite awhile, | re-
marked incidentally: Il see Sam Hous-
ton is billed to speak here tomorrow
night. must go and hear him." The
stranger glanced up at me quietly and
said: Are you an admirer of his?'
Wei, yes, and no. l replied. Il
admire him for his great political abii-
ity,, his sturdy independence of char
acter, and his apparent hatred of all
ShamS: but, on the other hand. / regard
the manner in which he deserted that
Cherokee wife of his after he had left
the Indian nation and returned TO civ
lllZatl0n as wholly and unutterably con-
temptlble. Don't you agree with me?'
The stranger smiled in his sad, sweet
way, and said:
Before l answer your question. let
me tell you little story As he spoke
it seemed to me his voice trembled
llttle-then pulling himself together, he
began.
Il once knew man In the state OF
tennessee, who held quite prominent
office, and in the matter of wealth and
social position was the peer of any one.
He was young man abont your age,
and had just as ready tongue to con-
denim all sorts OF wrong and injustice.
he was favOrite everywhere, and, as
the saying goes, had all his life before
him, unclouded by the slightest shadow
of evil. Generally cOurted and admired,
his position gave him the entree i'm the
best circles, and it was not long before
he fell victim to the charms of beau
tlful girl and married her. So far as he
was concerned, 1t was love match
pure and simple, and he worshiped
the beautiful creature as he had never
Worshiped anything on earth before.
For time lie was happy-as men are
who place their entire lives in the
hands of one woman; but by and
by he noticed that his beauti-
full young wife was growing pale
and detected. Often when he spoke to
her endearingly she would burst into
tears, and if he were careSsing her
would tear herself from his arms and
leave the room. Finally one day he fol-
lowed her and insisted upon an explana-
ton. AT first she refused to give him
any satisfaction, but at length yielded
to his opportunities and told him story
that crushed him to the dust. She said
she had never cared for him. but had
been forced by her friends to marry him
on account of his position. Further
than that.she said she had loved another
man long before the marriage occurred.
Crushed and broken, the husband that
night deserted his home and all that he
had hitherto held most dear, and. shay
ing the hair from his head and tearing
his brOadcloth garments into shreds. he
donned the paint and feathers of say
age and fed to the Cherokee nation, be-
coming member of the tribe. BY them
he was treated with every degree of con-
sideration, and in time rose to COM
handing position among them. Then
he married a beautiful Indian girl,
and thereby widened the gulf
between himself and the past. As the
years drifted by, however, he grew
weary of savagery, and his mind kept
constantly reverting to the life which
had been his before his great trouble
came upon him. Finally. he babe his
Indian wife and friends temporary
farewell and went to Texas, where he
soon secured recognition and in turn
rose to a position of considerable emf
nence. But he had not by any means
deserted his Indian wife. On the con-
trary, he made number of visits to the
nation. and always endeavored to get
her to return with him to civilization.
But the poor, untutored Indian squaw
was thousand tunes nobler than the
beautiful society woman who had ruined
his life in early manhood. She loved
him passionately, but refused to accede
to his request that she should return
with him. saying: mo: l should only
diSpraaa Won I am NOT fit RI on ont into