Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-08-06
For the SPECTATOR.
LETTER FROM TEXAS.
SAN DIEGO, TEXAS, July "a, 1890.

Texas as State need not be ashamed of
her Congressman, individually or as a
whole. The writer has had the honor of
meeting all of our Representatives now IN
Congress, and has had the pleasure of hav-
ing had business relations with some of
them, which were always of the most
agreeable and satisfactory nature. Some
of them, like Senator Coke, that dignified
old Virginian, Senator Reagan and the
Hon. Dave Calbersop, your correspondent
has a reverence for; such as Messrs. Grain,
Mills and one Or two of the others the
writer admires; and such as Buck Kilgore
and Major Martin he can not help but lore,
that word covers all the other attributes;
and when it comes to thelast named, Major
Martin, of the End district, especially, he
"will go the whole hog" he will do any,
thing in his power for the Major that is
honorable and within the pale of the law.
The writer would loan Major Martin his
last dollar, ride bucking pony fifty miles
across Texas prairie in twenty four hours
TO aid him, take off his last shirt, go to bed
and have It washed, send it to the Major to
keep him from going to bed to have his
shirt washed, and remain in bed until the
Major had his washed. All this and much
more would the writer do for the Major,
simply because he admires and loves him,
simply because when the writer was in
need, or thought he was, the Major came
to him, lire father, like brother, like a
friend and favored him ct the right time
and place and in such a manner that the
wealth of gratitude will never be exhausted,
but seems to increase in volume with time.
1t is this feeling, too, that seems to pervade
the whole of Major Martins district. The
writer at one time lived in the End district,
but now lives in the 7th, and it has been
noticed by him that al of Major Martins
friends are bound to him as the writer is
bound to him, for the honor, respect and
love they bear him. This letter, however,
is only intended as a
SHORT SKETCH OF HIS LIFE,
and few peculiarities of the Major, while
harmless are amusing, and has led to many
stories about the big-hearted Major which
are not true and tend to ridicule rather
than amuse. Such as the story about the
Major when he first went to Washington
as member of Congress, went to his room
| in his hotel and as he retired, blew out,
instead of turning down the gas. This
story the writer believes to be untrue,
because the Major says SO. He says be
''simply turned the darned thing around
|
and gave the reporter sound thrashing on
the street of Washington, for having pub
lished the yarn, and then went to the
nearest Justice of the Peace ard plead
guilty to simple assault and paid five dol
| lars and cost. These things the writer
cannot vouch for, and it is the object only
iu this letter to give such facts and anus
| ing stories of Major Martin, which be
knows of his own knowledge to be true, Of
a few of such stories, for he verify believes
should he attempt it, he could fill ter
columns of your valuable space with the
harmless peculiarities of the Major.
IN TwIee's COUNTY, GEORGIA,
September 2nd, 1892, William Harrison
Martin was born. He went to school ant
played ''hookey" and courted the Georgi;
girls, as all boys do, and afterwards studied
law at Troy, Alabama, and was admitted
to the bar and came to Texas in 1850 ant
located IN eastern Texas, where the write
knew him some years later. He practice;
his profession, and in 1858 he was elected
to the State Senate and reelected in 1856
His first
4TH OF JULY SPEECH,
as he himself tells it, was laughable, or q
least the circumstances under which it wa
delivered were amusing. 1t seems that th
Major land we call him Major because b
was Major in the Confederate State
army, which will be spoken of hereafter
had just come to Texas from "the States
90 years old, bright, friendly and just ad
mitted to practice law. The farmers an
early settlers ''gave the boy chance,
and invited him to make 4th Of July &C
dress. Young Martin accepted, and 70
two long months, the Texas tallow candl
burned late in the rude log cabin. used b
our hero as an Office. The back legs of tb
raw-hide seated chair sunk deep into th
dirt floor of that office as he leaned bac
and searched the lives and speeches {
Henry Clay and Jno. G. Calhoun, thes
being about the only books our young her
could procure, either for love or money
outside of Hart. Dig. his sole law book
Our hero searched these volumes night an