The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-20

became persuaded that he should
make public profession of religion
and join the church. In 1854 he was
/ immersed at Independence, Tex and
on his return to congress he united
with the Washington church he had so
long attended. That his conversion
was thorough his pastor vouched for,
telling the following as proof:
Houston was to Dartake OF his first
communion, and had asked the pastor
If there was anything he could do for
him before the rite was administered.
General" replied the minister. you
know the alienation between you and
I brother w. Ca senator.) You will meet
al the Lords supper next Sabbath
evening; you ought not to meet till
that difficulty is settled. Now l wish
you to let me bring you two together
after service on Sunday morning. and
without a word of attempt at tustifi-
cation on either side, 1 wish you TO
! take him by the hand, and say with all
your heart that you will forgive and
forget. and bury the past, and that
you wish him to do the same. and
hereafter to meet you as brother in
Christ
The fire." continues the minister in
his report of the affair. began to grow
in his eyes, his brow 10 knit, mis- teeth
to clench, and his whole frame shook
! with the struggle of the old man within
! him; but in an instant the man, whose
! passion had been terrible, indeed I'M
governable, on so many a bloody bat
/ tlefield, was changed from the lion into
the lamb. He meekly replied: Brother
5, will do it, And what he promised
| was done and with an air of majestic
1rankness and nCbleness of soul, such
J as moved every beholder From that
hour | have never doubted that Gen
eral Houston was a man renewed by
the holy spirit"
RARE SOCIAL QUALITIES.
Houston's relations with his friends
was another feature of his life which
attracted attention. He was erninently
companionable, and the younger men
particularly adOred him. He always ad-
dressed those he liked as sonny" and
as peculiar mark of favor let them
come freely to his room at Wizards.
There they wrote his letters-he kept no
secretary-franked his documents and
listened TO his stories. On cool evenings
] he gathered in a company of congenial
friends. built great wood fire, spread
himself at full length on a Mexican
blanket on the hearth, and then talked
late into the night.
Sometimes he read these friends parts
of his weekly letters from his wife. Mrs.
Houston was a woman of some literary
ability. and her letters to her husband
were long and carefully written, in
/ spired. no doubt, by q woman's laud-
able instinct for arousing her husbands
admiration, as well as by noble de-
sire Ito keep him straight" while he
was away from her. Houston was very
proud of these letters, and read them
to friends as special mark of conf
dence. He spent a great deal of time
every week replying TO them. The
whole oe Sunday afternoon was regu-
larry devoted to this task, and a fire.
quent feature of the letter was a digest
of the sermon he had read in the morn
ing.
OF course Houston was one of the
conspicuous figures in the hall of the
senate. He was not always an impress
sive figure there, for he lost immensely
in dignity by keeping his chair tilted
back and his feet on his desk; nor was
he often an interesting speaker 1t was
only when deeply aroused that he be-
came eloquent On the Indian question,
which, after Texas. was the subject
dearest to his heart. he spoke most en-
tertainingly. for he filed his speeches
with personal experiences and Observa-
tions. Sometimes these talks were of
lblood-curdling interest; again they were
bitter in their sarcasm on the injustice
and falsehood with which the whites
had repaid the good faith of the reds
Nothing in Houston's work for the In
dams was more relished by the public
than his Indian talks and letters. He
initiated their own fgurative language
in his communications to them, and
with good success, as this fragment
from one of his letters to an Indian
chief whom ne was trying 10 persuade
to peaceful ways, shows:
The red brothers all know that my
words to them have never been forgot
ten by me. They have never been swal-
lowed up by darkness, nor has the light
of the sun consumed them. Truth can
rot perish, but the words of a liar are
as nothing. wish you to come and we
will again shake hands and counsel to-
gether. Bring other chiefs with you
Talk to all the red men to make peace.
War cannot make them happy. II has
lasted too long. Let it now be ended
and cease forever. Tell all my red
brothers to listen TO my commissioners,
and to walk by the words of my coun
sell If they hear me and keep my
words, their homes shall be happy
their fires snail burn brightly, and the
pipe of peace shall be handed round the
hearth OF their wigwams. The toma-
hawk shall be no more raised in war.
nor shall the dog howl for his master
who has been slain in battle. Joy shall
take the place of sorrow; and the
Laughing of your children shall be
heard in place of the cries of women"
LOYALTY TO THE UNION.
The most dramatic event of Aouston's
life as a senator was mis- refusal in 1854