The record-union., 1897-07-28

without a word of attempt at justifica-
tion on either side, / 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 10 do the same, and here
after 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 to knit, his 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 un-
governable, on so many bloody battle
field, was changed from the lion into
the lamb He meekly replied: Brother
s., l will do it And what he promised
was done and with an air of majestic
frankness and nobleness of soul, such
as moved every beholder. From that
hour l have never doubted that Gen
eral Houston was a man renewed by
the Holy Spirit
Houston's relations with his friends
was another feature of his life which
attracted attention. He was eminently
companionable, and the younger men
particularly admired him. He always
addressed those he liked as sonny"
and as peculiar remark of favor let
them come freely to his room at Will
lard's. There they wrote his letters
he kept no secretary-franked his doc
uments, and listened to his stories. On
cool evenings he gathered in 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 writ
ten, inspired no doubt by a woman's
laudable instinct Of arousing her hus-
bands admiration, as well as by a
noble desire ito keep him straight
While he was away from her. Houston
was very proud of these letters, and
read them to friends as a special mark
of confidence. He spent great deal
of time every week replying to them.
The whole of Sunday afternoon was
regularly given to this task, and a
frequent feature of the letter was a
digest of the sermon he had heard III
the morning
OF course, Houston was one of the
conspicuous figures in the hall of the
Senate. He was not aways an inn
pressVe figure there, for he lost i'm
mensely 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 became eloquent. On the Indian
question, which, after Texas, was the
subject dearest to his heart, he spoke
most entertainingly, for he filed his
speeches with personal experiences and
observations. Sometimes these talks
were of blood-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 Indians was more relished by
the public than his Indian talks and
letters. He initiated their own figura-
tive language in his communications to
them, and with good success, as this
fragment from one of his letters to an
AiAAi1h SblCL w IOiIi liC was Il ylAS lO
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
swallowed up by darkness. nor has the
light of the sun consumed them. Truth
cannot perish, but the words of liar
are as nothing. l wish you to come,
and we VIII again shake hands and
counsel together. Bring other chiefs
with you. Talk to the red men to
make peace. War cannot make them
happy. 1t 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 counsel. If they hear me
and keep my words, their homes shall
be happy-their fires shall burn bright
ly, and the pipe of peace shall be
handed round the hearth Of their wig
vans. The tomahawk shall be no more
raised in war, nor shall the dog howl
for the master who has been slain in
battle. Joy shall take the place of sor-
row; and the laughing of your children
shall be heard in place of the cries of
women"
hc 1ilOSl OIdIlldtlC event OI f1OuS-
toms life as a Senator was his refusal
in 1904 to obey the will of Texas and
vote for the Kansas Nebraska bill.
This act led to a bitter quarrel with his
colleague, Rusk, who had been elected
with him as one of the first two Sen
ators from the State Rusk upbraided
Houston violently for betraying Texas.
The two men parted in anger Hous
ton threatening to challenge Rusk. If
friends had not interfered a duel would
undoubtedly have resulted. Finally the
angry Texan gave up his desire for
blood but turning on his friends he
said: "The Kansas Nebraska bill may
pass, but let me tell what will be the
result. The North will never consent
to see slavery in the free territories
the Abolitionists will elect a Presi-