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

had succeeded in having it annexed Il
the United States. Then he came tC
Washington as one of its first two
senators.
Such a career was in itself enough &c
| captivate hero-loving public, and il
seemed probable that they would give
him the place in their affection and suf-
frage which General Jackson had held
Houston's appearance when he went tC
Washington was just what the imagi-
nation would have devised for his ca
reer. He was of great hight-6 feet 4
inches. and muscular as an athlete. Ar
open air life with the Indians and in
the army had kept him erect and bold
and he carried his big frame as q
monarch-or Indian chief-might have
done. His smooth face was rudy, and
his eye soft and bright, for Houston's
health was good in spite of the fact
that he had an open wound in his right
shoulder from a rife ball received al
To-ho-pe-ka 80 years before-a wound
which sometimes caused him great
pain. and which never healed.
PICTURESQUE IN GARB, ROMAN
TIC IN TEMPERAMENT.
There was just enough savagery in
his dress when he entered the senate tc
suggest a wild origin and career. In his
earlier years he bad affected much
more startling feccentricfties OF. gart
than in 1916. He even came to WASH
ington once in full Indian dress, and
when he was president of Texas he
habitually wore fancy velvet vests, and
instead of a great coat, a gay Mexican
blanket. When he became a senator
this theatrical taste showed itself in d
vest of leopard's skin, broad SOM
brero and a Mexican blanket
Houston's habits in Washington were
such a contrast TO his romantic story
and his eccentric appearance that pub
lie curiosity was doubly excited. To
begin with, he was temperate, thus
contradicting all the traditions of In
dian fighters and filibusterS, as well
as all the popular legends about him
self This soDriety was not, however,
of long standing. Three months after
his marriage Houston had left his first
wife because, ii is supposed, she told
him she did not love him, and had fled
to the Indians and the bettle of forget
fulness. So common was ii for him 10
be dead with liquor that the red men
called him Big Drunk" Long after
he became the greatest man in Texas,
he kept up these debauches. In 1910 he
had married again. The young woman,
an Alabama girl of u, mad been cap
tured, DeSdemona-like, by the romantic
life and deeds OF this reckless. carous-
ing Othello, and had married him TO
save him. as she afterward confessed.
Her experiment was successful, for
Houston nevel was drunk after his
marriage.
CROWDS TO SEE HOUSTON.
More conspicuous than his temper
ance were mis- religious habits. HIS
wife was an earnest Christian, and she
labored zealously 10 bring about ner
husbands conversion. The idea OF
converting Sam Houston was pre-
posterous to most of their friends, but
Houston took his wife's desire seri-
ously, and in his conduct complied with
many of her wishes. He read the Bible,
said grace, went to church. When he
went to Washington in 1916 he did not
take his family, but lived alone at
Wizards hotel He perhaps had
promised his wife to go to church, for
at once he appeared at a Baptist
church in East near the city hall and
from that time until he closed his term
in the senate, Il years afterward, he
never missed a Sunday morning serv-
ice when he was in the city. He be-
came one of the Sunday sights of
Washington, and the church was
known as 'Houston's church." as the
place where the president goes is
called the president cnurcn-
Houston always wore his Mexican
blanket TO church, II it was cold, and
frequently he whitfield from the begin
ming TO the end of the service. Whit
Ting, indeed, seemed to be his way of
escaping bores and keeping his nerves
steady. He always carried a pocket
full of Texas cedar and sharp knife.
and thus equipped defied dizziness and
care. He was really an adept at whit
Ting, cutting out all sorts of little OBJ
jects, which he gave away right and
left to children. His master piece was
q cross. Whenever he met a lady
whom he particularly admired he made
a cross as another man might have
made a poem, and with a gallant bow
and speech. begged her to accept it..
Many of these crosses he cut out while
in his pew in the Washington Baptist
church.
The crowds which went to the church
to see Houston usually waited after
the sermon to shake hands with him.
He was fond of these attentions from
strangers. and never failed to be
cordial In the vestibule as he went
out he held a second reception for the
colored people from the galleries. who
delighted to boast that they had
shaken his hand
Houston's interest in religious mat
tiers increased yearly after he went TO
washington. He took to reading
religious books, his favorite being
Nelson on Infidelity." So convinced
was ne of the value of this work that
ne kept a stock of copies on hand to
give to doubling friends. Finally he