The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-02-15
Ma or Ma rtin, of Texas.

From the Chicago Times Herald.)
William II. Martin, of Texas, the only
| Congressman, SO far as the records extend,
! who ever blew out the gas, IL dead. He
died al Hillsboro on Sunday Of pneumonia.
lie was seventy years old. With him ~ nt
one OF the unique figures in public life Of tie
decads. lie had outlved his time. There Is
no doubt that ne did blow out the gas in
Wizards Hotel, Washington. II. G., on the
night OF November %, SS7., that the peO-
pln of the hotel broke In mis- d)Dc. and that he
was dra eyed into the hail ut I'll Y unconscious.
lie was SICK for two days, bat a. soon as he
was Wen enough TO appear on the streets he
hunted the newspaper man who had been
most ms, rum an tai IN spreading the tidin - of
his catastrophe and boxed his Jaws until his
ears sang. IL the man had ma de the slightest
resistance, Martin would have killed lim
where he stood.
In person he was six feet high and broad
Of shoulder but very gaunt. His hair and
beard Were untrimmed- His arms swung
loosely, aud he walk ed With the long stride
OF the man who in his early life had done
most OF his travelling on foot. His Oaths
were 50 plentiful they ceas ii to be profanity.
The words rolled from his mouth as unCon
sciously "a his breath heard him tell once
of the failure OF mornings stroll after
squirrels. Il riz," he said, "one fine day
an snatched hold Of my old rifle. That
son of mine had been a wea rim OF my kit
tredge belt. l went into thewoods an was
walkin' down the road when l seen a
squirt settin' on tree. | pulled the
trigger and the gun weren't Ioaded. The
squirt set thar an liked to laugh ed his
head Off. loaded up an she wouldn I work.
| got a 45-Caliber kittredge into the ii
caliber gun an / never killed squirt
On the morning of the day when Buck
KllGore-also Of Texas and also dead
kicked his way to freedom 10y smashing
one OF the House doors, there had beer
woTdy pa SSago between johnson of India ma. .
Republican. and Grain OF Texas, Democrat.
The two approached each o.her excitedly.
and collision seemed imminent. AT thai
juncture the eyes of quiescent members
were transferred from the principal figures
in the debate to the central aisle. Grain
and johnson were not apt To hurt each
other with anything more deadly than
their hands. hut in the central aisle a dozen
Democrats We're slowly bearing hack
''Howdye" Martin to the cloakroora. His
pallorof death and his eyes blazed. Tightly
gripped in his tight Ia nj was a Six-inch
claSr-knife, with the blade opened. This
was Fnife he carried, not for purpose If
offense, but to trim his nails with every
month. lie spoke only once, and then in
response To- a whispered word of soothing
from the venerab BILE David p. Culberson:
D 1t. lets have settlement He
was shouldered out, however. and taken
from the Capitol. 1t is rather a singular
hit of Washington journalism that an ac-
count of this incident did not appear in
any print.
"Old HOwd'ye'- so called because that
was his invariable salutation to ma II and
woman, boy aud girl white and black took
out Texas regiment in SCI. They went
direct 10 virginia andfaced the FeGerallines.
The statement seems incredible, bat IL i<
strictly true that in ! 500 the personnel of
this regiment was entirely changed. Every
man OF the original recruita &c was dea ii or
lDcapa cha ted by wounds. How'd ye' went
back to Texas and got another. Not ma nyof
them were left IN 1868 when Grants
mighty and victorious host wa bearing down
upon the starving and disheartene lecions
of Lee. An old Southerncr has told me of
meeting the Texan on the morning of 1.-THE
surrender as II rs familiarly call ed in the
South. He was five miles from Lees head
quarters and his dirty regulars were biv-
ouacked by the side Of country road. Mar
tin asked him for the news. lie was told
that Gen. Lee had surrendered. Martin drew
pistol from his holster. Ell you say that
agin," he declared, III blow your head
OFF," lie was assured that ii was true. He
turned TO his men and said: Boys, I'm
goin back to Texts. where q man can live
an the blacks can't run us. Who's goin'
with me-" few of then responded. The
others were too weary heartsick TO move.
he headed his little band due south, turning
his back upon the chilly Virginian fields. He
got through the scattered Federal line some
now and made his way home. 1t was his
boast TO the day OF his death that he had
never surrendered.