Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-04-10
HOW.D'YE" MARTIN.
THE ONLY CONGRESSMAN WHO
EVER BLEW OUT THE GAS.

Added Much to the G:,cty of the Na,iou;,,
Capital During Hi, Tcrm-Sonn. Erisodes
in His ST ormy Career.
William II. Martin, OF Texas, the
only congressman, SO far as the records
extend, who ever blew out the gas, is
dead. He died at I1illsboro, recently,
of pneumonia. He was seventy years
Old. With him went one of the unique
figures in public life of the decade He
had outlived his time There is no
doubt that he did blow out the gas in
Nlliard's hotel, Washington. D. c.. on
the night Of November 25, 1887; that
the people OF the hotel broke in his
door, and that he was dragged into the
hail utterly unconscious He was sick
for two days. but as soon as lie was
Vel enough to appear on the streets
he hunted the newspaper man who had
h2en most instrumental in spreading
the udinss OF his catastrophe and box
ed his jaws until his ears rang. If the
man had made the slightest resistance
Martin would have killed him where
he stood
In person he was six feet high and
broad OF shoulder. but very gaunt. His
hair and beard We're untrimmed. His
arms swung loosely and he walked with
the long strides of the man who in his
carry HE had done most OF his travel
ing on foot His oaths were so plenti-
tul they ceased to be profanity. The
words rolled from his mouth as I'M
consciously as his breath heard him
tell once of the failure of a morning
| after ~ !,
"one-hne day an snatched hold or my
old rifle. That-Son Of mine had
been a-wearin' of my kittredge belt. I
went into the-woods an was wallsin'
down the-road when l seen a-squir-
rel settln' on a-tree. I pulled the
trigger and the-gun wasn't loaded.
Ihe-squirl set thar and liked to
laughed his-head off. loaded up an
she wouldn't work. 1 got a-45-calibre
kittridge into the 44-calibre gun and
never killed a-squir'l."
On the morning of the day when
Buck Kilgore, also of Texas, and also
dead, kicked his way to freedom by
smashing one of the house doors, there
had been wordy passage between
Johnson, Of Indiana Republican, and
Grain, of Texas, Democrat The two
approached each other excitedly and a
collision seemed imminent At that
]uncture the eyes of uuescent members
We're transferred from the principal fig
ures IN the debate TO the center aisle
Cram and Johnson were not apt to
hurt each other with anything more
deadly than their hands but in the
center aisle dozen Democrats were
slowly bearing back "Howd'ye" Martin
to the cloakroom. His jaws were set.
ms face was pale with the pallor of
death, and his eyes blazed Tightly
Srlpped IN his right hand was 6-iuch
clasp-knfe with the blade opened. This
was knife that he carried, not for the
purpose OF offense, but 10 trim his nails
with every month. He spoke only
once, and then in response to whis-
pered word of soothing from the veneer
able David B. Culberson: d it. lets
have settlement" He was shouldered
out, however, and taken from the cap
ltol. 1t is rather a singular bit OF
Washington journalism that an ac-
count Of this incident did not appear in
any print.
''Oid Howd'ye"-so called because
that was his invariable salutation to
man and woman, boy and girl, white
and black-took out Texas regiment
in 1861 they went direct to Virginia
and faced the Federal lines. The state
ment seems incredible, but it is strictly
true that in 1863 the personnel of this
regiment was entirely changed. Every
man Of the original recruitage was
dead or incapacitated by wounds.
"Howd'ye" went back to Texas and got
another Not many of them were left
in 1865, when Grants mighty and vic
torous host was bearing down upon
the starving and disheartened legions
of Lee. An old southerner has told me
OF meeting the Texan on the morning
Of the surrender" as it is Familiarity
called in the south. He was five miles
from Lees headquarters and his dirty
regulars were bivouacked by the side of
country road. Martin asked him Of the
news. He was told that General Lee
had surrendered. Martin drew pis-
toll from his holster. EFF you say that
ag'in,' he declared, It'll blow you're
head off," He was assured that it was
true. He turned to his men and said:
Boys, I'm goin' back to Texas, where
4 man can live an the blacks can't run
us. Who's goin' with me?" A few Of
them responded. The others were too
weary and heartsick to move. He
headed his little band due south, turn
. ing his back upon the chilly Virginia
fields. He got through the scattered
Federal line. somehow and made his
4 way home. It was his boast to the
\ lay ;s:, his death that he had never SUR
isl.,endeTsd