Evening star., 1909-04-23

drew Jackson. winning the lifetime con-
fidence and admiration of his chief Dy ms
coolness and bravery in action. jackson
made him a second lieutenant. and after
the war had him appointed sub-agent for
the Cherokee nation. Being accused OF
smuggling negroes from Florida. then a
Spanish colony. into the United states. q
thing he had done his utmost to prevent,
he resigned his commission and Went 70
Washington, where he demanded the most
vigorous Investigation. which resulted IN
his complete vindication.
Houston followed Jackson to Nashville,
studied law, and. after a years practice
at the bar. was elected district attorney:
then he became major general of the state
militia, then q representative In congress;
then governor of Tennessee In 1871, ana
was reelected for a second term. IN
January, 1920, he married Eliza Alien OF
Sumner county. young lady of excelient
and blamelesS reputation, Dut,
three months after the ceremony. he re-
signed the governorship of Tennessee, de-
serted his bride and disappeared into the
wilderness. an exile from friends, honors
and the comforts of civilized life. To the
knew the cause of the separation. but ne
always declared with emphasis that she
was a pure and blameless woman.
Houston bore the blame of the separa-
ton, and the popular theory was that ne
discovered that she had married him for
protection and position when she became
convinced that she could not marry an
other man, whom she had loved from
childhood. 1t is believed that when Hous-
ton discovered this he decided to sacrihce
his home. his political prospects ana his
happiness rather than sacrifice her to a
life without love. He left civilization com.
pletely. and even went so far as to adopt
the Indian garb. in which he appeared
before his friend, Andrew jackson. at the
White House in Washington a feW years
later with a delegation of Indians.
When Texas was admitted to the Union
he came to Washington as senator anu
served until 1881, when he resigned ana
went into retirement rather than take
part in the rebellion.
None of Houston's kin remains In Nash-
vile. He is only reminiscence.
Precocity Of John Bell.
John Bell, another of the famous men
that Nashville has produced was porn
here, February 10. 1897. He was edu-
Gated at the public schools, and at Cum
beriand College. afterward the University
of Nashville. and now Peabody College.
graduating when he was seventeen years
cid. He was admitted to the par al
nineteen, was elected to the state senate
at twenty, and in 1926 ran for Congress
as a whig candidate against Felix Grun-
dy, and was elected by majority OF
one He served in Congress for fourteen
years as a whig. being opposed TO Gen.
Jackson on every issue He was strong
protecticnist and one of the founders
Of the whig party He i,,s defeated ted sgsn James
er of the House of Representatives in
1894, supported Gen. Harrison for Presi-
dent and became Secretary of War In his
cabinet.
John Bell declined an election to the
Senate Of the United States IN 1S42 In
favor of a friend whom he believed had
greater claims to the ONCE, and retired
from politics to practice law at Nash
vile for the next six years. He was then
sent to the Senate. where he was ao6 a leader
Of the anti-slavery party and in 1860 was
nominated for President of the United
States with Edward Everett as candidate
for Vice President. While this ticket had
no substantial success. 1t received the
electoral vote of Virginia. Kentucky and
Tennessee on an anti-secession platform.
Mr. Bell lived through the war at Nash
willie and vicinity, taking no part in po-
liticaI affairs, but observing a strict neu-
trality and he died at Cumberland iron
works September 10. 1869.
The McGavocks.
Louise Caroline Grundy, daughter OF