Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-11-05

When the Texas Legislature appro-
priated $4,000 for a monument to
General Sam Houston, to be erected
I'VE his grave at Huntsville, 1t stipu-
lated that the monument should be OF
Texas granite and hat the ~appropr1a-
ton should become void Sept. l. 1905
Oddly enough, writes II. q. Chamber
lain in the Chicago Record-Herald,
sculptors eager to secure the honor OF
making the monument neglected to in
,orm themselves of essential conditions
and submitted plans for monuments
10 be developed in bronze. Until Aug.
I, just one short month before the eX-
piration Of the allotted time, but one
plan In accordance with Ideas ex-
pressed in the measure making the
appropriation had been presented. This
plan, by Frank Teich Of Llano, pro-
posed the erection Of a plain shaft.
Another sculptor. Pompeo Coppin1 OF
San Antonio, who had designed a
bronze monument, was given a second
opportunity by Governor Campbell to
prepare new plans for one Of granite.
Sam Houston was born in Virginia
Of Irish-Scotch stock. His father, who
died when he was a lad Of 13, served
in the Revolutionary War, and at Its
close was appointed Major and Assist
ant Inspector General OF frontier
troops. He has beer described as a
man of large frame, commanding pres
ence, indomitable courage, and a pas
sion for military life. The mother was
also remarkable for her magnificent
physique and forceful character. After
her husbands death she remoyed with
her family of six sons and three daugh-
tiers to Tennessee, then the frontier,
where white pioneers came into close
contact with savage life. The educa-
ton gained in a few months at an
Did field school vas necessary rud
mentary. This, with a session or two
at the Academy Of Maryville, was all
the schooling that the man destined
to be Governor of two States, President
of a republic, Congressman and Unit
, ed States Senator ever had. The COM
mand of strong, dignifed and stirring
English, which was his, must have
been due to the quality of his reading,
for he was a man of few books. AS
a boy he devoured Pope's translation
of the Had. When in command of the
Texas army he studied Caesars Com
~mentaries, as did Miles Standish, an
Indian fighter of an earlier day. Later
he read and appreciated Shakespeare
and perused the Bible so constantly
that it's ~phraseology tinged his oratory.
Even the former president of Harvard
College would admit that his choice
of books was good.
When the war between England and
the United States broke out, young
! Houston marched away with the Ten
nessee Volunteers as ensign. To pun
fish the Creeks for the massacre at Fort
Hims, Ala, volunteer troops under
Jackson and Coffee were sent to Ala
bama. Houston's regiment was with
them, and at To-ho-pe-ka, the most
hotly contested battle ever fought by
Indians against disciplined white sol
diers, he displayed such conspicuous
courage as to win General Jackson's
lifelong friendship. He was promoted
to a lientenantcy for his bravery, and
when his wounds, which never entirely
healed, permitted him to report for
duty, he was sent as agent to the Cher
okee Indians. While in Washington
on business connected with the sale of
Cherokee lands he vas rebuked for
appearing before Calhoun, Secretary OF
War, in Indian costume instead of in
his uniform. A little later he success