Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1909-12-17
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General Sam Houston, to BE- erected
over his grave at Huntsville. It stipu-
SAted that the monument should be OF
Texas granite and that the appropriA-
ton should become void Sept. 1. 1903.
Oddly enough, writes H. B. Chamber
lain In the Chicago Record Herald,
sculptors eager to secure the honor Of
making the monument neglected to In.
form themselves Of essential conditions |
and submitted plans for monuments
to be developed In bronze. Until Aug. |
l, just one short month before the ex-
piration of the allotted time, but one
plan in accordance with ideas en-
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 Coppini OF
San Antonio, who had designed
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 10, served
In the Revolutionary War, and at Its
close was appointed Major and Assist
ant Inspector General Of frontier
troops. He has been described as q
man of large frame, commanding pres
ence, indomitable courage, and q pas
sion for military life. The mother was
also remarkable for her magnificent
physique and forceful character. After
her husbands death she removed with
her family of six sons and three daugh-
ters to Tennessee, then the frontier.
where white pioneers came into close
contact with savage life. Tho educar
ton gained in a few months at an
old field school was necessary rudi-
mentary. This, with q 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, digniled 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
boy he devoured Pope's translation
Of the Had. When in command OF the
Texas army he studied CRsar's Com
mentaries, as did Miles Standish, ar
, Indian fighter of an earlier day. Later
he read and appreciated Shakespeare
and perused the Bible so constantly
that its phraseology tinged his oratory
Even the former president of Harvard
College would admit that his choic'
of books was good.
When the war between England anC
the United States broke out, youni
Houston marched away with the Ten
nessee Volunteers as ensign. To pun
a ish the Creeks for the massacre at For
Hims, Ala, volunteer troops unde
/, Jackson and Coffee were sent to Ala
bama. Houston's regiment was will
them, and at To-ho-pe-ka, the mos
u hotly contested battle ever fought b,
Indians against disciplined white sol
4 diers, he displayed such conspicuou
courage as to win General Jackson
lifelong friendship. He was promoted
to a lientenantcy for his bravery, AM
,, when his wounds, which never entirel,
IL healed, permitted him to report 70
. duty, he was sent as agent to the Cher
okee Indians. While in Washington
= on business connected with the sale o
o Cherokee lands be was rebuked 70
appearing before Calhoun, Secretary o
War, in Indian costume instead of +
l. his uniform. A little later he success
l. fully defended himself against charge
affecting his official conduct, but tn
- spirit of the inquiry instituted by Ca
houn offended him, and he resigned
having served in the army five years
He determined to become a lawyer
a profession which in those days mean
politics even more than now. Afte
: six months of study in the law off1c
= of James Trimble at'Nashville he wa
admitted to the Tennessee bar, an
went to Lebanon to practice. Within
:. year he was appointed adjutant ger
eral of the State, with the rank O
colonel, and was elected prosecuting
attorney for the Davidson district
which necessitated his removal t
- Nashville. In 1928, when 30 years @
ega he was elected representative t
4 C. yress from Tennessee, and serve
8 two terms, leaving the House to bt
come Governor of Tennessee.
Z Houston was elected first Presiden
3 Of the Republic of Texas. The const
q tution of the new republic made hIr
Z Ineligible for reelection for two SUE
2 ceeding terms At the end Of the pei
2 Tod he was reelected and found tn
4 finances in bad shape. His first ste
g was to inaugurate an economical at
ministration, which rescued the Stat
3 from collapse. From the first Their
9 had been a strong desire for annexs
Z ton to the United States. When thi
- was finally accomplished, Houston an
y Thomas ]. Rusk were elected Senators
He served two terms in the Senat'
J but was defeated for reelection b
cause of his attitude toward the var
"a Gus compromise measures. He return
- - bIa horoa IN TEXAS and in 1S5