Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-03

afterward sealed on the subject. Gov.
Houston returned to Nashville and sent
comrade. Gen. William Hall. speaker of
the senate, who succeeded him. After re-
signing he went into the forest, and. for
sakins civilization. lived with his old
friends, the Cherokee Indians.
Acquitted by Husband.
while it is quite possible that he was
jealous of his wife. still there Is little
doubt. from contemporary testimony,
that she was faithful in every way. Gov.
Houston himself afterward testified to
this in letter to a friend, the only time
! that he ever spoke OF the matter:
Eliza stands acquitted by me. She
was cold to me, and 1 thought did not
love me-
This is the true explanation of the
seeming mystery. The constant rebuffs
of a cold nature like his wife's were uil-
! bearabe. There can be but little doubt
that he upbraided her for it, and then
she let slip some hint of the other love-
To the proud, high spirited Houston there
! was but one course of action-free her.
Not by common divorce courts. In those
days that was disreputabie. He pre-
ferred rather to throw aside the laurels
he had won. to give up his home, kindred
Trends his high office. and to bury him.
self in the wilderness. After the gov
ernor had abandoned civilization many
wild rumors were rife. and. to repel any
blame that might attach to his wife,
, the town and county was held. at which
strong resolutions We're unanimously
passed upholding the good name of his
wife. Mrs. Houston remained at her
years. honored and respected by all.
Size was recluse save to her family and
close friends.
Visited Her in Disguise.
Here 1 wish to present an incident in
the narrative that has not before been
known to the world, which was given
to me by the bridesmaid mentioned be-
fore. who received it from Mrs. Houston
herself. One day while in the garden Of
the manor house on the river bluff the
hOusemaid came and announced to Mrs.
Houston that a strange tall man was in
the reception room asking to see her.
On entering the room, with her Wonans
instinct. she saw at glance that the
stranger was the former Gov. Houston,
artfully disguised. He arose and made his
Old-tirne courtly salutation. which alone
, might have betrayed him to a less shrewd
person than his wife. She requested him
to be seated. He did not suspect that his
disguise was detected, nor did he during
the interview give any explanation of
the object of his visit. He conyersed in
commonplace manner about the wealth.
err and condition of the river. Neither
did she in any way hint that she knew
him. but all the time the visitor was
gazing intently at her. if to fasten her
features mere surely in his memory.
Then he arose, made another profound
bow. and passed out, going down to the
river by different passage In the high
bluff. There he entered a canoe which
had been tied by his own hands, padded
to the opposite bank and disappeared in
the thick forest. His presence in Ten
nessee was not then nor afterward known
to the public. and the inference was that
he had left his retreat among the Chero-
kee Indians. in the western part of Ar,
kansas. and had journeyed 400 or 500
miles to the scene of his troubles to gaze
once more upon his early love.
Meeting in Washington.
I'm the early months of 1853 met him
in Washington and was invited to his
that his whole desire was to talk about
Gallatin and the people who had lived
there when he used to visit the town.
Very adroitly, after more than one inter-
view, he led me to speak of his wife,
and then succeeded question after ques-
ton, many of them Of the most trivial
character. in regard to her.
"He invariably spoke Of her as Eliza,
and the name seemed to linger affection
ately on his tongue AS a sample of the
inquiries, he asked II l knew Eliza
Where did she live in the town? How
long had she lived in that house? How
did she dress? What kind Of bonnet did
she wear? Did she go into company
much? Did the people of the town like
her? 1 recall that when I told him she
always dressed in black and that / had
never seen her in or out of her room
without a long. close poke bonnet. he
paused for long time and seemed to be
in deep reflection. had a number of
conversations with him at short inter-
walls during several weeks. and they were
substantially alike. He never failed to-
spaaE If hia wife in the hiehest ternSn