The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-08-15
CAPTAINS OF
ADVENTURE
By Roger Pocock
SAM HOUSTON
A. D. 1886
Copyright BY Bobbs-Merrill Company

serving IN Andrew JdChSOH loiSO
Was young Sam Houston, hunter and
a pioneer from childhood. Rather than
be apprenticed to trade he ran away
and joined the Cherokees, and as the
adopted son of the head chief be-
came an Indian, except of course dur
ing the holidays, when he went to see
his very respectable mother. On one
of these visits home he met a recruit
ing sergeant, and enlisted for the year
of 1872 At the age of twenty-one he
had fought his way up to the rank OF
ensign, serving with General Jackson
at the battle of Horseshoe Bend.
The Greeks held line of breast
works, and the Americans were charg-
ing these works when an arrow struck
deep into young Houston's thigh. He
tried to wrench it out but the barb
held, and twice his lieutenant failed.
"Try again." said Houston, "and III
you fail I'll knock you down." The
lieutenant pulled out the arrow, and
streaming with blood, the youngster
went to surgeon who dressed his
wound. General Jackson.told him not
to return to the front, but the lad
must needs be at the head of his men,
no matter what the orders.
Hundreds Of Greeks had fallen, null
titudes were shot or drowned attempt
ing to swim the river, but still large
party of them held part of the breast
work, a sort of roof spanning gully,
from which. through narrow portfolios,
they kept up a murderous fire. Guns
position, the warriors fatty refused all
terms of surrender, and when Jackson
called for a forlorn hope Houston
alone responded. Calling his platoon
to follow him he scrambled down the
steep side Of the gully, but his men
hesitated, and from one of them he
seized a musket with which he led the
way Within five yards of the Creeks
he had turned to rally his platoon for
| direct charge through the port
holes, when two bullets struck his
right shoulder. For the last time he
! implored his men to charge, then in
f, despair walked out of range. Many
/
! wounds were healed, but from that
time, through very stormy years he
had the constant friendship of his old
leader, Andrew Jackson, President Of
the United States.
! Houston went back to the West and
ten years after the battle was elected
general of the Tennessee militia. In
deed there seemed no limit to his
future, and at thirty-five he was gov
ernor of the state, when trouble de-
yeloped in his married life and his
wife left him. Throwing his whole
career to the winds he turned Indian,
not as chief, but as a tribesman OF
the Cherokees.
1t is quite natural for a man to have
two characters, the one commanding
while the other rests Within a few
months the eyes of Houston the Ameri-
! can statesman looked out from the
: painted face of the Cherokee. From
Arkansas he looked southwark and saw
the American frontiersmen, the Texas
| pioneers, trying to earn living I'M
! der the cemic opera government Of
! the Mexicans. They would soon sweep
away that anarchy if only they found
a leader, and perhaps Cherokee Sam
! in his dreams saw Samuel Houston
| leading the Texas cowboys. Still
| dressed as an Indian warrior he went
| to Washington, called on his old friend
/ President Jackson, begged for job,
| talked of the liberation of Texas
as if the Yankees of the North would
! ever allow another slave state of the
/ South to enter the Union!