Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-25

" VERY now and then, as II weary
l. with the sameness OF her pat
tern, Nature creates a human
IL being compounded entirety oil
color, fire and fierce revoitS,
sending him into the world 10 blaze
like comet through the dullness oil
uniformity.
Such a man was Sam Houston; tire
r,endous. Misunderstanding from a
rovernorship to the squalors or an
Indian wigwam. rising again 10 the
presidency OF a republic--a Colossus
in buckskin hreeches and red blanket,
a mountain peak in the plain; az
SIND in his naive theatricalisms. ma.
1esfic With his high heart and eye OF
flame. ,,,
AZ ls We find him fleeing civiliza'
tion for the wild life of the Cherokees
his one possession a dog-eafed copy
Of the lliad--roaring the fuil'mouthed
challenges Of Hector and Achilles as
he tracked the deer or SwagSercu
about his campfire.
A, - he is a private in the Greek
campaign. following and adoring An
drew jackson, soul as bold and un'
tan,ahle as himself. At Tohepeka
where Chief Weatherford made his
last stand, a harhed arrow bit deep
into Houstons thigh. Forcing com
rade to pull it out, careless oil the
,ush of blood, he led second charge,
only to receive two leaden slugs that
shattered arm and shoulder.
Left on the field for dead. his giant
frame threw off its hurts; well again,
he proved power in pacitying tne
sayaces: and there is record that ne
deeply angered punctilious Caihoun pS
appearing at the War Department IN
full Indian dress.
picturesque, dramatic, as colorIui In
oratory as any organ-yoiced prophet
Of the tribes, the people took MIN 10
their hearts. and after two terms Ill
congress the goyernorship OF Tennes'
see came TO him in 1927 almost by ac'
clamation.
Inst 81. the idol of his State ana
beloved nv Andrew Jackson. even the
presidency was not beyond sam
Houston's hopes. yet April OF ls2s
saw him resign his office, quit ms
bride of three months and walk the
way TO exile.
NJ word ever escaped those tight
locked lips, but in time it became
known that his wife had been forced
into the marriage by her parents
and loved another. To one OF Hous-
toms intense, dramatic temperament
the situation called for a gesture o.
magnitude. and he made IL with
s,Inerh completeness that shames our
shabby modern compromises.
4
DRoPPING his honors from him,
IL he iourneyed to Arkansas Terri
tory. where the Cherokees had gone.
and begged sanctuary from old Dole
teka. friend of his boyhood. Wei
coined tenderly. he drew a blanket
about his mighty shoulders, and with
an eagle feather in his hair joined
the circle at the council fire. and
was Co-ion-neh the Rover. IL an
actor, at least he never stepped out
Of his part. for regret wrung no
whlnes from him. Only. as the days
passed, he fell into drunkenness.
A year slipped by. and then the
plight of the wretched Indians stirred
him from his melancholy. Robbed
and oppressed by contractors and
agents, the Cherokees were staryings
and Houston went to Washington On
an errand OF protest. Many rascals
were kicked from office. but the
system remained, and two years later
he made the journey again in be-
half of his adopted people.
This time IL was that Stanberry
OF Ohio impugned his honor in a
congressional debate. for which
Houston snatched away the towards
pistol and eaned him within an inch
Of his life.
Congress screamed in defense Of Its
right TO biackguard citizens with i'm
punity. but President Jackson was
highly delighted.
- few more examples of this
kind" he chuckled. land members