The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-03-27
Vagabond
from
Indiana
: MARCH 81, 1896
ERNIE PYLE

EDITORS NoTE-This rowing reporter
for The Times goes where he pleases.
when he pleases. in search of odd stories
about this and that.
HUNTSVILLE. Tex, March 27.-
L Il Sam Houston gave me his best
chair, but he stood all the time we
were talking. His voice was soft
and low. He said he felt honored
that I had come to see him.
There is a genteness of character
in Sam Houston that soothes like
soft music. It would be to anybody's
advantage to spend day with him,
or notwithstanding to him talk,
assimilating some of his calm philo-
sophy.
The Sam Houston I am talking
about is a Negro He was named
for the great liberator of Texas. His
father was Gen. Sam Houston's slave
his closest slave, his bodyguard.
his personal servant. Slaves took
on their masters names. Joshua
Houston was this slaves name.
Gen. Houston died here in Hunts
vile in 1868. Eight years later lit
tie Sam Houston, son of Joshua, was
born. He is IS now.
T CAME to Huntsville because so
Il much of Gen. Sam Houstons
career was spent here.
The local editor told me where to
find Houston'S grave, and the house
he lived in for many years, and the
old Steamboat House" where he
died.
He told me also that no Houston
descendants are left around here.
And that the last three men who
knew Houston died year or so ago.
He said the only man in Huntsville
with any of the Houston lore about
him was Sam Houston, principal Of
the Negro school.
GAM HOUSTON, the Negro, is
~ mediums sized man with short
white hair. He is as neat as pin,
You would take him to be not past
40, but he has been teaching school
here for 40 years.
After Gen. Houston died, his slave
Josh set up in Huntsville as a black
smith. He was thrifty, and had
money to educate his children.
His son Sam was sent off to At
lanta to school, and then to Wash
ington to Howard University. After
that he got clerical job with the
government in Washington. In 1895
Che was "a them he came back to
Huntsville on a. visit. He didn't in
tend to stay
Il was looked upon as being i'm
portant because 1 had been living
in the Presidents city," Sam Hous-
ton says. People wanted me to stay
here and teach school.
But I wanted to go back. had
got used to living in big cities There
was prestige in working for the gov
eminent. And my job was nice.
But I got to thinking along this
line-They don't really need you in
Washington. Anybody could do your
work. You're just one of thousands.
Maybe they do need you here
60 he thought like that, and he
- took the job as teacher. He got
$50 month. The log school was so
bad he wouldn't use it, so he hired a
church, paid for it out of his SAL
airy, and taught school in it.
That was 40 years ago. Today the
Negro school in Huntsville is a
large, modern place, with 600 stu
dents 1t is named 1.-THE Sam Hous-
ton School," 1t is not named for
the general, but to honor its Negro
| principal.
Sam Houston doesn't remember
a great deal of Gen. Houston from
his father. He wasn't so conscious
OF the Houston heritage when he
was boy. For one thing, Houston
wasn't thought so much of then.
People didn't know how great he
was to become in time.
But Sam Houston is conscious Of
his heritage now. He says that the
family slaves" who were closest
to thier masters, acquired from the
white family learning and a
breadth that made them the lead
ers of their race. His father &C.
quired that from the Houston FAM
lily, and it helped make Sam Hous-
ton, the Negro, what he is today.
II n
GAM HOUSTON, though he re-
- members little, has learned
much of Gen. Houston and of
Texas. He is an authority on Texas
history, and the life of Houston,
too
While I was talking with him at
the school, the wife of the towns
leading banker dropped in to con-
graduate him on his speech at the
Houston birthday ceremonies here
| a few days before.