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SOME PAGES FROM 7YY SCRAP BOOK INCIDENTS IN THE EARLY LIFE OF GEN. FORREST. The following is given as oc curring in the early career of Gen. Forrest: During the Texan war of independ ence in February, 1841, Bedford For rest joined a company of volunteers, which, however, was dissolved before leaving New Orleans, still he, with a few other members, proceeded to Houston, where they arrived desti tute of means to proceed to the seat *of war. His companions returned by procuring aid from friends, but Bedford would not receive such aid, preferring to remain until he could earn enough to carry him home. This he did by making fence rails. In 1842 Forrest became a partner with his uncle Jonathan in Hernan do, Mississippi. March 10, 1845, oc ■curred the fight in Hernando, be tween Bedford on one side and four men, William, James and Jefferson Matlock, planters, and Bean, an over seer. The four in concert made a sudden attack on Forrest in the pub lic square. Thirteen shots were fired and bowie knives werp freely used The three Matlocks were wounded and Bean driven from the field. For rest was slightly wounded, but a shot intended for him by Bean was received by his uncle Jonathan, who had taken no part in the affray. In this momentary battle Forrest showed the “distinctive audacity, coolness and determination which were brought to bear so brilliantly twenty years later on his shining military career.’ * A few months later oc curred another incident illustrating his dauntless prowess and coolness. Riding one day along the highway from Hernando to Holly Springs, in company with Mr. Morse, a well known lawyer, they were suddenly met in the road by a planter of the neighborhood in which they were, James Dyson by name, notorious for his lawless, bloodthirsty courses, and who cherished, it happened, a deadly grudge against the lawyer. Dyson carried a double barreled gun, and without uttering a word or making a gesture of warning, shot Morse, who fell without a groan from his saddle to the ground, with a rifle ball in his heart. Instantly turning the oth er barrel —loaded, it seems, with buckshot—upon Forrest, the murder ous Dyson threatened to shoot him also, though with no other cause of animosity than that he had witnessed the affair. But Forrest was not to be thus 4 * taken lightly by the beard, ’ ’ sudden and unexpected as had been the deed; for he had drawn and held his revolver cocked, with a steady aim at the ruffian who men aced him, and whom he coolly warned that he had 4 4 better make sure work, for it was now a game at which tw could play.” Dyson lowered his weapon and forbore his purpo' e Forrest sternly prosecuted the mur derer to conviction, although he final ly escaped punishment - SAM HOUSTON. Events in the Life of a Remarkable Man—His Separation From His Wife—Settling Up His Affairs in Tennessee and Joining the Red Men —Marriage With an Indian Maiden —His Return to Civilization. (J. M. Williams, in November Mag azine of American History.) In April, 1829, Samuel Houston, then 36 years of age, in the full flush of personal popularity and political success, surprised the people of the United States by resigning the office of governor of Tennessee, which he had held for two years, by a letter of dignified stateliness, assigning as a reason an exigency in his personal affairs which he did not describe. What was the cause of this abandon ment of a successful and promisi' career has never been definitely dis covered. Houston never revealed it so far as is known, even to his most intimate friends, and conjecture was left to invent various sensational and romantic stories. He had been mar ried three months previously, and the most current romance was that his wife confessed in a moment of de • spair or irritation that she had never loved him and that her affections were still engrossed by another. Such a blow might have been sufficient to have unhinged an ardent and passion ate nature like that of Houston, nev er remarkable for self-control, and it is also possible, although it might be considered more extraordi nary, that a longing for the savage life such as he had experienced dur ing his youth had become irresisti ble, and that no price was too heavy to pay for its indulgence. There is no instance of quite so conspicuous an Abandonment of Fortune and honor from this motive, but there have been times, even to this day, in which persons of intelligence and sta tion have abandoned all the hopes of a successful career and the charms of civilized society from an irresistible impulse to live with the children of nature and indulge their primitive instincts. Houston had shown a strong bent in this direction through out his whole life. When a mere lad he had left his mother’s cabin in the mountains of Tennessee and lived for five years with his friends and neighbors, the Cherokees, learned their language, which is so difficult that no adult person is said to have ever acquired it, and thoroughly adopted their ways and customs. Tra dition says that he had been adopted into the family of a chief, and at any rate his courage, activity, and com panionable qualities made him a fa vorite as well as a tolerated resident of the tribe. After he had left them and returned to civilization, in his early manhood, he shared a campaign with them, a considerable force of Cherokees acting as allies to Jack son’s army in the Creek war, and they had seen his acts of desperate valor in the charge upon the last fast ness of the defense at the battle of WATSON’S WRBKLY JfiFPBfcSONIAN. the Horse Shoe. At any rate, what ever the cause of the abandonment of his career, it was with his old friends and companions that he sought refuge and seclusion. Having settled up his affairs in Tennessee, he descended the river to Cairo, then a small trading post, where he fitted up a small flatboat with whiskey and Indian goods, and floated down the Mississippi to the mouth of the Arkansas. After a long and laborious voyage up the river he finally reached the mouth of the Bayou Illinois, a small stream flowing into it about thirty miles be low Fort Gibson. Here was situat ed the original town and council house of the tribe, and here was the home of his friend, the principal chief, known by the English name of John Jolly. He took up his abode with the chief, putting on the Indian dress and adopting all their habits and manners. Living witnesses among the Cherokees have seen the old chief and Houston seated on the earthen floor of the cabin by the wooden trough of ka-nau han a, hominy cooked to the consistency of paste, which always stood in the center, and feeding each other in the aboriginal fashion of friendliness with the com mon spoon, and although assuming too much dignity for the ball plays and sports, he took part in all the occupations of hunting and fishing, and was to All Intents and Purposes a Cherokee brave. Houston had more than one natural characteristic ol the Indian besides his fondness for wild life, and particularly shared their fondness for barbaric display and theatrical effect. He may have been as careless and slatternly as they when lounging about the cabin or on ordinary occasions, but at the council or any gathering of the tribe he ar rayed himself in all the picturesque habit of the Indian brave. The Cher okees did not paint themselves like their neighbors, the Usages, and the other plain Indians, but maintained at this period their barbaric dress of buckskin hunting-shirt, leggings and moccasins, and adorned their lucks with the feathers of the eagle and the wild turkey. On occasions of state Houston arrayed himself with the best. He has been described as wearing in full dress, a white hunt ing-shirt brilliantly embroidered, yel low leggings and moccasins elaborate ly worked with beads, and a circlet of turkey feathers for his head. He let his hair grow and braided it in a long queue, and wore his beard up on his chin in a 4 ‘goatee,” shaving the rest of his face. The Indians are very quick to ridicule any tricks of ways and manners, and Houston’s theatrical dignity and splendor did not escape their satire. On one oc casion, at a council meeting, they ar rayed a negro in a caricature of his attire and stationed him behind his seat, where he imitated his pose and manner, to the great glee of the as sembly. Houston bore the presence of his imitator with a shrewd indif- ference, and the joke was not re peated. Houston remained an inmate of the cabin of his friend, John Jolly, for more than a year, and was re garded as his adopted son. It was here that he fell in love with a Cher okee woman named Tyenia Rogers. She was a half-breed of great person al beauty, and as tall and stately for her sex as Houston himself. With her he took up as his wife, and re moved to the west of the Grand river, opposite Fort Gibson, where he made a clearing, which still remains, and erected a log cabin which was burnt during the war. He maintained him self by keeping a small trading store, and, as usual, after the Indian fash ion, by a little slatternly farming and careless stock raising. He was not more ambitious or industrious than his Indian associates, and at this period his habits reached their low est point of sulf-indulgence. It was not to he supposed that his better instincts and capabilities could al ways remain content with the narrow interests and Degrading Habits of Savages, however strong the barbaric elements in his nature, or however severe the blow that had rendered civilized life for a time intolerable to him. The thoughts of the possibilities of his abandoned career must have obtrud ed themselves upon him with more and more persistent regret, and the degradation and failure of his life been felt with keener piognancy as the years went by. To the unhappiness and degrada tion of this life there came a hope of relief and redemption in the news of the stirring of national life in Tex as, and the combined eagerness for the foundation of a new empire and of resistance to a degrading domina tion among its American settlers. All the adventurous spirits of the bor der were attracted by the scent of warfare and the hope of fortune, and a small party was formed of the dar ing rovers in the Indian Territory. Houston joined this, and naturally be came the leader, although he was so poor at the time that he had to take his departure on a small pony unfit to carry his weight, which was fihal lv exchanged by the gcod will of one by his associates for a more presenta ble horse. He did nit at once conquer his feeling of degradation and hope lessness, but remained for some time with a small settlement of Cherokees upon the Red river before going for ward to Texas. Perhaps deprived of the opportunity for indulgence, his manly qualities strengthened them selves, or the news of the immience of the struggle with Mexico still fur ther fired his spirit and he finished his journey with such results as are familiar to history. That he sincerely loved his Indian wife is made evident by the fact that when he had established himself and won fame and honor in Texas, he sent for her to join him, but she re fused to leave her people and famil (Continued on Page Seven.) PAGE THREE