Sam Houston Was A Man Of Action...!

Ol' Sam was not beyond taking some action with folks he had a problem with. Could be a man like him would be a welcome change in today's political scene.

He attacked a congressman walking down Pennsylvania Avenue with a cane.

Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

On March 31, 1832, Ohio Congressman William Stanbery accused Houston of fraud in a speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. When Houston encountered Stanbery walking down Pennsylvania Avenue two weeks later, he called the congressman a “rascal” before beating him repeatedly over the head with a cane that was fashioned from hickory harvested from the Hermitage, the estate of his political mentor, President Andrew Jackson. The congressman drew his pistol in self-defense, but when he pulled the trigger, the gun jammed and never fired. After Houston delivered several more blows, he left the bludgeoned Stanbery on the side of the capital’s main thoroughfare. Although high-profile lawyer Francis Scott Key, who penned the lyrics to the “Star-Spangled Banner,” represented Houston, Congress convicted him of contempt. A civil court also found Houston guilty and ordered him to pay $500, but he never paid a dime and Jackson eventually ordered the fine to remain uncollected.

Sounds to me as though Sam had the good sense to make some useful friends along the way. Politics haven't changed much over the years, I reckon.

Coffee out on the patio once again today.