Not until after his death, did his wife give any explanation of
his conduct. She stated that he had discovered that she loved another,
and that he had deserted her so that she could secure a divorce on the
ground of abandonment. That explanation, lame as it is, is the only one
ever offered by either of the principals.
Meanwhile, Houston had joined his old friends, the Cherokees, now living
in Arkansas Territory, and asked to be admitted to the tribe. The
Indians expressed the opinion that he should have beaten his wife
instead of abandoning her, but nevertheless adopted him, and for three
years he lived their life, dressing, fighting, hunting and drinking
precisely like any Indian. The papers, meanwhile, were filled with
surmises concerning him. No one understood why he should have exiled
himself, and it was reported that he intended to lead the Cherokees into
Texas, conquer the country and set up a government of his own. President
Jackson wrote to him, protesting against "any such chimerical, visionary
scheme," which, needless to say, Houston had never entertained. These
rumors grew so annoying, that he issued a proclamation offering a prize
"To the Author of the Most Elegant, Refined, and Ingenious Lie or
Calumny" about him.
The trouble culminated when Houston, having gone to Washington to plead
for his friends, the Indians, caned a member of Congress who had
slandered him on the floor of the House.
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