- Temple Houston
Temple Lea Houston (
August 12 ,1860 –August 15 ,1905 ) was the last-born child of Texas RevolutionarySamuel Houston . .Once a judge persuaded Houston to represent a penniless horse thief and Houston promised, "I'll provide the unfortunate gentleman the best defense I can." Houston asked the judge for a private office in which he could confer with his client. Sometime later, a court official decided to check on Houston and the horsethief. He found Houston sitting alone in the room with the window wide open. Houston smiled and remarked, "I gave him the best advice I could."
Another remark for which he is famous is "Your honor, the prosecutor is the first man that I've ever seen that can strut while sitting down."
In 1899, Houston delivered the
Soiled Dove Plea on behalf of a hopelessly guilty prostitute, Minnie Stacey, in a trial inWoodward, Oklahoma . That plea is considered by many attorneys to be an example of a perfect closing argument.In another trial, Houston was defending a man accused of murder following a gunfight. He picked up the man's pistols and suddenly discharged both cylinders into the courthouse ceiling. The jury panicked and fled outside. When asked why he had done this, Houston replied he was attempting to prove his client's fear of the victim's "incredible speed" of gunfire. He then successfully argued for a mistrial, since the jury had not been sequestered.
The main character of
Edna Ferber 's novel "Cimarron " was modeled after Temple Houston, and a television series entitled "Temple Houston" [ [http://www.wildestwesterns.com/temple_houston.htm Temple Houston: The Story Behind a Forgotten Television Western ] at www.wildestwesterns.com] was co-produced by the actorJeffrey Hunter in 1963–1964.Houston died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of only forty-five. He is buried in the Elmwood Cemetery in Woodward. One of the most elaborate floral arrangements at his funeral was from Minnie Stacey.
References
*Glenn Shirley, "Temple Houston: Lawyer with a Gun" (1980).
*Grace Hunter Adams, "Jack Love: Eighty Niner" (1988).
*"Below Devil's GExternal Links
* [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/ttusw/00229/tsw-00229.html Houston Family Papers, 1836-1969 and undated, in the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University]
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