Virginia free press & farmers' repository. [volume] (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1827-1832, 1831-08-04

passion lad silslcsl ant Lr hsl cntir, " changed
Ia. ground n WOULD IA, insi>, cur ia,I.ii.s
Nss,'n; Mrs. Eaton l.e oriS wished u To sssi.t
az 'iiu, '.ovn IL. sia,.lcrs against hv. that Ice
bOl,'rd b,.' ,nn1,rG, a'.i he ,i,ouslt i.ni,-
lies o'isil "a do ~stt they cnuld TAI sustain her, "a
ihty could irt Visit her and that he ~isl,,d u
,sc n'c IA. meat day. Col. j. siGed ti.at Tie
Prcsit,ii Lad h,cn exceedingly excited Tor
r.cri TN :, bui Was npT perfectly calm aud
ui'Ii iIu. next ia, waited GA thc president,
stid opened IA, snbies, i.y stating that Colonel
Joii;,s On hal informed the, hc wished To- See
mc - which hc asscatrd, aud went into IA long
urbuuont In show how ihuoec.t "a ~c,nan Mrs
E.,lOa sss .,d hOs much ia, hni been pcr>scu,.d
si'd mentioned III" nsn,cs at a number OF laIi-s
~ho hazel l,Nn active ~ this persecution, anh that
tie LAZY of ntcr,igi minister Mas also Of the
eon.pirstors; ADDING; that h. would send her and
.r husband ltonIc, sn' tC.,l, hun aud his master
thai ti,c life OF a,ncini,r a his cabinet Was not
Ia be thus treated; t,st Mrs r.. was a. p,,ir aud
ehastc AS Mrs. Duncison's infant dang ht.r but
There ~ns a combination here among "a number ui
ladies'. not thos- cf the Heads of Departments To
uii'r her ca, at spci,y, and L, drive her husband
out II Office bat h- ouil b. cut into inch pieces
GA the rack, before Ia. would suffer him or hi,
wife - he injured i,y their vile csiumnies that
10" Ma. resolved IL have harmony ia iis cabinet,
ana ~i,!ie'' ~ - Inin in plttiig down the Ian
dsra ayaimst Mis. Eaton. ubserci To the Pr~csi-
d,m, that hai newer considered u incumbent on
n.c u iuNcAis..atc tia. cisiUrt-r OF Mrs. Eaton
Mitiiin the scope 81 NV duties to ;.ic government.
II b, iongcd TO society alone tp determine suel,
matters. The power o. the Administration could
not change the opinion 81 the community, even IL
eouii b. properly used u control t,c relations
81 duoicstic lifc ia any casc. The society Of
Washington mus, bc the bet Judges Of whom, il
ought 10 receive. ] regretted the difficulties which
Major EstOn lAbcryd under, and had felt il INV
duty ma, u eggraNatc them. hnd intendcd ut an
Early day t. have had "a conversation " i'll, him on
H. a
"ens d'hucd. bat no opportunity hal offered.
Without volunteering one, anI u had not been
done IN tina, way. The course I had taken Was
however. adopted With great care, to save his
feelings ~ much as possible, consistently with
What Mas due u my family, aud the community
with which VT WEIR. associated Iconsi,Icr,,, the
charge OF my inmily 10 DC sacred trust, belong
ius exclusively To- myself, as member Of soci-
tv. The administration had nothing TO do with
Il, more than with that OF any other individual
and political power could not be properly excrtcd
over their social intercourse, and IL was import
mt To his reputation To have IL that h,
did not interfere in such matters. That Was not
aware Of any want e Harmon, in the Cabiuet; had
not s"cn the slightest symptom OF sucl, feeling
ia its deliberations, and I was perfectly certain
tint Mt official conduct had never been influenced
IA the slightest degree 10y feeling of that nature
-:.w ground, therefore, for the least ci,sngc
on my part in ,.,is respect To which the Pre-
si'lent replied, ia changed tone That lac had the
city an executing the duties OF the Department
and expressed las perfect satsiaction in thu, re-
spcct, With my whole conduct lac had never
supposed fora moment that my official acts had
been influenced in the least degree by any unkint
feelings towards Mai. Eaton and he did not
mean 20 Insist families visiting Mrs Eaton:
lie lad been much excited, for so,ac time past,
u! the combination against her, and he wished us
10 aid him n putting 'lown their slsndcrs adding
that she was excluded froia most Of the invita-
tons 10 parties and, when invited, she ill.,
suited that the lady Of the foreign minister be-
fore referred 90 had insultcd her nj Baron
cr'sp party remarked, that some injustice mi ght
he done To that lady on that occasion although
she might not choose to associate with Mrs Eaton
did not think size intended to insult her she.
might have supposed there was some design not
altogether respectful herself in the offer of the
attendance To supper Of the Secretary Of War,
whose wife she did not VISIT instead Of the S-crc-
tary Of State, which, according the usual prac-
tiec she probably considered herself entitled To- -
was present, aud most OF what had happen-
cd. She evidently though, herself aggricved at
something, but acted with much dignity OF the
occasion. ] saw appearance Of insult offered
To Mrs. Eaton lie replied ,llat lac had been full
~ informed, and knew all about Il aud but for
certain reasons which hc mentioned, hc would
have sent the foreign minister before referred TO-
aud las wife, home Immediately. After some
further conS' tsation this and other matters in
which considered the President as having en-
ureiy waived the demand made through Colonel
johnson, that Iny family must ,isi, Mrs Eaton
as the condition for ms remaining ia Office and
IN which lac expressed himself ia terms of ucr-
Sonil kindness towards INC, took my leave. lie
dad not sho" Inc, orread, ANY paper ou the subject
The public will now, | think, be OF
no loss To determine upon the true
state OF the facts Of this case. MIR
ingham's very full statement is taken
from notes made at the time, and
which were shown 10 me shortly after
they were made. In repeated CONVEX.
sations with Mr.. Branch, our recoIlec
tons were found 10 concur. The trans.
action was of nature calculated To
awaken all nv attention., and to i'm.
press itself indel,bly upon my memory.
| claim no benefit, therefore, from any
supposed imperfection Of this faculty,
and expect to be believed, because
speak the truth.
In relation To the statement that the
paper drawn up ~ the hand writing If
the President was shown to mc, the
denial OF which | most explicitly re-
peat. II charity is to perform her holy
Office ~ reconcIlipg these conflicting
asserIl"ns, u is much more easy 10 be.
l'e'c that the memory Of the President
may have failed on this occa sion. lie
saw aud cOnVersed with various per
sons on this subject. and has to rely
upon his memory for the fact Of having
shown this paper 10 different individn.
ais. Earh of those indiriliuais is re.
CURED onty 10 speak for himself The
nature ct the transaction vas such that
u could not have escaped the reeollec.
ton Of either Of them.
u was impossible, If such a paper
had been shown, not 10 have demand.
ed aud to = ve persevered IN tie de.
mand to have the names of the persons
on whose information the rcnai.;,;on