The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1867-08-23
Dantotk kyeffersonialr.
Andrew JACKSON.

~ NoAuciCS gives some luIeTeSllns
and hitherto unpublished anecdotes
of General Jackson. He says:
During the administration of Gen
Jackson. it was the good fortune o
the writer to be in Washington and
visit the President several times
ION one of these occasions the visit
was most fortunate one, as develo,
lping the characteristic decision ol
General Jackson. 1t was in 1882
just as notification was about being
hatched, business and pleasure had
drawn the writer into a circle oi
strong friends of the administration
at the capital by the politeness OF
Gen. Smith, who was then Register
OF the Treasury, We were introduced
to the President at the Executive
Mansion. Soon after we became
seated, the question was put to the
President whether he had read the
despatch from Charleston in the
morning papers which lay upon
his table. He promptly replied
No; 1 get but little time to read the
news. What is it? read it, The
paragraph was then read by General
Smith announcing the disturbance at
the Custom House in Charleston
Immediately the President eXclaim-
ed, 1T can't be true. We shall have
another version of that story The
remark was made that it appeared to
be authentic, and that it would prob.
ably be confirmed before night. Up
on this the President arose from his
chair, stamped his foot upon floor,
and bringing his clenched right hand
emphatlcally upon the palm of his
left hand exclaimed, Il tell you, il
that proves true, I'll put all the
thunder of uncle Sans guns right
into their teeth--I willi'
Gen. Jackson then drew from his
pocket plug of tobacco, and taking g
an uncommonly large quid, paced
the room for several minutes, but
soon seated himself before the wood
fire in the old fashioned arm chair
The hand-irons were of brass and
of the tall, olden style There he sal
in perfect absorption of mind, think
ing, chewing, splitting, until he had
pretty well sprinkled the newly pol
ished hand irons, and nearly put out
the fire, while the puddle of tobacco
juice upon the hearth would almost
have sufficed to float shingle.
'In the meantime the gentlemen ol
our circle had kept up constant
chat among ourselves in another part
of the room. But suddenly General
Jackson arose from his chair, and,
one our company who felt most ac-
quainted, said to the President that
if he had got over that dispatch
would read another. What now,
what now?' exclaimed the General.
A paragraph was then read to him,
to the effect that Gen. Atkinson had
been defeated by the Sac and Fox
Indians on the western frontier
Nonsense said the President, Il do
not believe a word of that and
why? asked one of the company
well for the simple reason that Gen.
Atkinson is a brave man. very
well, sir; but what would you have
done in his position, with two hun
dred and fifty regulars against twen-
ty-five hundred picked and trained
warriors-ten to one?' sWhst would
l have done? Why, 1 would have
cut my way through them. That s
what would have done The gen
tleman who read the dispatch simply
rejoined, Il should like to have seen
you do it,
The President then sat down again
to indulge in another reverie so pro-
found that he became quite uncon-
scious that any one was present. 1t
was proposed that we should not
disturb him by taking formal leave,
and we steaithily withdrew, one after
another, leaving the President in
profound rapt meditation.
At another call, different phase
of General Jackson's character was
pretty strongly developed, to wit,
his egotism. He was dressed in q
more than half-worn suit of black,
and received the writer in very IA
miliar and affable manner. In the
course of the interview, as we walked
the room together,she said, "These
carpets are somewhat worn, but they
are good enough for me. They were
John Quincy Adams Again he re-
marked, Il suppose, Mr.. b., you are
aware that ON the accession Of a
President there is an approprion of
fourteen thousand dollars for refittlng
the Executive Mansion. Well, l
want to tell you what ] am doing
with my fourteen thousand dollars.
Have you been into the East RoomT-
On replying the negative, he request
ed a government official to take the
writer into that apartment, first
promising, 4 wish you to understand
that until my accession to the Pres
idency, that room was mere lumber
garret, where everything, was slowed
away that was required to be moved
from other parts of the house. 1t is
now neatly and plainly furnished,
but the furniture is not all put in
After returning, the General called
the writer to the windows to look out
upon the grounds which were under
gowing quite transformation. He
remarked as he pointed to the
grounds, This was John Quincy
Adams cow-pasture before 1 came
here, and am putting the whole
thing into state that shall be be-
coming to the place and the country,
and these are the ways in which l am
spending my fourteen thousand dol
lars Having never before been in
Washington, and consequently beng
ignorant of the appearance of the
East Room and the grounds prior to
this visit. the writer could not say
whether any grains of allowance we're
to be thrown into the scale, when
Judging of the transmutation of the
lumber garnet and the cow-pasture.
But this one thing was apparent at
the time, and has become more SO
since that II the ornamentation of the
grounds, and the elegant habitable.
ness of the East Room were and are
indebted to the pioneership OF Gen.
Jackson, then the people of the coun-
try should respect his wisdom in the
expenditure of bis appropriation.
On returning home after q nth