The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-09-25
THE MRS. EATON SCANDAL.
soME "REMINISCENCES OF FOREIGN ADVENTURES
IN WASHINGTON

soME "REMINISCENCES OF FOREIGN ADVENTURES
IN WASHINGTON.
TCorrespondence Cincinnati Commercially
WASHINGTON. September 19-The arrest OF
Buchipnani pronounced Buchynanny) in New
York has revived old and new scandals of Mrs.
Eaton, the Pompadour of American politics.
This lady was the rompins daughter Of a
Washington tavern keeper, and one of the at
fractions of the hotel; the latter stood near the
site of the present Wizards, on Pennsylvania
avenue. There one Timberlake, an officer OF
the United States naval service, married Mrs.
Eaton, while ashore, and passed away like
Enoch Arden, after having maltreated his wife
till it had become town talk
MRS. EATON THAT WAS.
The lively young grass window continued to
be the attraction OF the hostelry. Among it's
guests was old General Eaton, who seems to
have been nearly as old as the Prophet Jere-
miah. He is said to have coquetted with the
lady quite no to the mark OF legal blandish-
ments, and IN order to make things more satis-
factory, he finally married her. Hale old Janu-
ary and ripe young May prospered we'll; young
Eatons came apace; the General was made
Secretary OF War by Andrew Jackson, and Mrs.
Eaton became the perennial scandal Of the
time. At this distance it is neither just nor
safe to recapitulate the precious quarrels at
court. arising out Of Polly Timberlake coming
to power. Three positions were taken by the
high-contracting gossippers of that day.:
First and worst, that Andrew Jackson, wild
over, was very fond OF Eaton, that General
like another Helen, took another Troy. This
story, so coarsely circumstantial, was as pa
tent in those days as the recent gossip about
Th,ddeus Stevens housekeePer, or Mrs. Cobb,
the friend Of Mr. Johnson. Calhoun and the
Federalists at large printed it, said it in
speeches, and electioneered upon it.
Next position, that the women OF Washing
ton. among them Jackson's daughter-in-law,
were jealous of Mrs. Eaton, and started the
SANDER upon her. That she had compelled
her noodle of Q husband to complain to jack
son, who insisted upon every Democratic Of
ficeholders wife visiting Mrs. Eaton on penalty
Of dismissal.
Aud last, in the precise words Of Jackson
himself, "Mrs. Eaton is as virtuous as my
sons baby. My God, gentlemen, she is the
purest woman IN the world. Great God what
is this I hear upon the sweetest of her sex2
Bring me my duelling pistols, Van Ito Van Bu-
ren)l Great God will walk down the ave-
nue. aud murder these assassins OF reputation !"
All this and more is to be found in the Con-
gressional Library, in pamphlets, newspapers,
farces. what not. The social condition OF
Washington, over this woman, looks ut this
retrospection like chapter out Of Louis Ky.
lenges, reign of terror happened. Gen. Eaton
ate gunpowder. Mrs. Eaton kept up her head
like Zenobia, or, rather, sort Of female Csssa-
blanca, heroic upon the burning deck. Van
Buren, to please Jackson and be next Presi-
dent, got all the foreign ministers to recognize
Mrs. Eaton, and introduce her into their fami.
lies. Old Hickory gave great dinners, and es-
corted her IN himself, but scarcely one Ameri-
can woman would speak to his fair protege,
deliberately turning their backs upon her. The
small fry Of ofice-seekers sent their wives to
call on Mrs. Eaton, and received Office tor their
servility. She dressed richest, stepped high
est, smiled the superbest. Becky Sharp and
Agnes Sorel seemed to have found q vindca-
tor. If half Of this drama were to occur at
this prim time in which We live, Mrs. Lincoln's
wardrobe and John Aliens wiokedness would
paper. The cable would convey to Europe the
latest phase OF the Eaton imrrogho, and the
press in general be "Eaton's Will Gazettes, T"
indeed.
At last the whole Cabinet of MIR. jackson
were removed by their permission, to let Mrs.
Eaton up grandly. Van Buren,, who, on the
occasion, seems to have been almost n,dcke-
rean, resigned irst. General Eaton was sent
to Madrid, and there his lady accompanied
him. AS wife of the ambassador, the dearer
by her prosecutions, Mrs. Eaton throve well in
Madrid She travelled much, enj yed much,
for Europe in tae South is not the land OF the
Puritan, and to have been scandalized was not
there to be crushed. At last the old General
died and left his widow the whole of o fine for
tune. AS the Foscarl came back to Venice, his
birthplace, though to be tortured there, Mrs.
Eaton returned to the city Of her girlhood and
Injury, and passed into silence, accepting social
Ostracism but not di6cOntepted.
MRS. BUsHIGNANI THAT Is.
A long time must elapse; the old race Of folks
died out. Old Amos Kendall is left Of all jack
sons Cabinet officers and he bas turned Bsp-
tist in his old age, built an eighty thousand
dollar church, and passed his bleached locks
under the water fount. But the strange, old
lady lives on, showing all her three-score and
ten years. Her house on street, near Twer.-
tieth, has grandchildren in it. Another grand
child, Randolph, was an officer in the war.
The great world let's Mrs. Eaton alone; she
was Unionist in her retired way, and mean
time, she is married for the third time. An
Italian, handsome, young, dark, well-nan-
nered, not thirty years old, has courted this
old woman of nearly thrice his age. He WAS
a dancing master. who drifted here with q
fiddle bow in his hand, and during almost
all the war he kept library IN the capitol,
on the House side, which position his wife
obtained for him. He played cards with
other young men, had good berth OF
it, and grandmother in the berth.
Folks who visited the house at that
time, speak Of the rema1 kable foudness Of the
old lady for her young husband. She had their
portraits painted together, gave him money in
plenty and tenderness in excess, and was her
self fully satisfied. But your true adventurer
can never be Gagged. he filled that house with
skeletons Before he left the city with Mrs.
Eston's grandchild he boasted around town Of
his intimacy with her. He was common pill
ferer, an extortioner-tried to get what tee
French ell the "bottom dollar" from Mrs.
Eaton, and. failing when half way down, he
crowned what had long been secret villany
by carrying off the grandchild as his open mis-
tress. She is about seventeen years old, hand
some, and lost. Buchignani has had her 10
Europe, living himself while there in other de-
bauchery, and proving himself Fra Diavolo.
This is little lifting OF the curtain upon nook
of WASHINGTON life. The old Eaton scandal,
which burned lightly nearly forty years ago,
has been relighted after all this quiet, and will
probably expire in blazs OF sulphur.
OTHER ITALIANS IN WASHINGTON.
The history of Italian and other foreigners
who have figured in this city is a catalogue Of
most mongrel and often OF monstrous biogra-
phies. With few exceptions, some tragic epi-
sode has marked the lives Of most OF them.
The construction Of public bulldin. .s required
from the foundation Of the city class OF deco
rators, stone:utters, painters, &C., found
chiefly in Italy, and many OF them are working
still IN the district, some upon the mosaic
work of the Capitol, others in the departments,
and they have imported hither their artistic
Bohemianisms I will give you few names