Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1876-08-26
The Woman ever Whom AM
drew Jacks0m's Cabin ct
went to Pieces.

Few peopls know, writes = Washing
ton correspondent, that the once famous
Mrs. Eaton still lives; she who, as wife
Of General Jackson's Secretary Of War,
raised such a commotion, nearly half a
century agc, in Washington society. As
pretty Peggie O'Neil, the daughter of a
country tavern keeper at Bladenburg,
she won the heart ola purser in the
navy, Mr.. Undertake, aud after his
death married Gen. James Eaton. Soci-
ETY. in those days was decidedly in a
rough, rude state; and, according TO a
veracious chronicle, the only requisites
for introductions into the best circles
were "a clean shirt, a whole coat and a
congressional friend" Hot disputes
characterized social parties, where gen.
tlemcn dashed wine in each Others
faces, ladies clasped their glasses in the
palms Of their hands to hide the quanti-
ty Of whisky they drank, and members
Of Congress, who were neither gentlemen
nor ladies, resorted to fsticuffs in the
gold and lilac halls, and pistols at the
old cross roads.
Not an inviting picture Of the times
of our fathers, but rather necessary to an
understanding of the state of affairs
when this woman vas the uncrowned
queen OF the nation. After a long but
unquiet reign, bitter jealousies were
aroused by her exactions, and the mine
finally exploded under her feet, at a
state dinner, when the wife Of a foreign
minister refused to sit at the table with
her, and marching with outraged digni-
ty out of the room, she was followed
by a cool stare through Mrs. Eaton's
eyeglasses. .and the ~satrical compliment,
a fine carriage Madame--has?"
The breach was made; the battle
grew hotter; the wives Of the cabinet
officers refused to visit her. Mrs. Eaton
complained to the President, he remon-
strated with his cabinet; a fierce quar-
rel cnsued, which resulted in the forma-
ton OF the famous Kitchen cabinet"
In which Amos Kendall, Frank Blair,
ST., and other politicians, holding
minor positions or zone at all, welded
an authority superior to that of tbs
members Of the cabinet themselves.
Like the blind Samson, the down.
fall Of the queen had come, but ste sas
determined that her enemies should
be buried with her in the ruins. Her
fame and influence went down with the
setting sun of Jackson's administration,
and as her bitterest enemy, Van Buren,,
came into power, her days Of royal
sovereignty were gone forever. She
had the grit and audacity to visit that
gentleman, however, and deliver to him
her opinion Of his conduct,i winding up
her TRADE by shaking her fist in his
face and calling him ga sheaking old
fox" which nickname hung to him all
his life. After her decline and fall she
became religious, devoting her large for
tune to charities and her leisure time to
the education Of her adopted grand
children.
A handsome Dung foreigner-Buchig-
mani, by name--was employed as dane
ing master in the family, and again
Washington rang with Mrs. Eaton's
name, for She a woman past sixty
after a brief courtship, married a dane
ing master who had just attained bis
majority. In a few years he had squan-
dered all her property, and at last
brought to himself everlasting disgrace
and to her eternal sorrow, by robbing
her of all her jewels and personal prop
srty Of which he could gain possession
and clipping with her granddaughter
So fell the curtain again on a dismal
scene in her life, and | saw her a few
evenings ago. still a sprightly woman
with traces Of former beauty in her face
framed by silver hair, and watching
with proud eyes the mimic scene where
her grandson-who is her comfort aud
support-wss ''acting we'll his part" Sc
| goes the world.