The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1876-01-28
The Woman Over Whom Andrew Jacksona a
Cabinet Went to Pieces.

/ Few persons know that the once lannon's
Mrs. Eaton still lives; she who, as wife of
Ten. Jackson's Secretary-of- War, raised
such commotton. nearly half century
ago. in Washington society. As pretty
-feggy o'Neil, the daughter of country
tavern-keeper at Bladensburg, she won the
heart of purser in the navy, Mr.. Timber
lake, and after his death married Gen.
James Eaton. Society in those days was
decidedly in rough, rude state and. ac-
cording TO veracious chronicler, the only
requisites for introduction inte the best
circles were ''a clean shirt, a whole coat
and Congressional friend" Hot disputes
characterized social parties, where gentle
men dashed wine in each others faces.
ladies clasped their glasses in the palms Of
their hands to hide the quantity of whisky
they drank, and members of Congress, who
were neither gentlemen nor ladies', resorted
to fisticuffs in the gold and lilac halls. and
pistols at the old Bladensbnrg crossroads.
Not an inviting picture of the times of our
fathers, but rather necessary to an under
| standing of the state of affairs when this
woman was the uncrowned queen of the
nation. After long, but unquiet reign,
bitter jealousies were aroused by her ex-
actions, and the mine finally exploded un-
der her feet at state dinner, when the wife
of a foreign minister refused to sit at the
table with her, and marching with outraged
dignity from the room, she was followed by
acool stare through Mrs. Eaton's eye glasses
and the satrical compliment, What a fine
| carriage Madam has !''
The breach was made; the battle grew
hotter; the wives of the cabinet officers re-
fused to visit her Mrs. Eaton complained
to the President he demonstrated with his
cabinet a fierce quarrel ensued, which re-
suited i'll the formation of the famous
"kitchen cabinet" in which Amos Ken
dali, Frank Blair Sr., and other politicians.
holding minor positions or none at all, WELD
ed an authority superior to that of the
members of the cabinet themselves. Like
the blind Samson, the downfall of the
queen had come, but she was determined
that her enemies should be buried with her
in the RUNS. Her fame and influence went
down with the setting sun of Jackson's ad-
ministration, and as her bitterest enemy.
Van Buren, came into pow CT, her days of
royal sovereignty were gone forever. She
had the grit and audacity to visit that gen.
tleman, however, and deliver to him her
opinion of his conduct, winding up her
TRADE by shaking her fist in his face and
calling him "a sneaking old fox" which
nickname clung to him all his life. After
her decline and fall, she became religious,
devoting her large fortune to charities and
her leisure time to the education of her
adopted grandchildren. A handsome young
Observation-Disclosures by name-was en-
ployed rs dancing master in the family, and
again Washington rang with Mrs. Eaton's
name, for shea woman past sixty-after
brief courtship, married a dancing mas
Ivw' yJanS assastrvIvsf sslf 1fur
property, and at last brought to himself
everlasting disgrace, and to her eternal sor-
row, by robbing her of all her jewels and
personal property of which he could gain
possession, and clipping with her grand
daughter. So fell the curtain again ON
dismal scene in herlife; 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 grandson
who is her comfort and .support--was
"acting well his part" So goes the world,
-WashiBgton Letter to Rochester Democrat |