Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-01-03
THE EVENING STAR.
fRADAH............ 3, 1873.
Congressman Acklen.
BRIEF HISTORY OF HIS EARLY LIFE AND Ts


| BRIEF HISTORY OF HIS EARLY LIFE AND Tram.
| ING-MRS. ACKLEN'S MARRIAGES.
| A telegram to the n. Y. Herald from Evans.
| vile, Ind, Jan. |, says: There are many incl
dents associated with Mr. Acklen's social his
| tory which. though bearing no relation 10 his
| recent adventures, may yet he told as part OF
| the romantic history OF a most romantic young
man. Mr.. Acklen Is young man. scarcely
| more than eight and twenty, and is native OF
| Nashville, Tenn. He has been the especial Der
OF fortune and his life one OF ease. eley ance and
luxurious leisure. His mother, al present Mrs.
| DIR. Cbeatham, of Nashville was formerly Mis-
! Adelicia Hays, whose nephew, j. Addison HAYS.
| OF Memphis, about one year since married the
| daughter of jefferson Davis, president of the
| late Confederacy.
MRS. ACKLEN'S TRIPLE MARRIAGE
First, she was tie wife OF Mr. Franklin. of
| Tennessee: second, of Joseph. Acklen, ST., OF
huntsville. Ala, and third, of DIR. William 4.
Cheatham, OF Nashville. The history of her
| NE reads something like romance About
| forty years ago there lived in sumner county,
Ienn., twenty miles mol Ih OF Nashville. an i'm
mensely wealthy Old bachelor naTed Franklin
lie was the hicheSt man in Tennessee. owned
two cotton Plantations in Mississippi, TWO sugar
plantations in Louisiana, and more than one
thousand negro slaves. His place of residence
Ian 'ield, vas lordly manor of several hundred
blue g'ass acres and rich in hill and vale and
avn anu running brook. 1t had magnificent
ark StC cked with herds OF buffalo and deer
lie stables were llled with blue booded nags.
lat cat l. broWsed in its fields and imported 0,
| cul ants b,eated in its coSey Sheepfolds. The
Fairfield mansion was quite in keeping With ali
rs beautiful surroundings. Splendid art gal
ielleS OF choice Works, libraries stocked with
mental onuence. While statues, fountains
ateS. arDoTS, rustic bridges and CONSEQUENCES
aaoineG the grounds and completed the picture
on winch these words are but arOugh outline The
owner or all this was benevolent hearted gen
erOuS-Souled old gentleman q man of yariai ac
compartments and thorough culture, a typical
southern planter or flushed time, hoSpitaba
Senla! ana philanthropc, whose doors were
always swung ajar for the coming guest
HOW MISS HAYS CAUGHT A MILLIONAIRE.
one DAY gay party OF young people from
| Nashville visited the abode of the hacheIor and
among them was Miss Hays. since mother In
Songl esSman Acklen, who at that time was
beautiful and viyaciouS belle of the Tenna zee
| capital. Mr.. Franklin was absent but his lod re
keeper accommodated the visitors with the rare
sight or buffalo chase and deer hunt: the
DG5tFe d'h0tei set cut a most bountifui SnrpI nd
| and the hours, though brief. were rosy. Before
| leaving each lady and gentleman was requested
| 10 register in the reception, an eccentifcty OF
| Hays thought it capital fun to place opposite
| her delicate chirography sentence signifylng
her Intention to ''Set her cap for the Old bach
elor.' II worked like charm If was the tuTn
of The tide in the affairs OF Miss HayS. Rarhn
Tor Franklin hitherto 1nvulnerab,e to Cupid's
arrows, was struck in tender spot by the
Ifalhefed dart-the gray goose Quill of Miss
Hays. A brief courtsnip, a grand wedding and
Miss Hays became Mrs Franklin, and the mis-
treSS. too, of FairtieldS broad acres and its con-
comitants. TWO or three children blessed the
union, but the angel OF death looked in unon
the household, and In the course of a few years
claimed as his own each of the babes as well
as millionaire Franklin himself, thus leaving a
blooming young widow erich as creek mud
ana no encumbranceS whatever.
MARRIED TO JOSEPH ACKLEN,
MIS. franiiin mad money TO spend, money to
iend, money to give away. Her crops Of gal.
lantS was as strong as a Scottish clan and con
tanned more clivalry than the reInue Of a feud-
al lord. Ii, as it was charged. she married the
hrSt time for money, her second wedding was
lHN-n
apoor but respectable young lawyer OF Hunts
VlLe Ala, Joseph Ackien. 1t is not known to
the writer whether Mr.. Acklen had ever formed
the acquaintance Of brief or received an intro
ducti0n to case in court, but in his maiden
speech, though it was spoken to a widow, he
was successful; 1t is said that his engagement
ring was paid for by the lady he had won
After their marriage they began to live in regal
SplendoT Three children were born to them
Oh Whom Congressman Aclllen was their eldest
ard their pride. They removed to a still more
beautiful place near Nashville on the FranEylin
| road. magnificent mansion was erected and
cailed I" Belmont" 1t was Superbly situated
on high, commanding ground. portion OF those
chaIEilng contentious hills stretching from
| liver TO river and enclosing the handsome CITY
| OF Nashville. Behind was the city with its
| central hill, as il citadel, and quite as Dicfur
eSque as q Rhenish castle or Athentan acropolis.
In front, TWO miles distant stood another range
OF Nils stretching from river to river. Across
IhlS valley the battle Of Nashville was fought
| i'll December, 1865. While Sherman was march,
| ing down to the sea the rebel General Hood
| made dash toward Nashville and drove
General Thomas back upon this splendid line OF
hatural Fertilization, and Belmont became
| eial Thomas Headquarters, and thus be-
comes historical ground. To describe this
| superb nome, with all of its elegant surround
| ings; would require considerable space. 1t was
freely acknowledged tie giandest residence in
| me south and was the Mecca Of all SghtSeerS.
YOUNG ACKLENs BIRTHPLACE.
Born and reared at this magnificent snot
| Young Acklen had far happier lot tnan usually
| ialiS 20 mortalS. His education was intrusted
| % the very best private teachers. He was taken
| 20 Europe, learned French, German and Italian:
| travelled and saw strange lands; he grew up a
| handsome, urbane, dashing fellow. During the
children. His father Went to Louisiana to look
after their plantations. One of these planta-
| tlons was situated up Red river, where Mr..
| Acklen was cut off from the world by the forces
| OF Gen. Banks, and where he was taken sick
| and died.
MARRIAGE NO. g.
After the war Mrs. Acklen returned to Nash
| vile, widow for the second time, still fresh,
| blooming and attractive. SuitorS were not at
| all backward in coming forward" and finally
| in 1861, she was married to Dr. William a
Cheatham distinguished Tennessee phySi-
| clan, whose brother was the Confederate Gen.
| eral Cheatham, and whose first wife was sister
! to the wife of General John H. Morgan, the
famous confederate raider. Incidental to Mrs.
AcklenS history it may be told that her crop of
| cotton having been seized by the federal au-
thorities she engaged the legal services OF Gen
| Cld1 NlHtOu D. lllON, VI ICiuCSSct- ItCDk-
! cred for her the handsome sum OF s., ZOO, 900 10
| payment for the cotton seized,
HOW AcKLEN REACHED CONGRESS.
| AS his share OF the princely fortune Congress-
man Acklen received one of the Louisiana plan
tations. After completing his education In Eu
| rope he also graduated from the Lebanon
! fIenn:) law school, and shortly after moved tC
! Memphis. He did not practice his profession
| long, however, for he soon became enamored OF
| and was married to Miss Bethel, whose father
was also rich. His wife only lived about one
| year. and young Acklen moved from Memphis
| to his Louisiana plantation, from which section
| he was sent 10 Congress.
| "A BRIDE IN HER HONEYMOON Ssor ON
| CHRISTMAS AND DEAD ON NEW YEAR-Nrs
,i =. ca ilaS ue started from her fathers house
| at o6 Center street on Christmas DIV 70 III .