The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-01-28

His Chivalrfc and Romantic Affection for
His Wife Through All the Changes of
HE Caraar

- G41
Orleans, an account was reprinted of the re-
cent discovery in Washington of a large
trunk full of papers which belonged to Gen
eral Jackson. From these the Cincinnati
Commercial has complied the following
sketches of General Jackson's married life:
Colonel John Donelscn, a wealthy and
enterprising Virginia surveyor and the faith
er of Mrs. jackson, emigrated TO Tennessee
with his family about the year 1850. He
descended the Holston river to the Tennes-
see. thence down the Tennessee to the Ohio,
up the Ohio TO the Cumberland, and
up the Cumberland to the vicinity
OF NASHVILLE, where he fixed his home. 1t
was a voyage of 1000 miles and attended
with much adventure and peril. His daugh-
ter, Rachel, then a girl of 10 or II years,
shared its dangers a well as the dangers OF
her fathers settlement in a country infested
BY murderous savages, where children could
not go a blackberrying without an armed
escort. Under such circumstances she grew
to be "a bold, handsome, engaging, but, from
lack Of opportunity, uneducated woman.
Her fathers fortunes rapidly increased I'M
der thrifty and wise management until he
came 70 be regarded as the richest man in
that part of Tennessee, 20 hat the hand of
his vivacious ard winsOme daughter was
deemed an inestimable prize. and she there
fore had many suitors. During a temporary
residence in Kentucky she made the ac-
qualntance of Captain Lewis Robarbs, a
gentleman Of good appearance and respect
able family. 4 mutual attachment sprang
up and marriage was the consequence. 1t
proved unfortunate. The husband was of
a morose, suspicious nature, while the wife
who had been greatly INDUCED from child
hood was lively, gay, confiding and too much
inclined to innocent coqUetry perhaps to
please a spouse of such a disposition. He
grew uneasy about the attention she admit
ed from a Mr.. PeytOn Short, q lawyer, and
highly accomplished, for whose society
living under the same roof, as it happened
he seemed Ito Robards) to nave taken a
fancy. The free. h~igh-spirited, but most
v%irtuous woman that she was, naturally re-
,ented this feeling on the part other husband.
and, detecting hs espionage upon her conduct
which had misled him into suspicion, with
the wilfulness of her sex she continued 10 re-
ceive Mr.. Shorts c~ivilities until Robards was
enraged beyond decency, and their frequent
quarrels were q matter of a general remark.
\ separation became inevitable, and Mrs.
Robards prepared to return TO her mother in
Tennessee, her father having recently been
killed by the Indians. Short was on his
way To Virginia upon business and heard of
this. He very improperly addressed Mrs.
Robards a letter, condoling with her in her
trouble, avowing his affection for her and
suggesting that she apply for a divorce, and
if the suit was successful proposing to marry
her and remove to the Spanish settlements
on the Lower Mississippi, where he had
some interests. This letter, which was con
identially intrusted to a friend to be deliver
cd to her, by some accident fell into the hands
= - l. -.--A-l
in pursuit of Short. He did not overtake
him until he reached Richmond. v. Short
denied any guilt whatever on the part of
Mrs. Robards ,as he did to his dying day.,
admitted the folly of his letter and that he
alone was to blame, and expressed his
willingness to fight Rohard>, if that was his
object. y compromise was effected, by which
Short, TO avoid scandal, and to save the wo-
man he had injured by his imprudence
further than harm, paid to Richards the sum
Of 81 600, and thus appeased his jealous
anger. This transaction, which IS well au-
thenticated, fairly illustrates Robsrds' char
acter.
"Mrs. Robards in the meanwhile had sent
for her brother, Captain Samuel Donaldson,
and under his protection she was taken to
her mother. She retained until the last the
respect and love of her husbands mother,
with whom they lived at the time of the
separation, and who used all her persuasion
TO prevent it, and they parted with mutual
embraces and tears.
Richards, on his return home from Nir-
ginia, was, after some time, convinced that
he had wronged his yovng wife and sought a
reconciliation, visiting her in Tennesse for
that purpose. Trusting in the sincerity of
his admissions and repentance she consented
TO live with him, but made it a condition that
he should purchase land in the neighborhood
of her mother and reside there. To this he
agreed, but several months elapsed before
arrangements for a separate establishment
could be completed, they in the interim
making their home with Mrs. Donelson.
AT the time there were boarding with
this lady two young attorneys, Andrew
Jackson and John Overton, The latter had
read law at Harrodsburg, Kentucky, and
lived with the senior Mrs. BObards. He
there made the acquaintance of her daugh-
ter-in-law, and on his removal to Nashville
to engage in the practice of his profession
this acquaintance enabled him to find a home
with Mrs. Donelson. He introduced Jack
son TO her, who, too, was received as a
boarder. They occupied q small cabin to
themselves. taking their meals at the family
IL HhNNCLt1 -" ANN CNF-eo III
those perilOus times on account of danger
from the Indians, who were constantly COM
uniting d~epredstions in the neighborhoed-
ON Mrs. Robards's arrival her condition, Of
course became known to them both Over
ton had already been made made aware of
it. and both deeply sympathized with her.
jackson who was chivalry itself in his de-
pertinent toward women, paid her the most
polite attentions. When reunited with her
husband he congratulated her upon the pros
peet of restored domestic happiness, and with
ont dreaming Of disturbing it, continued as
polite in his duty 10 her a. before. This
excited again the jealousy of her unprincipled
husband, and all the former bitterness be-
tween them revived. jackson heard of it,
sought an interview with Richards and expos
tulated with him upon his conduct. An
angry alteration ensued, which ended by
jackson threatening to cut Robards' ears off
should he eyer mention his name in any dis
reputable connection with that of has wife,
and he sought quarters elsewhere, After
this the parties lived very wretehedly together
for several months and until Mrs Richards