Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-07-03
"PERLEYS REMINISCRNGRa.n
The Federal City During the Admin
fstratiOn Of Old Hickory.

/ man who could write it," Although the words
OF this and of the subsequent messages were
not Gen. Jacksons, the ideas were, and he
always insisted on having them clearly ex-
pressed. IL was in his first message, by the
to The fact that the charter of the United States
bank would expire in 1886, and asserted that
UNIFORM and sou ,ns q hs bs
beginning OF that fierce political contest which
resulted IN the triumph OF Gen. Jacks and
the overthrow OF the United States bank.
| GENERAL JACKSON
rarely left the White House, where he passed
the greater portion of his time in his Office in
the second story. smoking a corn-cOb pipe with
long reed stem. He was at the commence
ment OF his presidential term sixty-two years
| OF age. tall, spare, with a high forehead, from
| which his gray hair was brushed back, a deci-
sive nose, searching, keen eyes. and W hen good
hatured AN almost childlke expression about
his mouth. a seii-reiant, prejudiced and often
! very 1rascible old man, il was a very difficult
TASK To manage him. Some of his cabinet ad-
Vlsers made 1T a point to be always with him,
10 prevent others from insratiatiny themselves
| into his good WILL and they were thus chrOn-
| Icied i'll "A ballad OF the time:
| King Andrew had five trusty 'squires,
W nom he held his bid 10 do;
lie also had three pilot fish,
, . 10 give the sharks their cue.
There Was Mat and Lou and Jack and Lev,
ana Roger Ut fancy hue,
And Kendall Chief cook,
Aud Isaac SuFnamed the true"
Mat. Van Buren, was Secretary OF State, Lou.
/ McLane Secretary OF the Treasury, John Branch
was Secretary of the Navy, Lev. Woodbury. was
his successor, and Roger b. fancy was At.Or-
hey General. Blair, Kendall, and Isaac Hill
/ Were also known as The Kitchen Cabinet"
The confidential advisers OF General jackson
lost no time IN establishing daily newspaper
which would speak his sentiments and sound u
Keynote 1or the guidance oi his followers. The
dshua9fCa GtoOe was accordingly started on
an Immediate paying basis, as il had the name
OF every federal office hoder whose salary ex-
ceeded one thousand dollars on It's subscription
iist. Inc paper Was sent them, and In due time
/ the Dill ior gear. II remittance was made,
well ana good; Ii payment was refused, the de-
llnquent was tolu Informally that he could pay
me ptioh 10 the Gtooe, or DC replaces oy
sohie one else who would pay 1t. 1t was owned
ana edited by Blair d itlves, Rives attending to
the business department. OF the establishment.
| MR.. BLAIR AND MIR. CLAY.
| Mr.. Blair had been the partner of Amos Ken
dial! in the publication OF the Frankfort Ar0us,
and they had both deserted Henry Clay when
they enlisted in the movement which gave the
/ electoral vote of Kentucky to Gen. Jackson,
| and joined in the cry of bargain and corrul-
/ ton raised against their former friend. 1t is
/ related that the first Interview between Clay
and Blair after this desertiOn was i. very awk-
ward one tor the latter, who felt that he had
/ behaved shabbily. Clay had ridden over on
horseback from LIE xinston to Frankfort, in the
winter season, on legal business, and on alight-
1 ing from his horse at the tavern door found
himself confronting Blair, who was just leaving
! the house. How do You do Mr.. Blair? inquired
| the great commOner, in his silyery tones, and
blandest manner, at the same time extending
| his hand. Blair mechanically took the rendered
hand, but was evidently nOnpluSsed, and at
length SAID, with an evident effort, pretty
! well, thank you, sir. How did you find the
| Roads from Lexington here:" THE roads are
very bad, Mr. Blair, graciously replied Clay,
| mend your ways
| MIR. Blair made it rule to defend in the
| columns OF the Globe the acts of Jackons adj
| ministration, right or wrong, ana he waged
mercileSs warfare against Those who opposed
| them. When COL William X. King, OF Ala
| bama, once begged him to soften an attack up
/
| let II tear his heart cut" With all his pOliti-
cal insolence, however, he possessed remark
| able Kindness, and more lndulsent father
was never known i'll W Washington.
| THE WASHINGTON PAPERS,
| up to this time, contained very little of what
has since been known as local news. Aparade,
| an Inauguration, Or the funeral of distin-
| guished person would receive brief mention,
| but the peasant gossip CT the day was entirely
/ ignored. IL was then necessary tor the corre-
/ spondent of paper in a northern city to
O'Clock at night To insure its departure by the
early mornings mail northward. Letters
| written " New York did not, consequently,
| appear until the second day after they were
| written, while those sent to Boston rarely ap-
| peared before the fourth day. The people then
| were better posted as 10 what TRANSFERRED al
| the nations capital than they are now, when
| dispatches cal be sent In a lew moments at
| any time oil day night.
| sonal literature. she managed to secure an old
| Ramage printing press and "a font OF battered
4
| way apprentices and traInping iourneymen
printers, she published, on Capitol Hill, tor sew
| eral years, a small weekly sheet called the
Hunfress. Every person OF any distinction who
! visited Washington received q call from Mrs.
Royal, and ii They subscribed Tor the Huatress
| they We're described in the next number In u
| complimentary manner bH II they declined
| she abused them without mercy. When young
| she was a short, plump, and not bad-ookns
woman, but as sue advanced III years her nesn
disappeared, and her nose seemed To increase
III size: but her piercing black eyes lost none Ut
| their IRE, While her tongue wagged more
| abnsiyely when her temper was reused. John
| Quincy Adams described her AS going about
| like IL virago-errant in enchanted armor, re-
| deemiDg herself from the cramps of Indulgence
by the notoriety vi her eccenlricities and the
| forced currency they gave to her publications."
A COMMON sCoLD.
| Mrs. Royals tongue at last became so unen-
durable that she was formally indicted by the
grand jury a common scold, and was tried
| in the Circuit Court before Judge Cranch. His
! honor charged the jury at length reviewing the
testimony and showing that, Ii found guilty, she
! must be Gucked in accordance with the English
! law in force iii the District of Columbia. The
| jury found her guilty, but her counsel begged
/ his honor, the Judge, to weigh the matter and
| not be the nrst ~ Introduce u ducklng- stool,
(which had been obsolete III England since the
| reign OF Queen Anne as the introduction OF
| such AN engine OF punishment might have the
effect OF increasing criminals oI this class. II
| the Greek legislators would not enact Il punish
| ment for u crime not unknown To them lest it
| should induce persons To commit That Otense,
| the court should not permit the introduction Ol
| the ducking-stooI lest il might lead ~ AN in
| crease OF common scolds. This argument had
weight, and fine was imposed on MrssROy all,
| which was duly paid.
| y. +. WILLIS AS A CORRESPONDENT.
| The lrst society Letters" they are called,
| written from Washington were by Nathaniel
| T.. Willis TO the New York Mirror. Willis was
at that time loppish, slender young man.
| with "A prOiuslon Oh long light hair and was
always dressed in lhe height OF fashion. He
mad, while travelling III Europe, mingled with
n. al hs
down upon the nasses, but with all his SHOT,
/ bishness he had a wonderful faculty Tor endow-
in. trifiins occurrences with interest, and his
/ letters have never been surpassed. He pos
/ sSssed a sunny nature, full OF poetry, emil usi.
! asiI and cheerfulness, and was always willing
To say pleasant word Tor those who treated
| him kindly, and never sought To retaliato on
/ those who sBeered at and n,liigned him.
Willis first introduced steel pens al W Qshiug-
| ton, having brought over from England some
OF those made by Joseph elliott, al Birming-
nam. Before this gOose-qulll pens had been
exclusively used. aud there was in each House
oil Congress and III each department q pen
maker, who knew what degree Of hexibiIity
and breadth III point each writer desired.
Every gentleman nad To carry penknife, and
10 have in his desk hone 10 sharpen il on,
giving the finishing touches Oh one OF his boots
Another new invention Of that epoch was the
lucifer match box, which superseded the large
matches were In the upper portion OF u paste
board case about an inch in diameter aud six
inches in length, and IL u com purtment be-
meath them was u bottle containing u chemical
prexaratiop, into which the brimstOne-coated
end of the match was dipped and thus ignited,
| PETER FORCE.
The mayor Of Washington during portion OF