St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-19
LOVE AND POLITICS
Badly Mixed in Romance Affecting An
Old Pioneer.
WHY HE NEVER MARRIED.
Andrew Jackson Was the Rock Upon
Which Col. Evans and His Be-
trothed Split.


ing figure in the life of this community
for three-quarters of a century. In
that time he saw three generations
grow to manhood and womanhood, but
in his loneliness neither wife nor child
ever came to comfort him, and when he
died he left the bulk of sl,OO0,OO0 to
collateral heirs. says Uniontown spec
ial to the Pittsburg Dispatch.
But few of his acquaintances ever
thought of him except as confirmed
bachelor who had never felt the passion,
dawn of his promising public career,
there swept through his practical brain
a vision of beauty and loneliness that
set his heart on fire and, if we are to
take the word of one of the old mans
lifelong friends, there never was
more ardent lover than Col. Sam Evans.
The romance of Col. Evans life is a
strange blending of love and politics.
Rebecca Hamtrammock, a beautiful
Southern girl, was the heroine, and
Gen. Andrew Jackson was the rock on
which their course OF true love
grounded.
In 1888 Judge Thomas, prominent
Georgia politician, came to the mount
aims of Fayette county to spend the
summer, accompanied by his niece,
the fair Rebecca OF the story.
Shortly after they were Joined by
the latter's brother, Maj. Gen. Ham
trammock, a daShlng officer III
the regular service. and with nm came
troop of gay companions, LII was
merry party gathered at the old Noun
tain house, not many miles from here,
where Col. Evans was frequent guest.
He soon became one of the gayest MEM
bers of the party, and Rebecca and he
drifted quite naturally together. After
a series of moonlight walks and long
drives over mountains, in the colonies
carved and pOnderouS carriage, the
finest in the country in those
days. everybody said it would be
match. and everybody would have been
right. for once, if he hadn't been for
Evans answering devotion to Presi-
dent Jackson and the principles he rep
resented. The world smiled OH Col.
Evans then. He was handsome and
stately; his position at the bar was en-
viable; political h0nOrs spread out be-
fore him; his popularity was great and
increasing: he enjoyed the close per-
sonal friendship of Gen. Simon Cameron
ard other prominent public men; added
to all this, his wealth was great The
naughty Southern girl had met her
equal.
The Hamtrammocks had their car
riage. too. with slave for driver. Re-
>becca was wOndrously beautiful, with
The fairest of complexion and the dark
est of eyes and hair. Her family was
one of the proudest representatives of
the ancient Southern regime. But the
diamonds in her ears and the brooch at
her throat were purchased with the
sweat of slaves. Col. Evans abhorred
the institution of slavery, but it
had been made reputable by
years of legislative enactments
and legal protection. Obnoxious
as it was to his Northern ideas of justice
and equality, more hateful to him at
that time appeared the states rights
heresy of Calhoun and his cratic fol-
lowers. Gen. Jackson was his idol, and
he enjoyed the personal friendship of
the great Democrat leader.
And here was where the trouble
began. Judge Thomas was one of Cal
houn's trusted lieutenants, and it is said
that his particular mission North was to
spread the state rights and free
trade theories, and especially to under
mine Jackson's popularity among
the yeoman democracy OF pennsylvania
and other Northern states. All the
power of speciOus argument and states
rights literature and money, too, for
that matter. he expected to bring to
bear to crush Jackson in his strongholdS
and pave the way for the triumph of
Calhoun's ideas in governmental affairs.
Thomas was an able exponent of the
political doctrines of the South. He had
placed himself in communication with
the party leaders in the North, and had
had more than one bout with Col. Ev-
ans, whose faith in a strong central gov
eminent he was not able to shake.
Who knows but that a foolish love
quarrel upset these tremendous plans
and sent Judge Thomas back South
again with his mission unfulfilled?
One evening, nobody knew just what
had happened, but when the carriage
deposited the fair Rebecca at the gate.
the cOlOneFs leave-taling was cold and
formal. He stepped into the carriage
again, and the door closed with bang.
Rebecca cast single def
ant look after the vehicle as it
numbered away land then walked swiftly
into the house. A hot dispute had evil
IDENTIFY passed between the imperious
Southern beauty and her strOng-willed
lover. IL lIldlhCu UliC CuI VI COl' EVANS
first and last love affair. He returned
no more during the Southerners' stay,
and a few days later they packed up
and departed.
Years afterward the old man said one
day to the friend from whom got this
story:
''Do you remember Rebecca Ham
trammock?'
VERY WE'LL" was the reply.
II came near marrying her." re-
marked the colonel quietly.
GLOW comes you never did?' boldly
inquired his friend. 1t was a question
he had never dared to touch before.
"Oh, we quarreled about Gen; Jack
son." he replied, with smile. ''Wasn't
she pretty girl?'' continued the old
man, refectively, as if recounting the
past, and wishing it were different. ;.
All hopes of reconciliation died
within him. Col. Evans remained Il
bachelor and the HamtrammOcks never
came hack