Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-22
GATHERED BY DEATH.
Three Notable Persons About Whose
Lives Many Memories Cluster.
PRESIDENT POLK'S WIDOW
Incidents Connected With Her Husbands Ad-
ministrstion and Her Residence in wash.
ington-George Jones and His Brilliant
Partner, Henry =. Raymond.
Written for The Evening Star

Written for The Evening Star.
nEATH HAS GATHERED INTO ITS FOLD
II during the week distinguished victims
Mr.. Lowell, Mr.. Jones Of the New York Times
and Mrs. James X. Polk. The first Of these.
Mr.. Lowell, had reputation which made his
name honored on both sides of the Atlantic
and Mr.. Jones leaves a monument in the grea {
paper he established more enduring than mar
BILE or bronze.
Mrs Polk by many Of our older citizens will
be mourned, as the memory Of her is endeared
to them by her long residence here. even before
she became the occupant of the Executive
Mansion, over which she presided with dig
nifty and grace which made the four years Of
the administration of Mr.. Polk memorable.
Mr.. Polk was not a genial man. and he came
into Office with all the bitterness eneendered
by a severe contest, conducted. as it was claimed
by the wings, in q manner which left ranking
soreness on the defeated. The Mexican war,
which followed so soon after his inauguration,
| and the partisan conduct which arrayed the
| leading wings against it rendered the President
Tor the time being very unpopular.
The one popularity of Washington social life
| is the utter absence of political strife, which
never enters it. The usual courtesies OF the
Executive Mansion were extended to both
friends and foes of the administration in Con-
presided over the presidential mansion and her
tact and kindness did much to remove the
animosities engendered by the political con-
tentions on the floor of Congress. The admins
| tration OF Mr.. Polk was one of the most pure,
and was free from the scandals which have since
been so frequent. Mr.. Polk himself was SO con-
| scientious rs to refuse. even as O trustee OF an
estate, to deal in government securities. In
Mr.. Corcorans Legacy Of q Grandfather a
| letter is published from Mr.. Polk declining to
receive an advance which the United States
bonds had obtained since his purchase Of them,
requesting that the amount he paid only be trans
ferred to some other security, as he doubted
the propriety Of dealing in government bonds
while holding the Office of President, though it
was for an estate of which he was trustee.
MIR. PoLK's CABINET.
He was partisan, however, in the strictest
sense of the word, as was evidenced BY his APP
pointments made in the army during the war.
His cabinet was a very able one--Mr. Buchanan,
Secretary Of State: Robert J. Walker Secretary
OF the Treasury; Vim. L. Marcy, Secretary OF
War; George Bancroft, Secretary of the Navy
lwhen he was appointed minister to England
John Y. Mason OF Virginia, who had been At
torney General, succeeded him); Cave johnson,
Postmaster General, one of the bitterest oppo-
nents Of the Morse telegraph appropriations;
Judge Clifford OF Maine, Attorney General (suc-
ceeded by Isaac Toucey of Connecticut when
Judge Clifford was appointed to the Supreme
bench). The administration was . stormy one,
as the wings in both houses Of Congress fought
1t at every step. When an appropriation was
recommended of $4,000, 900. to be used by the
President ..for securing peace, )" it was loaded
with amendments, among them the celebrated
Wilmot proviso. The resolution was defeated,
but at the next session it was renewed and
passed for s3. 600 900, but with the Wilmot pro-
viso. The correspondence between Gen. Scott
and Mr.. Marcy caused good deal of excitement
throughout the country, and when Jefferson
Davis became Secretary Of War the corre-
spondence between Gen. Scott and the depart
ment was conducted with even more venom.
Mr.. Polk was not a man of social nature, but
the hospitality of the Executive Mansion was
in great measure dispensed by the private
secretary of the President, his nephew Mr.
]. Knox Walker, one OF the most popular men
who ever held the position. The mention of
his name recalls that brilliant set OF men who
made the social life of Washington SO enjoyable
for years before and after the Mexican war
Beverly Tucker, Jonah Hoover, Albert Pike,
Robert W. johnson, Harry Edmundson Of Vir-
ginia, Presley Ewing Of Kentucky, Arnold Har-
ris. Barton Key, Hugh Capertou, Dick Wal
ZACH, Walter Lenox and a host of others of like
genial proclivities. Col. VIM. H. Polk was
the very opposite Of his distinguished brother.
He was full of humor and seemed to see life
only through that medium. The whig party
in that day was in its zenith and Washing ton
was a stronghold of the wings, but politics never
intertered with our social life.
MRS. POLK IL WASHINGTON.
Mrs. Polk came to Washington with her DIS
tinguished husband at very early period, for
Mr.. Polk entered Congress as early as 1925,
and remained continuously until 1889, and
during those years Mira. Polk accompanied
him. The death of Mrs. Polk leaves only Mrs.
Grant and Mrs. Garfield as survivors Of the
ladies of the White House, if, as think, Mrs
Tyler is dead.
The success Of the wing party, with Gen.
Taylor as their standard bearer, made the usual
changes in the official life Of Washington. The
military element was in the ascendant. Fresh
from the victorious fields of Mexico the CITY
was crowded with expectants of Office and
emoluments. Little more than brief year
had elapsed and again the country was called
on to lament the death of the President. The
incoming OF the new administration of Mr.
Fillmore brought another element, aud al
though the effects OF these successive changes
in the briefspace OF eighteen months, were visible
in the official circles the social life of Washington
recognized only the duty Of hospitality, which
in those days obliterated all political differ
ences.
GEORGE JONES AND HENRY j.. RAYMOND.
The death of Mr.. George Jones of the New
York Times recalls his brilliant editorial part
ner, Henry j. Raymond, whose great ability
and capacity for literary labor made the paper
from its beginning power in the political
field. l knew Mr. Raymond for several years
before his death, and. like all who knew him. es-
teemed him very highly. His magnetism was
very great and the friends he had once made
never left him. but the more they saw of him the
more endeared he became to them. On the
evening OF the first battle Of Bull Run Mr..
Raymond was among the very first saw from
the field. He rushed to his room at Wizards
and followed him and from him Learned of
the complete rout of the Union forces. He
excused himself as being DESTROYS Of getting
This matter Off, but when told him he would
not be allowed to send anything by mail or
telegraph he was astounded. and said it could not
be so. I said: I'VE have received orders to send
no papers by mail nor telegraph any war news"
"Who gave such orders!' he exclaimed.
"The order We received came from the War
Department"
81 will see Mr.. Lincoln" he said, and left me
hurriedly to go to the Presidents house, and
saw him no more that night. Mr.. Greedy in
his ':Great Conflict says a victory was cele-
brated all over the loyal states, while Washing
ton was crowded with the defeated and demon
allied army.
A NOTABLE GATHERING.
Inext saw Mr.. Raymond, except casual social
meetings. at Philadelphia the National Union
convention held August H. 1856, where, As one
Of the teoretaries oil the convention and az the
Chairman OF the committee on resolutions, was
brought into close relations with him. He drew
up the resolutions and platform which were
adopted by the convention. This was the first
convention held since the close of the war and
reDresenfatiyes from, all the