Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-06-01
WASHINGTON WOMEN.
TWO WIDOWS WHO LEFT AN IMPRESS
SION ON SOCIAL LIFE.

At the Capital Mrs. Madison Was Always
Treated as the Lady of the White
House"-Mrs. Hamilton's influence Was
In the Direction of Charity.
Mrs Madison was in high fashion dur
ing her later years. Society has its at
tacks of this kind and takes up with as
little reason as it puts down favorite.
But there came with this late burst of
social warmth some good results into her
rather chilled and necessitous life. For
in that day it was positive loss of fortune
to have held any public position. Mrs.
Madison had in vain tried for years to
effect sale of Mr.. Madison's papers to
the government, and for want of this
her means were very straitened- How
it came about l do not know, but it grew
to be the correct and indispensable thing
to call on Mrs. Madison Immediately on
leaving the presidents levees.
Her house was that diagonally oppo-
site from Mr.. Summers. There the best
people met regularly, and yet no one
could have said why. Mrs. Madison was
once the ''lady of the White House"
She had had the quick thought to cut
Washington's portrait by Stuart from
its frame and roll it carefully and carry
it off in safety from the invading British
troops already burning Bladensburg.
She was always gracious and sweet man.
nered and, to her great credit, as much
SO in her days of changed fortunes as
when she was surrounded by every aid
to placid state of mind. And yet this
was about all that was said. And yet it
was such an unwritten law that Mrs
Madison must have what she wished
that-just because of this mysterious de-
cree of fashion-she actually got from
congress what she had vainly petitioned
for for years.
Mr.. Buchanan stated one morning to
the senate that on such day Mrs. Mad
ison would be such an age, and that the
$4,000 asked for Mr.. Madison's papers
would come well to her as birthday
present, and it was Immediately voted
to her. To be sure it was for the writ
ings Of a good patriot and statesman,
and the woman to oreceive it was of great
age. and it was in that far better than
the vote for nearly the same amount for
the cruel daub of good man and sol
der which was an evidence that emo
tional legislation is not yet extinct.
But this made the occasion Of grand
Ievee for congratulating Mrs. Madison
and was among the last occasions on
which she was seen in public. Her fine
figure had outlasted the threescore and
ten years, and when well prepared for
company. in her worn, old fashioned
empire gown, her turban and clusters of
artificial curls-just as we see them in
the portraits of Mme de Stael-the neck
and outlines of the face well shrouded in
folds of tulle. she was still the handsome
Mrs. Madison. am quite sure | never
heard her called "the widow of Madi- |
SON.
But that was the prefix always made |
to the historical name of another woman
of the same age, who also asked of con- |
gress the same favor shown to Mrs. Mad |
ison
This lady was small and always wore |
the widows dress she had to assume In |
her early life. For er 90 years she did |
not vary this outward emblem of the |
solitude of her heart.
She. too, like Mrs. Madison, was amia-
BILE and of charming manners, but she |
turned from the world forever when her
great husband fell in the duel with Burr,
and from that time, her own children
first, and close to them In her interest
the orphans Of the poor, received all her
Mrs. Hamilton was the chief |
founder of the Orphan Asylum of New
York She saw its fiftieth anniversary; |
she saw the other charities that grew
out of 1.-THE Children's Aid society is |
one-and though her quiet life is ended
her good works go on, and her family as
well as her memory are living parts of
them.
Mrs Hamilton was very small and
light Of figure Her dark, bright eyes
and white hair gave her a marquise eff
feet. and her widows dress gave the
framing which suited her years and name.
She was very fond Of young people and
would tell us things-incidentally
which made the early hardships and pen
alties of the war for independence very
real
In speaking of travelling on horseback,
she told us once how her mother and
herself had to give that up for a time
and only go from Saratoga to Albany
when strong escort could guard them.
ut was after poor Jane McCrea had been
killed by the Indians" and she made us
such picture of the condition of the In
dians after the English enlisted them
against us. that we realized" how far
back Lay the time when such thing was
possible. and ,"poor Jane McCrea" be-
came real girl in place of the bad little
wood cut, with one Indian holding her
long hair, and the other fourishing his
tomahawk as he kept his foot on the keg
Of whisky.
They have passed completely away
the handsome, gracious, society loving
Mrs. Madison and the gentle widow of
Hamilton" But Washington
is the wrecking ground of great names.
There are to be seen now, thankfully
working for slender pay and tremblingly
anxious to keepit safe amid the changes
in the departments, descendants of pres
idents, chief justices. of secretaries of the
treasury, of Jefferson, Franklin, and of
others of later names-men who gave
literally their all to their country, and
who deserved the praise Talleyrand gave
of Hamilton, of whom he said: Il have
seen true public virtue. have seen the
of finance, who gave wealth to
his country, toiling through the late
hours Of the night to gain support for
his young family."-Mrs. Jessie B. Ere
mont in New York Ledger.
Suggestions For Mary Anderson.