The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-03-10
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
The Story of Andrew Jackson's Second
Marriage to his Wife.
atlanta Constitution.

which one OF the presidents was mar
ried twice to the same woman. The
answer was given the succeeding week
and since then [ have received a mum
Der of letters wanting to know why.
| Doubtless there are a great many
more who have not access to any biog
raphy of Andrew Jackson, and would
like to know why he was twice married
to his only wife.
And so for the diffusion of knowledge
it is good time to tell these inquirers
the romance of that marriage, for with
most men and women marriage is the
most important event Of their life.
Rachel Donelson was beautiful
sprightly and interesting girl-the
best horse-woman and the best dancer
in all the country. She married Cap.
tain Robards, who proved to be q
tyrannical and jealous husband. He
took her to Kentucky to live with his
mother, but soon after, in fit Of
jealous rage, sent her back to Nash,
Vile. Her mother, who was a widow,
was keeping a boarding house, and
among her patrons were General Jack
son and Judge Overton, both of them
high-toned, honorable gentlemen. In
deed, the general was noted for his
purity of character, his homage and
chivalrous respect for woman. When
Captain Robards came there to make
reconciliation with his wife, he took
offensc at Jackson S politeness to her.
He and Jackson had hot words and
further trouble was feared. Jackson
changed his boarding house and Ro-
bards went back to Kentucky and
threatened to return and haunt his
wife and make her life miserable. To
escape his prosecutions she removed
to Natchez, where she had friends
and relatives. In the meantime Ro-
bards applied to the legislature Of
Kentucky for leave to sue for a divorce,
for that was then the law Leave to
sue was granted to him, and it was
generally supposed that he had sued
in Kentucky and had obtained a d.
vorce. Acting on this belief, Jackson
went to Natchez and married her.
For two years they lived together
ir Tashvi1' as man and wife when to
th..r great surprise it was discovered
that Robards did not secure his divorce
until year after his second marriage.
So Jackson procured another license
and was married to her a second time.
For forty years they enjoyed an hon
orable and happy wedlock. His de-
votion to her was intense and his
| pistol was ever ready to avenge her
| fair name from scandal. He had many
political enemies. but he taught them
| early that not even whisper to her
prejudice would be allowed. Rachel
| Donelson was true and noble woman.
It is a singular fact that five Of the
first thirteen presidents married wild
ows. Washington set the example
| and was followed by Jefferson, Madison
and Fillmore. The last named was
married twice and so was John Tyler.
Andrew Johnson wife taught him to
| write after they were married. His
humble origin and vocation and his
rise to the highest Office have long been
| cited to illustrate the difference be-
| tween a republican and a monarchical
government, but he was not the only
president whose youth was marked by
toll and ignorance. Fillmore was ap-
prenticed to a wool carder when he
was fourteen years of age and was
bound to the trade for seven years.
When he was nineteen he bought his
unserved time and bought a dictionary.
He could read and write little, but
had not had access to any books, for
his father had none save Bible and
hymn book. He had never seen
map of the United States nor copy
of Robinson Cruso. 1t was like being
born again for young man of nineteen
to begin to acquire the rudiments Of
an education. But he did it and
climbed slowly, but surely, upward
until he reached the top Of the ladder.
He made better man than Andrew
johnson and was far more digni6ed
and happier in his Office. Fillmore
became president because he. was
worthy of it. johnson was rolled into
the Office by the tidal wave of the civil
war. But they were self-made men.
Garfield was known as the teac her
president, but John Adams and Arthur
also taught school. Eight of the
earlier presidents had no collegiate
education, but this is no argument
against the great advantage that such
an education gives. College education
is great comfort, independent of its
being a help to progress and advance,
ment in science and art. The limited
knowledge I acquired in three-years'
course could not be bought with
money. 1t furnished the tools OF my
trade. There is positive comfort in
knowing the origin of English words
the old ones and the new ones that
are being continually coined to keep
up with science and discovery. 1t is
a comfort to know how to measure the
distances of the sun and moon and
stars and to calculate cclipses and
why the little honey bee builds the
cells in the honey comb in hexagon
shape and the laws Of light and gravity.
1t is a comfort to an old man to be
looked up to by his children and
grandchildren as the pupils did to the
schoolmaster in Goldsmith's school
"And still they gazed and still the wonder
grew,
That one small head could carry all il
knew"
The danger of college life is, how
ever, very great, and no boy should be
sent there just for the fun or the
name or the polish of it. The athletic
sport of it seems nowadays to be a
promincntfcature of college education
My ideas about that may be prejudices,
but if so they are so strong and l an
so antique that I cannot change them.
l have no more boys to educate and
they who have must take their OWL
responsibility, but / feel as helpless
as discouraged when | read the pro.
grammcs of the matched games that
are already arranged for the coming
summer among the colleges. | can dc
nothing but take a back scat and let
the procession proceed.
BILL ARP.