The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-04-24
| co Min u f d
r o
p A @ F. O n F.
LOCK OF

treasures it is G. P. Hallett, pro-
prietOr of cigar and fruit store
on Division street near the corner
of Main avenue.
Only to a few of his most init
mate friends has Mr.. Hallett re-
vealed the fact that he has the
souvenir of famous "Old Hick-
ory," hero of New Orleans and
president of the United States, and
his consent to allow a description
and history of it to be published
now for the first time amounts to
historical find which will arouse
no little interest in historical soci-
cites and American history relic
hunters throughout the country.
WAS A PRESENT TO
HALLETT's MOTHER
The bit of iron gray hair cut
from the brow of the stern old
president and hero was a present
to Mrs. A. M. Hallett in the year
1S4S from Mrs. A. J. Donelson,
wife of the presidents nephew,
Andrew Jackson Donelson. Mrs.
Hallett was the Spokane mans
mother, and Mrs. DonelsOn is well
known in American history as the
presiding woman at the White
House during JacksOn's term as
president, when her husband was
his secretary and confidential ad-
wiser.
The letter which accompanied
the gift is no less valuable than
the relic itself. 1t was written
September /, 1S4S, and is now yell
lowed with age and is falling to
pieces. The small, neat hand
writing of Mrs. Donelson is de-
ciphered with difficulty. The
note is on. black bordered station
cry, in mourning for the death of
the president, and reads as fol
lows:
HOPING THE BOYS ARE
DEMOCRATS. .tt
"Mrs. Donelson's respects to
Mrs. Hallett, with small quantity
of Andrew Jackson's hair, cut from
his head after the battle of New Or
leans in 1914, together with a little
keepsake for the little boys, hoping
they are good democrats" The
note is folded and addressed on
the outside to Mrs. Hallett, at
home" The hair is wrapped in an
other bit of paper on which is writ
ten in Mrs. Hallett's handwriting,
General Jackson's hair, cut from
him after the battle of New Or
leans. 1914"
What the keepsake for the little
boys" was is not known to Mr.. Hal
lett. 1t was probably some gift
which has been lost by the Hallett
family during the years that have
elapsed since it was made Mr..
Hallett does not remember of his
mother ever mentioning what it
was.
HAS KEPT IT SECRET.
"My mother was life long, dear
friend of Mrs. Donelson," said Mr..
Hallett the other day in his little
shop, as he spread out the letter
and it's treasure of hair on the
counter. THE present was made
to her in Nashville, Tenn. She
kept the relic till her death at the
age of "a, in Minnesota, in 1889,
when it passed into the hands of
one of my brothers, and thence to
me. l have never made 1T pub
licly known that l had the bit of
General Jacksons hair-in fact
have showed it only to few
friends-and, so far as l know. if
anything is said about it now it
will be the first time since the
present was made.
mo, l would never part with it,"
continued Mr.. Hallett to ques-
ton, mot for fortune, but in
tend to make some provision soon
now for its preservation after my
death. So long as l live, however,
l will keep the hair. suppose
there are relic hunters and his
torical societies, especially in the
South, who would bid high for it.
No, while l have kept the fact that
l possessed the lock of hair pretty
much to myself in the past,
would have no objection to allow
ing 1t to be examined by any one
interested, and II 1t has any his
torical interest to any society or
institution would consent to have
the letter and the hair photo
graphed. l don't like to show the
hair often, however. as the lock
is getting pretty thin-bits OF it
are lost every time the letter is
opened. Originally there was much
more of 1t than there is now.
FATHER ALSO KNEW JACKSON
my father was well acquainted
with Andrew Jackson. In fact. he
was chairman of the committee
which greeted Old Hickory on his
return to the Hermitage, Nashville.
was the first man to shake hands
after his presidency. My father
with the general when he alighted
at Nashville from the Steamer
Buckeye, the boat he had come up
the Cumberland in.
Il want to say, too, that the
hope of Mrs. Donelson that the
boys would be good democrats IL
true so far as am concerned
have always been a dem0efat-but
say. I am for Roosevelt because he
Is the counterpart of Old Hickory,
the same kind of stern, aggres
sive man. and l would vote for him
for president. think, II he would
run again."