The Washington times., 1913-03-23

and span officer, a genuine farmer.
AS the Eatons cut loose from their
about the eccentricities Of the admiral
and his supposed domestic troubles:
Tongues first began to wag In Assfmppi
where there appeared notice IN tne
Rockland Standard that boy had been
born to the admiral and his second wife
The admiral, apparently. was proud
father, and accepted as a matter OF
course the congratulations OF his rev
acquaintances.
| In August. 1909. the child which was
died suddenly. There was great aston
ishment in the little town when Mrs.
Eaton charged that the baby had been
poisoned and demanded an investtga.
ton. The baby. she declared, had died
suddenly while in its carriage on the
seashore. as she bathed near by. The
admiral. said the wife, had been near
the carriage at the time.
Adding further complications, Mrs.
Eaton also said that some one had tried
to poison her and her daughter, June.
a short time before and that pill had
/ been found In Mrs. Eaton's coffee cup.
Seemed To Be Heartbroken.
The admiral seemed to be heartbroken
over the death Of the baby. which oc-
CURED while the family were at q cot
tage at Sand Hill. Admiral Eaton took
the infants body and returned to As
sinippi. leaving his estranged family be-
! hind. As Admiral Eaton was buried. so
, was the baby. None of his friends or
neighbors offered aid and the admiral
and a sravedigger conducted the burial.
The admiral himself mumbled prayer
as the tiny casket was put away and
the grayedigger alone looked on.
Then came the development, that the
baby had not been that of Admiral and
Mrs Eaton's. but that the admiral. dis
appointed because he had no children.
had adopted the infant. and, taking It
it into his home without the neighbors
being the wiser
Z wanted a son and had none,v the
admiral explained. My only child. a
daughter by my first wife. died twenty
years ago. My heart longed for a boy
and heir: was lonely"
Owing to the charges Of Mrs Eaton.
an examination was made and physi-
clans determined that the baby had not
been poisoned. The Eatons lived apart
for a time. but a reconciliation finally
was affected.
This was not the only poisoning
charge which made the home life Of the
admiral unhappy. however. The baby
episode caused the admiral to say:
My wife and the girl. June, have ac-
so many times that the accusati after
awhile lost fits weight and became really
a joke-and then the joke became a
| tragedy. The latest accusations are
cruel, but they have lost their power to
hurt. The little boy is dead; I had
hoped ne would enter the navy some
day."
Knew Of Unhappiness.
The admiral at that time recalled that
he had been accused of poisoning a calf
and that my wife must have believed
| that l cary a perfect arsenal of East
Indian drugs in my pockets"
IL was an open secret in the village
| that domestic unhappiness crossed the
path Of the admiral almost from the
day OF his second marriage and after
the baby died family troubles seem to
go from bad to worse
After the death Of the adopted baby
ADMIRAL Eaton retired more and more
to himself. Occasionally he would dress
| I'D and take a run into Boston, and
on the occasions he could be,as c,urtiy
rs the Eaton Of Old On the whole,
however. he was a near recluse care
less OF his personal appearance and the
taik OF MS neighborhors and keeping
The suddenness of his death on March
s first excited suspicion, for, despite
MS advancing years. the admiral ap-
peared in excellent health and was. ap-
which his colors fluttered for the last
time as commandant of a navy yard.
The word poison was again whis-
pered about Assinippi: a post-mortem
examination of the admirars stomach
was made; experts declared they found
arsenic there, and now there has come
! the arrest of the wife.
Iurnlno from Eaton. the farmer to
Eaton, the naval officer. one finds that
his record in the service was praise
worthy. stirring. and conspicuous. Joseph
Giles Eaton was born in Greenyille,
Ala. January %. 1S47. During his early
, school days he felt the call OF the Ma
val Academy. and he entered that fnsti-
tuition late in 1853. An exciting chase
see. was an incident of Young Eaton 8
days as MILDLY. and he often ioked
, war.
First Cruise Fortunate.
His first cruise was fortunate one.
for Immediately upon his graduation he
was ordered to the Ticonderoxa, then
| on the European station. That was the
period of Admiral Farragut's triumphaI
progress along the coasts of Europe.
and Eaton saw much of the old world
and witnessed the honors paid the fight
ing admiral by kings and queens in
many capitals.
The first tough experience of naval
life was revealed to him when he was
assigned to the Darien expedition of
1870 The task was a hard one. but
while 1t lasted he won successfully Se
grades of master and lieutenant.
In the following year he was assigned
to shore duty at Boston. and here he
| married his first wife, the girl of his
academy days. Mary Anne Varnum, of
Dracut, Mass.
Eaton was promoted to lieutenant
commander in 1855, and in 1896 was made
commander, in charge of the United
States ship Enterprise
Promotions came rapidly and during
the Spanish was Eaton was commander
of the Resoiute. and was assigned to
duty with the cuban evacuation conf
mission. He was made captain in 1901.
commanding tn. battlcship Oregon un-
til 1902. and Ihe Massachusetts, from
May. 1903. to November. 1904.
He was then a member of the general
court-martial Of the New York navy
.ard until l1e5. and his last ative duty
was TO command the navy yard in that
year. He retired as read admiral on
June 50 1906. i:aving rounded out forty
wears OF scrvIe in the navy of the
United States.
At the time OF his retirement there
was no indication of a changed tent
perament which might cause the adven-
turesoms naval officer to seek the islo-
lation OF Il poultry farm. He had always
! been a good mixer. a good story-teiler.
and 4 man fond of the social side or
army and navy life.
Didn't Understand Him.
Il don't understand Eaton, has been
the comment OF. more than one friend
in recent years, as bit by bit the ad-
e. h.. h..l