The Washington herald., 1913-08-10
Beautiful and Vivaciou. Irish
Girl, Who Disrupted the
Jackson Cabinet, Made and
Unmade Men IN Public Life
and Caused History.
BY RALPH w. BENToN.

BY RALPH w. BENTON.
One of washington's oldest and most
historic landmarks-the time-honored
Franklin House, where gathered long
ago the nations foremost lawmakers and
politicians, and where dwelt the pretty.
! vivacious Peggy O'Neal, who broke up
! Jackson's Cabinet-is soon to pass away.
The weather-beaten old structure, once
! years ago. the finest and most stately
| building in the Capital, but now dilapidat-
I ed and gone to decay, stands at the
| northwest corner OF Twenty-nrst Street
and Pennsylvania Avenue
Within the next few years Il is TO De
razed to the ground to make room Tor
| the erection of a large modern STRUCTURE
. John II. Nolan. the local contractor, VINO
! at present owns the property, has not
yet decided whether he Will erect an
apartment house or an Office building. He
is negotiating for a big deal, the circum-
stances of which are being kept secret.
The building is Of the simplest and
most ordinary design. 1t is four stories
high and is builded of red brick. Its
facades now are dingy and painless, its
windows are rotted, its mortar is crum-
bling, its bricks are falling-its glory has
passed away. In the days when the
structure was used as a hostelry. it con-
stituted a single building: but since the
days Just before the civil war..it has been
divided into separate and private resi-
dences. One Of the buildings is now
utilized as a secondhand furniture store,
and several of the others are vacant
The history of the ancient structure,
which runs back over a period OF CEN
tury, is one of romance, of brilliancy, OF
glitter. and of great personases. But
from out all its limitless wealth of his
tory stands boldly and pre-eminently the
l,.a Nfr
been compared with Mime. Pompadour,
and who probably exercised greater power
and influence than any other woman in
the entire span of the nations politics.
Peegy's father was William O'Neal.
jovial Irishman, who came TO Washing
ton from New Jersey and established a
tavern in the old building that was later
to become known as the Franklin House.
It is said the structure was erected in
the closing years of the eighteenth CEN
tury by Joel Brown, a halter living in
Georgetown. O'Neal owned an enormous
tract of land in the vicinity of the tav-
crn. The hostelry soon became the ren-
devious of all the prominent Senators.
Representatives, politicians, and travel
ers of the times
The tavern was the scene of many
spirited forensic battle, as well as many
a brilliant ball 1t was here that John
Randolph, of Roanoke, stopped while in
Washington; and il was here also that
Gen. Andrew Jackson, while Senator
from Tennessee, lodged during the ses-
sions of Congress. Mai. John II. Eaton,
also Senator from Tennessee, who later
became a member of Jackson'S Cabine.. |
likewise made O'Nears Tavern his head
quarters.
During the years 1924 and 1875, wher |
Gen. Lafayette made his second visit to |
the United States. the President desig- |
mated this same old tavern as the official |
oomicile of the famous French officer. /
a brilliant entertainment in honor OF
the general was held at the hostelry. the
nations foremost leaders in political,
army, navy, and social circles attending.
Date of Birth Not known.
1t was in the atmosphere of such . 7
tavern that Margaret O'Neal. the Peg /
ry" OF history. spent her childhood. The ,
exact GATE of her birth is not known, but |
ii used to be said that she was two
weeks old at the time Of George Was
ingtoE's funeral, and that occurred De-
cember IS, 1873. She was the eldest |
daughter of the tavern keeper. and from |
her earliest childhood she was noted for
her extreme beauty. 1t was the Irish |
type iof beauty. Her skin was exceeding
ly white, her eyes were gray, her ha!I |
vas chestnut, and her chin was small |
and round. She was witty and pert and |
saucy and full of sprishtliness and vi
vacity. Her association with the men |
who frequented the tavern. among whom |
she was very popular, rendered her Very
bold. Her beauty was the talk of the |
town, and her liveliness appealed t.
every young man.
1t was the pretty and pert Peggy who
inspired "A Health" written by Edward
c. Pinkney. now almost forgotten. but /
whom Edgar Allan Poe ranked first in
his list of the lyric poets of America
Peggy was in the full bloom of her
beauty, and is as follows:
fill this cup to one made up of loveliness alone
A woman, Of her gentle sex the seeming paragon,
To whom the better elements and kindly stars have
given
A form fair that like the air. It's less Of Garth
than heaven.
Ber every tone is musics own. like those of morning
birds,
And something more than melody dwells ever in her
words;
The coinage Of her heart are they and from her lps
each flows
As enc may see the burthened bee forth issue from
the
Of her bright face glance will trace picture on
the brain,
And of her voice in echoing hearts a sound must
long remain:
And memory such as mine of her so very much en-
dures,
When death is nigh. my latest sigh will not be
hfe's but hers.
Affections are as naught to her the measure of her