El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-04-04

of her ancestors. She had the blood Of
Kilian Van Rensselaer, in her veins
Hamilton, with his big ideas and his
wonderful grasp of affairs, planned
well for the nation, but was tsOmething
of a spendthrift when it came to his
own personal matters. She, with low
ing care, saved him from his weak
nesses and watched over everything
like the prudent wife that she was.
In every way she was just the wife
for him. He had q rare faculty for
provoking strife. At times he was alb
sOlutely tactless. He was bold, fearless,
fOrceful, and a bit arrogant He got
into hot water frequently, but always
was ready for a new experience of the
same kind. She was his good genius
tender, amiable, soothing. In her pres
ence he forgot his cares
Happiest Years OF Betsy's Life.
Many children had been born to
them, and she was very happy, when,
in February, 1898, Hamilton retired
from public life and returned to New
York to practice law and repair his
personal fortunes. His wife thought
that now she would have him all TO
herself. For a time she did, but as his
practice grew he was called away to
Albany, to Kingston to POughkeepSie,
and other places, until he was absent
about a third of the time. 1t was a
time Of slow travelling, of river slOOps,
stage coaches and saddle horses. He
made money, and in a short time was
the foremost figure at the bar. Only
Burr seriously COntended with him for
this honor In some cases they were
associated, but most Of the time in i'm
pOrtant causes they were on opposite
sides. Hamilton was the stronger with
the jury; Burr the more successful on
appeals 70 the higher courts.
Politics had a great fascination for
Hamilton His v ife preferred his fol-
lowing the law. When twas rumOred
that he would decline a certain office
ont Of e.nN T0. Oh
great man was quoted as saying: ct
is wonderful that so good wife and
so tender a mother should be so bad
a patriot"
The years between 1895 and the end
Of 1901 were the happiest in Betsy
HamiltOns life. She had one expert
ence about this time that would have
wrecked some homes, but not hers
Hamilton became involved in an affair
with a vulgar, coarse, almost illiterate
woman named Mrs. Reynolds. There
was a great scandal as a result. Al
though Mrs. HamiltOn's heart may have
bled, she acted like a stole. Never did
she permit the subject to be mentioned
in her presence.
Mrs. HamntOn's Years OF Sorrow.
Whatever of happiness she had in
the eighteenth century was more than
cOunterbalanced by the sorrow that
came to her in the nineteenth A silly
boys quarrel robbed her OF son.
Philip, her first born, criticised a
school mate who had made a speech
IN favor OF Burr. The boys went 70
Weehawken, fought a duel and on No
vember %, 1901, the day after the duel,
Philip Hamilton, who was only 19
years old, died in her arms Less than
three years later on the same field at
Weehawken, Aaron Burr shot her hus-
band in a duel, and the following day
she was a widow.
Of all the d uels fought in America,
none has received more attention than
this one. Hamilton was largely to
blame He and Burr had been enemies
for some years. A few months before
the duel he had written of Burr as
profhgate, voluptuary, and little short
of a thief The person to whom the
letter was sent was imprudent enough
to show it TO others and reference was