Evening star., 1921-09-18

to this place, and that was
in 1874. and old lady used to come here
to talk with me. We would sit on
that bench in the shade of the lodge
we'll not that very bench. but the
one that was there before. She was
old, though sprightly and vivacious.
and there was a charm in her way
of speaking. and in the expression OF
her face and in her gestures, which
would be hard. if not impossible. to
describe. SO let us say that she was
fascinating. Her hair was white. but
her eyes were bright and merry. and
her voice was still clear and musical.
1t was still the voice OF a young
woman.
1T was very easy to understand
that in her youth she had been a
woman of exceptional beauty ana
charm of manner. We talked aDout
many things. especially about the oid
homes and people of Washington ana
Georgetown. She had had an exten-
sive acquaintance, and, although she
told scores of gossipy little stories
about men and women who had oeen
prominent in the long ago. there was
nothing uncharitable in the stories
At last, she died. and she lies burieo
on that slope You could see the
monument at her grave from Where
we sit if it were not for the trees
tween it and US. That old lady was
Peggy O'Neal. who was the centrdI
figure in the bitterest social war. una.
ever broke out in Washington. Ihas
war extended outside the DounoS VI
society and got into politics: 1t up,
set the cabinet of a President ana
played a part in thwarting the presl-
Dental hopes of foremost :tates-
man and gave the prize to ms nus po-
cali of at least one foreign minister
10 the United States. And all that
happened back in the hrst aomln,s
tration of President Andrew JACK
son."
on a slat bench in the shadow OF an
old brick house painted yellow. IN
front and around the bench was
wide brick pavement. Beyond tns
pavement roadways and paths wouna
through thirty acres OF hiily lano.
shaded with tall oaks and closely
dotted and pointed with tombstones
and monuments white and gray. Oh
green lawn. a few yards away anu
amid bright flower beds and Dig
Howard Payne, author of the words
of one of the worlds great songs:
..Home. sweet Home" At the base OF
the monument was the fiat white
marble gravestone which was brought
from Tunis. when the % asnes OF hans .m.s
to his homeland. On our right were
the three tall red sandstone piers anu
heavy gilt-topped iron pickets OF the
gates of Oak Hill cemetery.
+ X
THE story of Peggy o'Neal. her
charm, her life and her adven-
lures is one Of the traditions OF oid
washington, but perhaps the many
thousands of new Washingtonians-!
if there can be such thing as
new" Washingtonian-might IKE 10
read about It, The story has never
been told as it deserves to be. and
will not be so told in this case. The
story has usually been given from
one side or the other, either by those
who hated Peggy or by those VINO
supported the position Wnlch
dent Jackson maintained in her de-
fense. So far as the writer knows;
no one has sought to gather up an
the evidence and make cnaractsr
study of Peggy. Writers on this SUP
ject have side-stepped the nara %ora e
Sketched the outlines and touched
the high places.
It lis said that Peggy was bewltch-
ing that she was beautiful, that sne
was spirited, that she was fascinat-
ing. captivating and all that. but the
man writing this has looked through
many stories on the Peggy oNeal
socio-political war without nnoiHs
out much about her. He mas seen
nothing to indicate whether sne was
tall or short. fat or lean. wne.h a.n
had auburn hair or golden hair. haxen
or raven locks. There is nothing 70
show whether her nose was straight
or whether it was turned up or turn
sd down. Nothing about her ears,
ueeth, her neck. hands or feet. ~
g
dresses and her hats. We do not seem
10 learn whether she piayeo, ,nnat tne
harpsichord and danced the mlnue.'
though she must have done SO. No.n
her achievements in embroidery. In
crocheting, in painting or in Frenen.
Not even one word, so far as the
writer has found, about her eyes.
hazel? Yet men raved over this wom-
an and other women wrought them
selves into a fury against her. They
denounced her character or oen0unCeu
her as having no character; ,e Mne'nu. n,
whether they were filled with jealousy
and sought to stab her character IS
not to be learned at this day. tnoush
we know that when crowd OF worn
en- have any score to settle with an
other woman they can make twin
,,ie Of the eye or, little indiscret1on
in their victim look like life OF tur-
pitude- 1u;,,;.m
ryNeai' keeper of a hotel. and small
hotel was often called tavern. IN
the old chronicles O'Nears place OF
business was sometimes les., can,ea ,;mea
sO'Neaps Tavern" Therefore. Peggy
was "a tavernkeeper's daughter
.That was a horrible position TOT
woman. A crooked ignoramus. ~tn
out principle and without morals ana
srithout that quality OF intelligence
which decent men respect. may set
into public life. He may begin oy dis-
tributing poor whisky and faise prom.
and his county. He climbs from coun-
~ constable to the state legislature.
He swears to his constituents that ne
is "one of them and proves 1t oy
drinking out of a bottle, never taxing
a bath, never having his hair cut ana
shoes. Every time he has the seat OF
his pants patched he calls up the ed,
5tor- Of the country paper to ten ten
about il. 1t makes a hit with the
common peepul-" They gather
around the crossroads store 70 Whlttle
and spit tobacco Juice. t ana .ney say SAY;
amt, He are one o. ther peepul! See
that 'ere piece in the County Adver-
tising CRATER bout Jim an his
'Iatched pants? Jim's one of the boys,
he are! Jim comes to Congress He
his state. He has machine" He de-
liyers the delegates in the presiden-
rial convention to the Honorable Dunk
srunkem, the favoTite son OF the i'm
Derial state OF Bazoo. BY comDlna-
fion Of popular ignorance, misunder-
standing. misrepresentat3,onn n ana tas sG,s
80 az onors get out extras with the