The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-08-29

front door. The stem of the guitar is the driveway.
which is bordered by magnificent cedars set close
together. Where the body of the guitar begins
there are flowers and trees of many kinds rising
out of a lawn of the greenest green. All the trees
and plants were set out by Jackson.
The Hermitage" is a great old-fashioned red
brick Of colonial style with wide verandas on
the front and rear. The house is about 100 feet
front, with six tall columns in front of the porches.
The windows are large, and each has panes OF III
by II glass. The entrance is in the center OF the
building, and a wide hallway runs through the
middle of the house on both floors. This hall is so
large that a wagon load of hay could be driven
through it without touching the sides.
AT the back of the hall a mahogany stairway
winds its way to the second floor. AT the right as
you enter is another hall upon which are Jacksons
bedroom and library, while at the left are the
parlors, which communicate with each other. The
dining room, which is by far the largest room of
the house, is beyond these, reached by a door from
the veranda.
The bedroom of one Of the greatest presidents
is in the same condition today as it was when he
occupied it. The same pictures are on the walls,
the same bedclothes on the bed, even to the white
counterpane. Imagine a room twenty feet square
with a great mahogany four-poster bed at the end
of ii. AT the left of the bed are three little steps,
and the mattresses with the great feather tick on
top are so high that one must climb the steps to
get into 1t. Those very steps were used by "Old
Hickory"
The love of Andrew Jackson surpassed that of
ordinary men. 1t shines out everywhere about the
Hermitage" There are paintings of Mrs. Jackson
in almost every room and he had medallions and
other remembrances of her. In his bedroom is an
oil painting of her, so placed that he saw it first
on entering and so that it met his eyes the last
thing at night and greeted them when he first
opened them in the morning.
we nave all read the story of his marriage, of
how he protected her from her drunken first hus-
band. a Lewis Robards, and how he married her
In 1870 after Robards was believed by both to
have obtained a divorce. There was a great
her again in 1893 when the divorce was actually
deereed and he lived t~hirty-fve happy years with
her before she died. During his life he was so
devoted to her and her memory that he was said
to have n pistol always ready for any one who
dared to speak slightingly of her and those who did
so were only forgiven by him when he came to die.
In his duel with Dickinson, Jackson was wholly
justified according TO the standards of the day.
Dickinson, who was eager for political recognition.
publicly branded Jackson as a coward and at
tackled the reputation of Jackson's wife. Dickinson
was a famous marksman and had killed his man.
Jackson was a poor shot. The duel was on Ken.
lucky soil. Dickinson fired first and shot to kill.
When Jackson did not fall Dickinson was amazed
and possibly a bit terrified. He stepped back from
the mark. The seconds ordered him to take his
position again. Jackson took deliberate aim and
fired. Dickinson fell, shot through the breast. and
died thar night. Jackson walked off the field slowly
and without any signs of emotion. Not until sew