Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-04

old folks asked, as they WaLcneQ CIle
President-elect ride by escorted by a
cavalcade of District citizens led by
Daniel Carroll of Duddington.
The world was moving too fast for
them. The iron age was newborn
infant that inauguration day.
John Quincy Adams saddled his horse
early on the morning OF March 4, 1879,
and started on a long ride up the
Potomac.
He had moved out Of the White
House the day before. He was AFRAID
of a scene if he came face to face with
the man who was to succeed him as
President that day.
1t had been whispering campaign.
Supporters of Adams had spread scan
dalous reports of the private life OF
Andrew Jackson and his wife Their
marriage had been somewhat irregular.
but for years they had been a devoted
couple.
The ISLANDERS reached the ears of
aunt Rachel and they cut her TO the
| heart. She had ben reared on a rude
| frontier. She had no culture or breed
| ing. She liked to sit by the fireplace.
| so they say, and smoke her pipe. Now
| they were declaring that she was no mt
person to preside over the White House.
| They were urging her husbands defeat
on her account.
The people rallied to Old Hickory.
When She heard that he had been
elected she bought herself a white S Satln
| dress to wear at his Inauguration. They
buried her in the same dress few
weeks later. She had caught the
measles and her resistance had been SC
| lowered by worry over the whisper
| ings" that she could not throw on the
| infection.
Andrew Jackson came to Washington
holding Adams largely responsible Tor
/ the death of his wife. He was in the
frame of mind to cane his predecessor
So John Quincy moved out to the Sc
clusion of the estate of his friend.
| Comdr. Porter, on Kalorama Heights
| The city was crowded with admirers
of Jackson. carrying hickory canes ana
wearing hickory leaves in their button
holes. But there were no arrangements
for an inaugural parade.
The single military organization IN
| Washington, light infantry company.
| commanded by Col. Seaton of the Ma
tional Intelligencer, was Wing in SYM
pathy and refused to march.
A little group Of Revolutionary War
officers organized themselves into an
escort for their old comrade and walked
beside his open carriage under the
double row of pcolars Thomas Jeffer-
SON had planted on Pennsylvania
/ avenue.
4 never saw such crowd" wrote
Daniel Webster. Persons have come
500 miles to see Gen. Jackson and they
really seem to think the country has
been rescued from some dreadfV
danger"
jackson wore two pairs of steel
trimmed spectacles-one for reading and
the other for ordinary vision. The
first pair we're over his forehead. The
glass glittered when the sun struck it.
Persons in the crowd whispered that
the glasses were silver plates placed
where his skull had been pierced By
British bullets at New Orleans.
Jackson held open house for every
body after his return to the White
House.
There were tubs full of Grange punch
in the east room. No guards were sta
toned at the door, They pushed their
way in, black and white. Old Hickory
tried to shake hands with them all. He
was showed into a corner by the half
drunken mob. tubs of punch were
overturned on the floor. Glasses were
smashed Men stood with muddy boots
on the plush-covered chairs and divans.
Hours later, when the crowd was
cleared out, Jackson and John c. Cal.
houn had dinner in the White Hous,
together on the beef of a prize OK.
Eight years later Old Hickory still
was the center Of attention at the
inauguration.
The dapper little widower. Martin
Van Buren,, was secondary figure at
his own elevation to the presidency.
Jackson arose from sick bed to ride
up the Avenue with him and take the
cheers of the crowd
1t was all his doings. after all.
The election of Van Buren, was his
revenge for the death of Aunt Rachel.
The little Dutchman had become Presi-
dent by championing the cause of
Peggy O'Neil. to whom Jackson had
transferred his chivalry.
y X
Greek.
Tecumsefl's plumed warriors. with
their battle cries and tonlahawks. now
were only shadows out of distant
past, their memories moving like phan-
tom clouds through William Henry
Harrison's sunset reveries.
Around his house at North Bend,
Ind. stretched ploughed fields. There
were villages and schoolhouses along
had burned Fallen Timbers. Tippe-
canoe. the Thames-the conqueror of
| the wilderness empire had passed over
these bridges of fire into a promised
land of roast wild turkey. hard cider and
Homer.
He was 6S in the Fall of 1910. when
he was elected President. Politicians in
search of a picturesque figure had
dragged him from his reverieS.
| 6n ali Vxyac hit dazoI hu fho
fortune that had befallen him. It was
a hard Winter in Indiana. While the
Northwest winds piled snowdrifts
around his study windows he composed
laboriously an 8.000-word inaugural adj
dress full of Greek and Latin quota
tons. The politicians edited 1t before
it was delivered and removed most Of
the classical references.
In the dead of Winter. a few days
after the electoral vote was announced,
old Tippecanoe started for Washing
ton. Snow drifts all along the road
impeded the progress Of the stage. The
boat wound its way slowly through
broken ice on the Ohio River. He
received a great ovation IN Baltimore
1t was a rainy day when he arrived
In the Capital. He was received at
City Hall by Mayor Seaton and the
municipal officials. A crowd gathered
| OAto1QC W WC1LOlL4C AAC QA4 man
stood bareheaded in the rain. his hat
in his hand, to shake hands with
them.
There still were several weeks before
the Inauguration. Harrison made a
pilgrimage back to his cid home in
Charles County, Va. He had left the
Old Dominion during the Revolution
to fight with st. Clair at Fallen Tim
bers and the rest of his life had been
passed on the frontier.
!, March 4. 1841 was gala day ir
G Washington In spite Of q heavy rain
William Henry Harrison appealed ID
9 | the ri1h1ic ina oitaatinta yTha orraatesI