AND AMERICAN DEMOCRACY SEVENTY YEARS AGO 291 



cheeks. She was one of the best women that ever 

 lived, says Colonel Butler, and there can be little doubt 

 that she died of a broken heart. Whig editors had 

 killed her as much as if they had taken guns and shot 

 her. Soon after her death Mrs. Eaton came one day 

 to the President, and throwing herself at his feet, told 

 him with many sobs and tears how she was ill used and 

 persecuted. Could nothing be done, she implored, to 

 mend matters ? Jackson was haggard with grief, and 

 fiercely vindictive. He knew that his wife had been 

 wickedly slandered ; he took it for granted that the 

 case must be the same with Mrs. Eaton. In this he 

 was doubtless mistaken, but his letters on the subject 

 are written in a noble temper and fully reveal the 

 spirit which made him take Mrs. Eaton's part with 

 more than his customary vehemence. Mrs. Calhoun 

 and the wives of the secretaries would not recognize 

 Mrs. Eaton. Mrs. Donelson, wife of the President's 

 nephew, and now mistress of ceremonies at the White 

 House, took a similar stand. Jackson scolded his 

 secretaries and sent Mrs. Donelson home to Tennessee, 

 but all in vain. He found that vanquishing Welling- 

 ton's veterans was a light task compared with that of 

 contending against the ladies in an affair of this sort. 

 Foremost among those who frowned Mrs. Eaton out 

 of society was Mrs. Calhoun. On the other hand, 

 Van Buren, a widower, found himself able to be some- 

 what more complaisant, and accordingly rose in Jack- 

 son's esteem. The fires were fanned by Lewis and 

 Kendall, who saw in Van Buren a more eligible ally 

 than Calhoun. Presently intelligence was obtained 

 from Crawford, who hated Calhoun, to the effect that 

 the latter, as member of Monroe's cabinet, had disap- 



