Show american heroines by LOUISE M COMSTOCK I 1 rachel jackson W WHEN HEN andrew took office as seventh president of the united states he wore on his arm a band of black crepe it was the symbol that to ID spirit at least his hia beloved wife rachel nho died between his election and inauguration marts red many believe by his political enemies accompanied him into his hia new position of honor for rachel was old Wc Lorys one great love when jackson was but a callow young lawyer come out from airth carolina to establish in law w and order in the wilderness settlement of nashville he roomed at al the home of rachels mother the widow donelson rachel was then a dark eyed vivacious young woman wife of lewis rob ards whom she had met during a visit in kentucky robards it seems was seldom home but bilt chose to he be insanely jealousy of his wife when he was there finally robards loudly announced his intention of getting a divorce and set oft off for or virginia which still controlled such matters in tennessee territory to arrange for it news that thai his big request had been granted filtered back to nashville find and in the summer of 1781 1791 believing herself free rachel married andrew Jak cadison Ja dison sori three years later robards actually did secure the divorce on the ugly imly grounds of adultery but though the e couple was straightway remarried and their friends quite willing to for get tile the matter jacksons political en ewles emles were ere quick to upon it and as use it As a result jakson jackson fought at least east one duel of melodramatic litle aspect in 1828 when her busbaum was mak ing his second attempt for the dency rachel was sixty and old as women of the frontier are old at sixty once again the old scandal was revived circulated throughout the coun try back in the hermitage busy tending the plantation while the gen eral era was away entertaining his bis friends among them the fatuous famous sam houston and general lafayette ra chel was kept ignorant of her dunwel come part in the campaign after the election however waiting in the back room of a hotel in nashville where she had been buying clothes to wear when she accompanied her husband to washington rachel overheard people laughing and talking out front they were talking about her she returned to the a broken sick woman and aher andrew jackson went up to washington the next march he went alone tobey riddle S IT was an indian woman who AS aided the white man to gain ills his first foothold in this country so another indian woman appropriately caled the pocahontas of the lava beds befriended him against her own people over two and a half centuries later winema daughter of the bodocs had married frank riddle a white man adopted ills customs learned his language and taken the name of tobey riddle now the modies were a small and peace loving tribe of the pacific northwest whose doom was sealed by the increasing inroads of white settlers in oregon and california in 1772 fifty modoc braves with three times as many women and children were entrenched in the lava beds near the border where familiar with the crevices and passages among the rocks they succeeded not only in defending themselves but in inflicting severe losses on the american army besieging them in vain gen B E R S canby attempted to treat with the enemy lie ile was under orders not to yield beld they would not at belig length th discouraged cou raged of gaining their ends certain of the modock planned to murder the whites at their next nest parley when their leader captain jack objected to such treachery they threw a womans comans hat and shawl on him shaming him into consent now tobey riddle and her husband were frequently called upon to act as interpreters between her people and his learning of the bodocs plot abe he straightway warned general cany canby pleading with him to call off the conference but canby had given nis bis word to the red men five whites Fht tes unarmed were to meet with the modoc leaders under a flag of truce true to his word canby went out unarmed to meet the indians with nim fillin were three other whites two of whom bore hidden weapons tobey and her husband it was a tense confere conference nm the mo docs again made their demands canby again refused then at a given signal the bodocs opened ore captain jacks second shot felled the gallant canby soon two more men were down and riddle and the fourth had taken to their heels one of the fallen men was A 13 meacham Mea chaia former indian agent and a friend of tobeys To beys seeing he was only wounded she sprang to bis big defense she was thrust aside by the butt of a rifle quick as thought she cried soldiers are coming and the bodocs fled Men chain was nursed back to health the modock were eventually hunted down and their leaders him hung and tobey after many years as teacher and missionary to her own race died in 1920 at the klamath reservation in oregon C lill 1932 peper union |