The North-Carolina standard., 1842-03-30
A PIRATE,s CONFESSION.

i
Manv of our readers will doubtless remember
the fate of Mrs Alston the wife of the governor
or South Carolina, and the daughter of the late
Col Burr She was one of the most accomplish
cd ladies of the day. of surprising beauty, and the
only child of man whose name will be forever
connected with the history of his country, whatever
may be the light in which his character is viewed
by the majority of his countrymen. Dark as may
have been the designs of Burr-cold and calcula-
ting as may have been his intercourse with his
fellow men, and towering as was his ambition, he
clung to his daughter with fraternal fondnesS, and
in his correspondence with her, after she had left
her cherished home, and given her hand to one
worthy of her virgin love, we find all a fathers
unauenchable passion Of his child developed
Touching and beautiful are many of his epistles,
particularly those in which he solicits her to pay
him visit, and behold again her home and dear
scenes Of her childhood.
After many solicitations, Mrs. Aston determined
to visit her father in New York, and preparations
were accordingly made for the voyage She en-
barked with an only child, on board brig at
Charleston, full of joy at the prospect of meeting
her parent from whom she had been long estrang
ed 1t was reported at the time that she took
llree amount of plate and money with her, tho,
as we only write from memory, we cannot speak
with certainty of the circumstances attending her
departure She sailed, however, but did notarrlve
at her destined port and the most intense anxiety
existed in the public mind for months after, to learn
her fate. The vessel was supposed to have been
lost and all on board, to have perished, The
subject remained in mystery for years however, and
her flther we believe, entertained the opinion that
the vessel on which his loved one was passenger,
had gone to the deep without leaving behind YES
tige by which her fate could be known
Years passed away, and the circumstances were
almost forgotten, when paragraph appeared in |
ofthe northern papers stating that sailor had
died in Maine who. previous to his demise, ac-
knowledged that he belonged to the vessel in which
Mrs Alston shipped, AMI that she AMI her child
perished bv the hands of the crew, who were pi-
rates Col Burr is stated to have placed no con-
i1ence in the statement, and treated it with con-
tempt
Some years since sailor died in Mobile who
made similar confession, detailing the circum-
stances connected with the inauman act He said
that lots were cast AMI that it devolved on him to
DESTROY the existence of the beautiful creature In
their bower. She prayed for mercy for her child
toll them that she was the daughter of Vice
President ofthe United Statcs-ofered them every ,
thing in her possession, ifthey woul1 but spare
the life of the little being, and promised eternal
secrecy She was made to walk the plank how ,
ever, and the wave closed forever over the beaut
full being who in vain begged for life.
This second confession received no more Gre
lSIICe ITOul COl Dull tIIduI luC oAA l..
ournals expressed their dsbeliefin the statement
although taken In connection with the previous :
it bore strong marks of truth. 1t was
made at time when there could be no nducement
o resort to falsehood when the dying man was y
conscious that he would shortly stand in the pres
nee of his maker Words uttered at this fearful II
moment are certainly entitled to consideration P
when corroborated by other circum- $
tances.
We have now to add another confession made It It
nder similar circumstances which leaves no doubt
our mind as to the fate of the fair being in ques
on. A gentleman from Texas-an oil and val !. !,
able friend and one whose veracty is unimpeach-
ble-informs ur that an oil sailor recently died a.
Matagorda, who made full confession of IL
umber of piracies in which he had been engaged ~
nd stated that he was one of the of the YES g
Il which sailedfrom Charleston, with Mrs Aston III
n board. When three days out, consultation p
ras held and it was determined that the passen- a
ers should be robbed and murdered. The work III
death commenced. and all were killed, Mrs AL ll
on being the last victim was made to walk the Vi
ank Her image. he said was always before ai
i'm, and he could not die without confessing the n
orrid deed The closing scene of his life was " ~
orrible in the extreme, he raved with madness, " ~
Iclaimed, ':There there she is nowl-I see VI
er standing before me!-away-away!" al al
Many witnesses were present who can bear tes- VI
nony to the confession, and we think there can II,
longer exist any doubt, a subject which was M
long yelled in mystery. ~ o. Crescent City. " "
Inv