Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1867-09-26

In last Tuesdays issue Of the Sentinel,
we had local paragraph reporting the
still critical condition of the good Princess
Murat, after three months illness from
typhoid fever. Believing that our readers
will be glad to read whatever is published
concerning her history, we transfer to our
columns an article which we find in the
Savannah Nens and Herald of the LIST inst,
under the heading above:
Related to Gen. Washinton through
beth her fathers and mothers family and
bora Of wealthy parents, accustomed from
infancy to the luxury and elegance of
s.lela,,~ti..aa,'
Kate married at fifteen, and returned ere
seventeen summers had passed over her
head, widow, with one child, to her pa
rents. Sorrow followed the Young mother,
her baby died, and once again Kate resu-
med her habits and went to school. She
said she remembered well the daily walk
with her companions, carrying her books
to and from school, and the girls, al
most forgetting the sad episode in Hates
life, regarded her as one of themselves.
Her father was at this time involved in
a law suit, which, ere long, reduced the
family to comparative poverty. Unable to
bear so great change in the land Of his
forefathers, he determined to emigrate to
Florida, and there he finally settled, living
in log house consisting of two large low
rooms, the dark forest all around with it's
birds, its flowers, and its almost unbro-
ken solitude. And now Hates bright, ell
astic spirit and helpful hands became in
valuable to hir mother; she was her cho-
sen companion, and the principal duties Of
the household devolved upon her.
Colonel Gadsden, formerly of South
Carolina, Was one Of their neighbors, and
frequently spoke of his intimacy with Ach-
| lille Murat, then an exile from France, with
price set upon his head, living the life
of an Indian on plantation close by.
Col. Gadsden had endeavored to per-
suade him to call on the new family lately
arrived in his vicinity.
The reply was, No; don't care to go
among women-I hate them
Some days afterwards he was accident
ally introduced to Hates father, who was
practicing as physician. Murat, delight
ed to find in his new acquaintance man
devoted to literature and science, and
lover ofthe poets, sought the society of the
good doctor, and finally called at the log
house and was introduced to the young
widow, with whom he fell desperately in
love
Kate must then have been very lovely,
her eyes still retaining great beauty and
softness, of sbadowy gray, almost merg-
ing into blue when she becomes animated
or excited her eyebrows dark and pencil
ed while soft brown hair still curls round
the fair face, the contour of which is ex-
tremely pleasing added to which she pos
sesses gracefulness of address and de-
meanor which in her younger days must
have been perfectly bewitching. The
Prince soon showed his admiration by the
most devoted attention to the young Wild
ow, who still wore mourning for her first
husband, and disliked the idea of any 9th
err filing his place in her heart. She stud
iously repelled Murat's advances, upheld
by her mother, who needed the assistance
and loved the companionship of her eldest
daughter, and besides he was an exile and
a foreigner.
Her father, on the contrary, charmed
with the keen perception, versatile mind,
and thirst for knowledge, evineed by Mu-
rat, courted his society, while Kate refus-
ed to listen to his professions, and finally,
Murat left the house in despair. much to
the vexation of her father, who strenuous
ly endeavored to overcome his daughters
objections, and succeeded so well that
Kate promised to allow the Prince to re-