National Republican., 1874-05-07

mate OF character and motives. Whole nations
less than individuals distinguished in rel
gion, manners and character BY the accidents o
birth or locality; and why, then, should not poo
Mrs. Royal be Judged Of by the opportunities sh
enjoyed or was deprived Of by the fatality Of. he
careerf --.
How few, gentlemen, Of those who judged Mrs.
Royal by the French or any other refined stand
ard Of manners, courtesy and politeness, and who
= u they could, would introduce everywhere pump
handle politeness and Chinese monotony in these
things, know or reflect on the fact that the year
/, Of life In which most Of went to school and re
ceiVed our education were passed by Mrs. Royal
as q captive, and an unwilling exile from home
among an Ohio tribe Of Indians, II think the Mus
. klngums or ShawneesO and yet such, my friends
! was the fact! IfE
When in her sixth or seventh year she was en-
/ gagged in dropping seei-corn in Q drill on he
fathers farm, while negro boy was planting DO
tatoes, some Indian warriors suddenly made theil
appearance, seized the child, placed her behint
one Of the raiders, and fed to their Ohio homel
from "the white settlements" Here she remained
until her fifteenth year, an involuntary exile, &C
quirng the habits Of the unlettered savages, and
with no earthly chance Of an ordinary not 10 "a,
reiined, polished, Christian, or, as some call n
an evangelical" education. Under these circum
stances why should this eonfessedly eccentric
woman DC judged Of by moral and religious Rhad.
1mantnuses by rules of which she knew and
eouIa nave known, literally nothing in her early
luer Ah, gentlemen, rs Burns says "Man's in.
humanity to man makes countless thousands
mourn" Before eondemning put yourselves in
! her place.
Col. Royal, . native Of Amelia county, Va, q
relative OF the Archers revolutionary officer, q
very distinguished member Of the Masonic fra
ternity, and, at one time, representative of his
native county In the House Of Burgesses at Rich
mond, bought property near the hot or warm
springs, in Monroe county and, OF course, was
familiar with the facts connected with the abduc-
tion Of Miss Anne Butler. The Colonel was
WidoWer and much older, and doubtless recol-
lected her appearance when Q child. In travel
ing in Ohio he visited the Shawnees, Wyandottes,
Miamis, &c, and among one Of the tribes accI-
dentally discovered the abducted Anne Butler
the future Mrs. Roysll. He at once went to
work, and either ransOmed, or by influence OBJ
tained her liberty from the chiefs, and, after re-
storing her TO her family determined to marry
her; sent her to school for two years to give her
some preliminary education to fit her for that re-
lation, and after their marriage, (being a gentle
man OF intelligence did everything in his power
to make up for the disadvantages Of her youth in
that respect.
Some time after their marriage Col. Royal
| sold out most Of his property in Virginia. bought
plantation near Huntsville Ala, and moving
his numerous slaves to that State led the life Of
an independent Alabama planter until the day of
| his death. In this home the Colonel and his wife
dispensed profuse, If not an elegant hospitality
and literally kept, in Southern fashion, an open
| house for the way-worn traveller and all who
gladdened their freside by their visits have
often heard the old lady expstiate upon the num-
Der and Social standing of their guestsrn their
Southern home, and remember, especially the
pleasure she said they enjoyed from some great
English traveller, (perhaps Mr.. Weld,) who spent
some time with them, and in his book of travels
gratefully acknowledged their kindness and gen.
erous hospitality.
There can be no doubt but that they lived gen.
erously, sumptuoasly and on the fat Of the land |
until the death Of Colonel RoyalI in 1915 or 1916
III my memory OF her conversation is correct) but
with that event e0m4snssg Rsf real tribulatiOns
and troubles. costly and exhaustfie litigation |
between herself and his heirs followed that event
and when she arrived in this city, in the fall Of
1923 she had scarcely shoe to her foot Fortu-
nately, she happened to call at the humble resi-
dence OF the Dorrett family to warm her feet, i'm
medistely after her arrival in the stage at / |
think, Queens hotel, and after some conversation
as to her impecunious condition. was informed BY
the Dorretts that she was welcome to such fare /
and shelter as they could afford until she could
better her condition. The Dorretts were origin
ally from Charles county, Maryland, and in.
despite Of their crcumscribed means, inherited
the proverbisl hospitality Of that good old COM
monWealth. Mrs Dorrett was by birth Chunn;
her mother was Chase, and among her near
relatives were the venerable Father Matthews
Of st. Patrick's, and the ancient family of the
Simms, or Semmes. She and her husband and
family passed their noiseless way in the "cool,
sequestered wales Of life" known to but few; but,
gentlemen, in the sight Of the Omniscent searcher
of hearts, sincerely believe, the ostentatious
Of the day, judged by their mo-
tives, never made q nobler record in heavens
ehancery,as dispensers Of heaven-born charity and
with human distress. I knew them
well, and, gentlemen the fact that Mrs. Royal
lived with them for ten years, and with their
daughter, secretary Sally Stack, !" until the day
Of her Mrs. R.'s) death, in 1854, was equally
to the Dorretts and herself. It dis
played their kindness, and her gratitude and
just appreciation Of virtue and goodness In hum
BILE life.
The Dorrett's were naturally kind, virtuous and
full Of good nature, and, so far It was In their
power, generous to o fault. Aunt Sally married
q hne-looking stalwart, genteel young lrishman,
(by the way, native Of our friend Nash's county
Of Lmerick,) who went to Mexico (Irishman
like) to aid "the patriots in their struggles for
liberty, and believe, was lost at sea in coming
home. -Four or i've letters were received from him
after he landed at Vera Cruz. Aunt Sally was
modest, and in perfect contrast with ,
the brusque and Independent manners Of her
mistress, who, however, she implicitly obeyed,
md to whom she was greatly and devotedly at
iached. To talk OF Mrs. Royal in Washington !
,ity without mentioning the Dorrett family would,
indeed, be like playing Shakspeare's Hamlet" .
with the character Of Hamlet LEFT out. They I
we're inseparable. My object is to give you per.
ect idea OF Mrs. Royal as she appeared to me o.
boy and man, and also Of her surroundings q
Recollect, gentlemen, an giving my own, not I
my one else's, "reminiscences. s
Without being o member Of any church. Mrs Z
Royall was firm believer in the great truths Of c
Christianity, although her hatred and contempt t
or hypoerites and shams, and her bitter denun- t
istion OF religious mswworms led many people to T
hink different, as II the rejection Of counterfeit
DIN displayed want Of confidence In the pure, t
terling metal.
minded ladies now engaged in efforts to extin- I
'uish dram-drinking by praying in front of gro q
cries and whisky saloons, could excel her in deep
bhorrence of drunkards and tipplIng. The very 4
NELL Of alcoholic liquors. especially on the young,
xcited her honest Indignation and never failed q
o draw forth o scathing and fiery rebuke. In
his respect she was pioneer among teetotalers. n
n regard to tobacco, however, she was q great "
over OF the weed and indulged in the pipe to an 81
xcessiye extent. As she did not enjoy the adyan.
ages Of scholastic and systematic training in her
outh, her conduct was too often governed by the 1
agarles of Impulse, snd sometimes by passion, "
nd her conclusions, always honest in Intentions,
Tere therefore occasionally very unjust. For O
--'"n"H an impatient ant irritable Presbyterian o
lergyman In Ysrloni having, curing her visit to !.
Burlington. in that State, on her Eassh'rn ..r. G
n the heat q passion threw her down stairs and n
'roke her leg, she never until the day Of her death
orgot either that gentleman or the very respect
Ible sect to which he belonged. As q consequence v
Ter writings abound with bitter invectives against
hem as ARlueskins, !" "Copperhead Christians" d
kc., and She evidently viewed them as stubborn t
aints who worshipped God for spite" n
She hated bigotry and intolerance and, as O
night be expected from one Of her frank and in g
dependent way Of thinking, was not q bit mealy. q
nouthed in promulgating her opinions in regard q
% those who "dealt damnation round the land" U
N those they deemed the foe Of the Lord. And 4
ret, in spite Of this prejudice, I knew several q
clergymen, (the Rev. r. R. GurIey, i
or insrance,) whom she greatly esteemed for U
heir consistent and excellent conduct as true, e
and good Christians. The Catholics, 4
however, and especially the charitable and re- f
igious orders, appeared to be her uniform favor
ties, based, doubtless, upon the maxim that '.his
aith cant be wrong whose life is in the right"