Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-07-25
The Lady Who Tried to Make jeff. Davis
Rich.
From the N. Y, World.


From the N. Y. World.
A New Orleans telegram of the 9th in
slant announced that Mrs. Sarah A. Dor
sey, of Mississippi, who died in the first
week of July, had bequeathed her entire
estate to Mr.. Jefferson Davis. In making
this bequest Mrs. Dorsey refers to the
great services and sacrifices Of Mr.. Davis
on behalf Of the South, and reproaches his
countrymen for their failure in gratitude
and appreciation for such services, and re-
grets the small contribution, which she is
able to make for his relief.
The estate embraced in this legacy in
cludes two large plantations in the upper
part of the State and the elegant villa at
Beauvoir on the sea cost, where Mr.. Davis
is now sojourning, the climate and situa-
ton of which have proved especially favor
able to Mr.. Davis health and his present
occupation of preparing book in defense
of his administration of the office Of Presi
dent of the Confederate States. This le-
gacy of Mrs. Dorsey will make the circum-
stances of Mr.. Davis quite easy and COM
Portable.
Mrs. Sarah A. Dorsey, who died in New
Orleans on the 4th inst, was one OF the
most notable women of the South. The
New Orleans papers, in their notices OF
her death, have scarcely done full justice
to her and have failed to note some Of the
most interesting points in her history. -.
Mrs, Dorsey was a Miss Ellis, Of well
known and wealthy family Of Natchez,
MISS, where she was born in February.
1929. She was niece of Mrs. Catherine
Anne Warfield (nee Ware), the novelist,
author of ssThe Household of Bouveri,' -
"Beauseincourt," and other romances of a
strange, wild. weird originality and pow
er, Mrs. Warfeld's first publications we're
two volumes OF poems (1843 and 1S44), by
herself and her sister, Mrs. Eleanor Percy
Lee, who appeared before the public as
1.-TWO Sisters of the West" Mrs. Lee
died soon afterwards, and Mrs. Warlield 8
subsequent literary career was confined
exclusively to prose fiction. She died in
1877, leaving her niece, Mrs. Dorsey, to
act as her literary executor with, as is
supposed, a large mass of unpublished
manuscript ia her hands.
Miss Ellis in her youth enjoyed in Nat
chez the advantages of what was retuted
to be the most cultivated and polished So
ciety then existing in the Southwest. She
married. when about twenty-five years of
age, Mr.. Samuel W. Dorsey, lawyer and
planter of Tensas Parish, Louisiana, which
was her home until the death Of her hus-
band in 1875, when she removed to Beau.
southern part Of Mississippi.
Having no children, and her husband
possessing an independent fortune, Mrs.
Dorsey had exceptional facilities for the
enjoyment of literature, society and travel
in all of which she delighted. She became
known to the public as the author of
s'Athalie," sAgnes Graham" Lucia
Dare" and more recently (1S77) of "Pano-
Ia" OF these novels the best known. and
probably the best. is ''Agnes Graham 81
believed to be founded upon remarkable
and romantic incidents in the personal
and family history of the author. She
published also, in 1867, ''Recollections OF
Henry W. Allen," late Governor of Lou
isiana, and is the author of several essays
on philosophical and scientific subjects,
especially On the Oriental systems of relig-
| ion and morals, in which she took lively
| interest, having, among other accomplish
ments, acquired some knowledge of San
| scrit literature. She vas a Greek and
Latin scholar and read and conversed in
several modern languages.
Mrs. Dorsey was we'll known in literary
society, both in Europe and America, She
was on terms of personal friendship with
Carlyle. Herbert Spencer, Dean Stanley,
the Rosettis and others, and had CORES.
pOndents IN Rome, Dresden and Calcutta,
as well as New York and London. She
kept up to the close of her life the exercise
of an elegant and refined hospitality. and
hers was one Of the few Southern homes
ia which, since the war, anything approx
imating tbs style of entertainment of the
Olden time could be maintained.
She was an earnest, ardent, faithful, I'M
changing and enthusiastic friend Her
admiration for certain persons-as for
Gov. Allen, Thomas Carlyle, and her aunt,
Mrs. Warfeld, and few others of less
note, partook Of the character of hero
worship in its highest, best and most I'M
selfish form. Above all was her reverent
was habitually the home of the Confeder-
ate ex-President and his family, and it
was her chief delight in every possible
way to show him respect and honor, COM
bining the office of hostess with that of
secretary or amanuenSiS, as circum stances
might require.
A few months ago the progress of an old
hereditary malady admonished her of the
necessity for submitting to surgical
operation which might either give relief or
prove fatal. With the utmost composure
and elaboration she made full preparation
for either alternative, and when this was
self in the hands of the surgeons. With
characteristic thoughtlessness of self her
first question on recovering from the eff
fectS of the chlOrOfOrm, after the opera
tiOn, was to inquire whether refreshments
had been provided for the two or three
lady friends in attendance upon her. She
fingered for some two or three months in
condition which gave her friends alter
nate hopefulness and anxiety, but finally
sank rapidly and quietly to rest.
Mrs. Dorsey had been very earnest
church-woman. of a type @sthetically,
rather than dOctrlnally, characterized as
''ritualistic.' When the mistress of a
plantation, with many slaves, she had pro-
vided a chaplain, a chapel and all the ac-
cess0ries of worship for them, and had de-
voted much personal attention to their re-
ligiOus training. Disappointment freely
expressed at the result of cheese efforts, to-
gether with indications in some of her
later essays of the influence of the modern
school of latitudinarian philosophy, had
given rise to many apprehensions among
some of her friends as to the ultimate eff
feet upon her religious faith. Perhaps her
mind-like many others of this generation
may have been unsettled for time. But
however this may be, her last hours were
illumined by the light that may have been
dimmed but not quenched. She received
the sacraments of the church, and died pro-
Tossing the Christian faith and at peace
with all the world.
From the N. Y. Times, July 18th.
Mr.. s. Percy Ellis, the brother of Mrs.
Sarah A. Dorsey, who bequeathed BY will
all her property to Jefferson Davis, is
resident of No. 1858 Lafayette avenue,
Brooklyn. Mr.. Ellis says Mrs. Sarah A.
Dorsey was born at Woodlawn, February
II, 1929, and not in Natehez. the city resi-
dence of her parents. She was the eldest
of four children, two only of whom are
now alive-Mr. s. Percy and his sister
Inez. Their brother, Thomas LaRoche,
died a soldier In the Confederate service.
federate service, brother of the Union
admiral of the same name, married their