, 1879-07-17
THE DAVIS REQUEST. ::
Ths Lady Vho t3na Left All Tier Fortune
to tTeHerHon Dnyja.
Se,r Fork Tor{a.


Tho Lady Who u~s Left All Tier Fortune
to .TeferHon Davis.
St,t Fork Torld.
A New Orleans telegram Of the 9Th inst. an.
nounced that Mrs. aarnt A. Dorsey OF AIissts.
s'pp!. who died In the first week Of July, had bc.
qucathcd her entire estate 10 Mr.. jefferson
Davis. In making this bcqucat Mrs Dorsey re-.
lcss 10 the great AcTvlces and sacrifices OF Mr..
Davis on behalf OF the South, and rcproachcs
lis conntrymen for their failuro In gratitude
and appreciation for such services, and regrets
the small contribution which she IA able to mako
for his relief. The estate embraced In this
legacy includes two largo plantations In tho
upper part Of the State and ;the elegant villa ut
Bcauyoir on tho sca-coast, where Mr.. Davis Is
now solournsng, the climate and situation OF
which have proved especially favorable to air.
Davis health and his present occupation az
preparing book in detcnso Of hls admln,stra-
ton Of the Office Of President Of tic Confederate
States. This legacy Of Mrs. Dorsey will mako
tic circumstances Of Sir. Dayis quito easy anu
comfortable, - u.
a Mississippi correspondent Of tie. 1I'or'd
enlbea us to-day to lay before our roadefs an
Interesting accs,tnt Of tho liiu md character 81
ti,e lady who h4s thus shown hcr pructica! d.
must compel the admiration even Of those Who
least Rv.nsmtflze with the feelings mud opinions
10 which II gives expression.
slrs. Sarah ~. Dorsey, who died in New
Orleans on the 18th Inst, was unc OF tllc most
notable women OF Tic South. The Nuw Oriea,Is
papers n their notices Of her death have scarce.
II done full Justice 10 her, mud have failed I'd
note somo OF tho most Interesting points In hal
history.
"trs. Dorsey WINS Miss Ellis, Of n wclI.
known and wealthy family OF Nntcliex, si'ss,
where thc Wna born In February, 1877. 2sio
va. Il nlcce Of Mrs. Catherine Annc War
fa ss 1oseais i oi IL B"pysrie s neSses hesqpsip. q.
a I g9anaty s1!sa sS%aafts sa% soa @s
fields ilrss 1rsbliehtions were two volumes pi
poem. {1st3 anil 1911, BY herself uAa her sfslef
Mrs. Eleanor Percy Lee, wllo appeared bcforo
the public rs Two Sisters Of the West.' Mrs.
Leo died soon afterwards, md Mrs. Wnf1cla'a
etsols TO pro.c ac1on. She died in 1877, leaving
her niece, Mrs. Dorses, to net as her literary
executor. with, ns Is supposed. large nass Of
unMsbs3thcd manuscript Ia her han's.
"Miss Ellis In her youth enloscd IN Matches
the advantages Of what Sas rcputed 10 be tho
most cultivated md polished society then exist.
t,s- ID tic Southwest. She married, WHOM about
u rears Of agc, Alr. Samuel ". Dorsey, n law
Which ssns her home until tho death Of her hus.
banl III lS75. Wien she removed tu Dcauvotr. o
scnsiiore residence In the extreme suutlern paFt
OF Atississinpf.
'.Iiutll1s. JIG Eu1luICN3 HHu AcT nuBUhIM pNABCEd.
!nz on independent fortune, Mrs. Dorsey hail
exceptional facilities for tl,G enjoyment OF lit.
csat,lre. society, md travel in ali Ut which shu
delighted. She becnIne knnwn to the public AZ
Lucia Dare null more recently {ts17'1 of Pan.
ola.' OF these Hovels tic best known. alNt
probably the hest. is 'Asncs Gtat1am,' bcl1cSud
to be founded upop relnuskable nl.u Eonnntss ~.
anthnr. She p,,htt,ed also, In 1877, 'KeepllPv.
tlnus III Henry ". 4Allcn,' latn tiovornor OF
Loustnnn, and Is the authnr Of several essaga
on uAilosophlcnl nnd ecfcnt[fc subjects especial:
tnuraIs In rllfr| sin tool; lively interest, hnr-
Ing, among other accomplishments, acquired
some knowledge OF SnnscrIt literature. Size
was GyceK mud Latin scllular nnu rend and con
ycrscl LII seycrat modern languages.
Mrs. Dorsey was well known in literary so-
clcty both !uoEurope and America She was OH
terms Of peFs9aal friendship With Carlyle, Her
lsrrt Spencer Dean Stanley, tlu Rosctts al~i
lieu, md Calcutta, as xelT :. Nav York anA EAn.
don. Sha kcpt tip to tlns ch1se nf huf. lilo ttiN
exercise Of an eesnns anaXcilnsd osp!ta,it'r,
n1Ni l'"rs was one z! the iem Southern homes ~
tho atslo af entertainment u the 'oldcn ts1a
could t,o maintained.
"she wus un earnest, arilsnt, faithful, un-
changing anl enthusiastic friend. Her admirh-
ton for certain persons,-as, ,1Qt Coy. Allen,
Tho1naa Carlslc, and her aunt, Mrs. WurAcld,
anil few others OF less mute, pHstnok OF thu
character OF hcro.wership In It's SEast, best, and
most unseEtish for!u. Aooyo nll WnA her; rcrcr-
wus habstually the hume Of the Confederate ex.
President AIT! his lumily, md 1t waA her chief
delight III cvcry possible way to SHOW htui respect
anil honor, combining the Office Of hostess with
that Of secretary or cnapuensss, as\ clrcum"
stas,ccs might require.
IA few moutbs ago tho proercss of \un old
hereditary mnlally adnionis!,ed her OF Thu necea~
sity for submitting tu surgical opctntlst which
might either give relief or prove fatal: WIN
the utmost cuE,po.ttrc and telberaion she *nadd
this was lono wcus TO New. Orleans and played
fersclf IT, thu lllHls OF the sureeons WIN
characteristic tt,uuShtleasnass OF soil, her A1aE
qucstlon on recovering frosn the elects Of chili>s
ruforn, utter tho operation, was TO 1nqutto
whether rufresluetts bud been provided f3r
tho two or three lady friends in attendance upon
her Size fingered for soIro two OF three inonths'
II, d condition which gave her friends alteruuta-
lr,uciutness and anxiety, but fnally sank rapid
ly n,nt quietly to rcst.
woman OK a tybe Hsu,ctically rather than loc-
trDally characterized us 'rituallstlc.' When
tie mistress Ut plantation, With many s!ayas, !,
Rhc had nroYltlc.l chaplain, chapel, antl nlli
the accessories OF worship tor them, and bad de-i
yoteG much pcrsus.al attention 10 uieir Religious
training. Disappointment freely expressed ut
tbs result Of these efforts. together WIN 1nllea-
tlona III soule Of tier litter eesaya OF tho influenced
Of tic tnt'lern school Ut 1aslt',dnaran phi!oso-'
nhy, had E!ycns r3so 10 many nppfehcns!ohA
among gOl1le of her friends Al to tho ulttmnloi
rtfuct upon her religious fath. pethaps her
uinl--ltks Inauy others IN tl!s istueratton--may1
hnyu ,ocn unsettled for Il time. Dus however
tl,ls may b., her lust hours vera illumtned byt
1hn l!ght tlutt ,uaY havs been dhnncd but not
1ucnchesl shs received tho sarraments of thal
Ghurrl a,t. s,ted protesting tho Ch1lstiun faith
aud al pe acc with tho world"
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