The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-07-26
MR. DIFIS' BESEF.4CIRESS,


MR. DATIS' BENEE.4C1RESS.
The Lady who Left Il rrinrcly Estate to the
| EN-Prcsidcnt of tho Confedcracy--A Love
OF Literature and tho Lost Cause.
| a Mississippi correspondent OF. tho
New York Worid pens the following
sketch Of the lady who died recently
| leaving to Jefferson Davis several plan.
tations and summer residence OH tho
Gulf, and whose property is valued ut
nearly Il quarter of a million dollars.
1t is but proper to add that the rela-
tivcs of the deceased, as usual, are CHI
delivering TO. break the will and secure
the property themselves:
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 III
their notices other death have scarcely
done full justice to her, and have failed
points in her history.
Mrs. Dorsey was Miss Ellis, of
wcll-known and wealthy family of
Natchcz, Miss; where she was born in
1929. She was a niece Of Mrs. Cathc-
sine Amc Warilcld (a,ce Ware), the
novelist, author Of "Thc Household Of
Bouvcrlc," "Beanacincouot," and 9TH
CT ronlanccs Of q strange, wild, weird
originality and power. Mrs. Wariicld's
first publications were two volumes of
poems (l843 and 1S44), by herself and
her sister, Mrs. Eleanor Percy Lee,
who appeared before tie public as
"'Two Sisters of the Vest" Mrs. Lee
died soon afterwards, and Mrs. War
fields subscq,.on literary career was
confined exclusively to prose and tic-
ton. She died i'll 1877, leaving her
niece, Mrs. Dorsey, TO act as her liter
iary executor, with, it is supposed, a
large mass Of unpublished manuscript
in Ecrh n g.
Miss L,lis in her youth enjoyed in
Natchcz the advantages Of what was
-rcputcd to bcthc most cultivated and
polished society then existing in the
Southwest. She married, when about
twenty-five years of age, Mr.. Samuel
w. Dorscy,a lawyer and planter Of
Tcnsas Parish, La, which was her
ho nc until the death Of her huaband in
1879, when she removed to Deauvoir,
Il scushore residence in the extreme
southern part ofAlississippi. t'-'.
Ilavingno 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 de-
lighted. She became known to the
public rs the author Of "AthaIic," )"
"Agnes Gralim," "Lucia Darc' and
more recently QS7O of"Pmola." OF
these novels the best known, and prob
ably the best, is "Agues Graham," be-
licvcd to be founded upon remarkable
and romantic incidents in the personal
family history otthc author, She pub
lishcd also, in 1861, "Rccollcctions OF
Henry w. Allcn," late governor OF
Louisiana, and is tho author Of several
essays on philosophical and scientific
subjects, especially on tho Oriental
system Of religion aud the mor:!a. III
which she took lively interest, nav
ing, among other accomplishments,
acquired some knowledge OF Sanscrit
iitcarature. She r'was Il Grcc}1C and
Latin scholar, and read and conversed
in several modern languages. "a.
Mrs. Dor.ey was we'll" known in
literary; society both iii Europe and
America. She was OH terms. of person.
al friendship with Carlyle, Herbert
I |Spenccr,2 Dean. Stanley, the Roscttis
and others, aud had colr'cspondents ii
4 Rome, Dresden and Calclittaj, as Wcu
as Now. Y. rIanu Louuon.a She kept
up, to the close Other lifey the exercise
oi:;i elegant and rctlied hospitality
AND hers was one Of tllg ,frWG. Southern
homes which, since tho war; any
thing npproximuting the style of enter.
tainmcnt Of the, 'oldeir time could q be
mlimtaincd. y ''',, m@.' tf"M - -.
SHE WIS an earnest, ardent faithful,
lmchanging and enthusiastic friend,
Her admiration for, certain PERSONS
us for Governor Alien, ,Th. mas ,'Cars
lNlc and her auNt Mrs. :, ,Wartield,. and
few others oflcss note, partook OF tic
character ofhero worship il its high.
est, bcst andmost useful form. Above
Qll was her ,rtverent admiration itfol
Jefferson Davis. lHerhous 3 was habitll.
ally the house Of the Confederate OK
President and his family, and it was
herchicf delight in every possible way
to shoW, Him RESPECT and honor, com
binihgt The Office, Of hostess with that O.
secretary or aamanuensis, as circIm
stances might require. pm~
A few months ago tho progress of al
old hereditary nlalady atllnonished lie
Of tho, ncGossity for submitting TO {
surgical operation which might oithc
give relief or prove fatal. With LII
utmost composuro' and dclibcration sh
lnado full preparation for either alter
native, and. when this. WAS. done wen
) to, New Orleans and placed herself ii
the hands of the SURGEONS. With char
actcristic thoughtfulncss Of self, he
first question on recovering from tn
effects of chloroform, after The opera
:, ton, was to inquire whether refresh
mcnts had boon provided for the tw
or three lady friends in attendanc
=. upon hef. mShc fingered for somc tw
or tliroc months III q condition whic
, gave hera friends alternate hopefulnes
and Onyiety but finally s0nk raDidl