The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-06-24
DORSEY WILL.

on the WIbneSs bIanu IN new UTERUS
last Thursday. to give testimony in
reference to the Dorsey will. He ans
wered.
II am Mrs. Dorsey's legatee. l re
side in Harrison county. Miss, at
I met Mrs. Dorsey when
she was q little girl about 1916, in
Natchez. With intervals u inter ,
has been continuous since that
II vent to live at Beauvoir, l think
in 1876. My wife and unmarried
daughter were abroad, and l Thought
my own health would be better on
the seashore. Mrs. Dorsey heard of
my intentions, and she invited M to
to Beauvoir. l told her That
would not stay at her house without
c~ompensstinq her. l rented a Cottage
from her at $50 per month. Mrs. Dor
sey acted as my amanuensis. ON hearing
that writing was painful to me; this
until the return OF my wife
from Europe. I became the owner of
Beauvoir IL January 1878.
Mrs. Dorsey had a desire to 60 to
Europe. She proposed tome to take all
of her property and furnish her with
enough money to pay her expenses
abroad. On her leaving for New Or
leans, she sold Beauvoir to me, and l
gave my notes to her in payment. A
supplemental deed was attached to the
original transfer, az there had been no
mention made of a vineyard on the
ground. Mrs. Dorsey only lived a short
time at Beauvoir after 1 bought it. 1
held a power of attorney from her: she
was very much embarrassed in business
affairs; and | think. was victimlzed IN
business transactions in Tensas parish
She asked me to act as her attorney,
and put the request on the ground of
friendship. which | conld not resist. L
acted under that mandate when Mrs..
Dorsey was unable to attend to her
business. Was never in Ten~as parish.
Mrs. Dorsey came.to New Orleans IN
1879 for advice and for the benefit of
her health. The troubles i'll T-nsas
parish arose from the fact that she had
leased certain property there, had tn
ken noses for the rent aud spv raj of
them had baen protested for lot paw
ment. | never received any money ma
der The power of attorney
Mrs. ID ,rsey had the most brilliant OF
inte,lects.a quick PERCEPTION and a gre
knowle dge of languages and the natural
sciences She wrote iuent'y.snd vel
As an amanueusls, shJ pnt down thug
as they We're sad. der MUD was well
balanced aud un1er her W cpntro'
These reports about nv usIng uudnt 10
hueuces with her are II bundle of euor
nous observation-disclosures was said with
great v~eheinence n III an agitateti
mtnner)-lalse as t. her, false to me,
aud false in every partlcnlar 5 re was
an independent woman; If L hal bean
seeking for bequest [ could hav- G'tten
them for large amounts. | ~to".'ed
subscriptions gotten up for my uhF IL
Mississippi, Texas and GnoIgla, I hay'
bat little left, but among m pns-rs
sions is independence of charact-r.
| nave never talked to Mrs 10 '~s
about making her will; I nevr. Hrrv
about her will; | did not know .is
was her legatee; | first learned '"t she
had made her will when she ,',W- t.
Y W Orleans. She SAID: Il x
pect You as my friend to see timt m,
wishes are faithfully carried Il
promised. | afterwards wrote > bee IL
ask for instructions to carry NJ he
will. she replied when uear r end
She left instructions with Mr.. Paine
aud he gave them to NE after tt rr' urI
of the party who had taken her , II ins
to Natchez. When the will wa ! 'ba
ted [ then for the first time, kn"W t 1T
contents.
Mrs. Dorsey was perfectly veil &C
t quainted with my private affair.". Sht
knew more about my public carer 5haI
I did myself. I never tried to be tn,
? hero of nv own storles-never tO'G he,
2 about my public career. We nsel tt
t talk a great deal about matters. W.
differed oil many points; she always go
the best of the argument. There wa'
nothing of obstinacy about her.
Mrs. Dorsey never spoke to me e,:cep
: kindly of her relations. She he'd
, great deal of pride. and she disliked tt
speak ill to anybody. There WAS {
difficulty between her and Dahlgren
They were %reconciled, however, at m,
solicitation.
In regard to her religious belief. and
her adoption OF the Arvan philosophy,
talked frequently to her. We frequent
ly read the Episcopal church service to
gether on Sundays. She was baptized
: Roman Catholic because her father was
one. When she came of age she be
came an Episcopalian. At her last mo
ments, her friends wanted to send for
priest, but she asked for DR.. Kramer, o
Christ Church. He and DIR. Lpacock
} came. sMrs. Dorsey was IN Episcopa
liam I think.
: never noticed instability of opinio,
in Mrs. Dorsey; never noticed any ten
dencv to vacillation. Her father was
| good Democrat and she died one
She did not believe that tn,
C~onfederacy was still in existence. hu
, It's truths were eternal and would pr
vail. | believed 50 too-if that's insanr
ity, both of us were crazy! 1SpokeI
with vehpmence think she was NJ
to the subject. | talked to her ahon
the surgical operation. DR.. Choppl1
said 1t would require a minute exami'
nation to decide whether the Operation
was necessary. | was opposed to 1T.
| don't think she believed that the
operation would terminate fatally Sh'
was encouraged to believe that it wculd
cnre her The cancer was in her breast
I had reason to think that she wrrld
surviva M IF our cases had been re-.
versed I would have dore tor her villa,
she has done for me. | knew nothing
about charges published. | think Mrs
Dorsey and Mrs. Peckham We're entire
ly alienated before the formers death
When Mrs. Dorsey was dying he ask
ed me to give her '~'sister. Inez money
to buv"-then her voice failed | asked
her if she ment mourning. and she nod
ded her head in assent. "Tell Inez
have forgiven her" she said later. Mrs
Prentiss, who who was present sad
"Give her yonr love-" Mrs. Dorsev's
bright eyes flashed fire. but she spoke
not.
[ never saw Mrs. Peckham a.d Mrs
Dorsey much together. Mrs Dorsey
had a good temper; when peop'e quar-
relied with her she let them go. and
when they recovered she received them
cordially. l never tried to 6lienate Mrs.
D 8 affections from her relations. Mrs.
D. once promised to give Dahlgrpn a
piece of land in Arkansas, but he would
not go there; in lieu, he took money
from her. She was omnivorous after
knowledge. never gave ont any mo-
tive why Mrs. Dorsey gave me the be-
quest. I am sorry that these reports
; have gotten out for I have received vol>
umes of letters asking for assistance.
Beanvoir was bought by Mrs. Dorsey
for $500; very few improvements have
J been mads on it since,
never saw Mrs. Dorsey during the
war; was not acquainted with the fami-
" of Gen. Dahlgren. Mrs. Peckham
made an attack on me and wanted me
to leave Beauvoir. She told me that
..-o,L, -aro Ooipo ohouk of NV cfoy.