Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-01-17

houses. ClOselS cOunectcu Ill DuSl-
ness and otherwise with the elder
Hall was Gen. de Fanvoisie, a
Frenchman and Il soldier, who lived,
with his family, a wife and one
daughter, on Dauphin island, or Isle
de la Massacre, as it was formerly
called. This daughter aud my
mother, being of the same age and
frequently meeting, soon became
and a friendship was formed which
lasted during the entire lifetime o;
both of them. Gen. De Nanvolsie's
house was the rendezvous of sea-tar-
ing men whom chance threw upon
Dauphin island, and he always had
number of them about him. 1t was |
the delight of the two girls to listen
to the sea tales OF these men, and III |
after years my mother occasionally |
would rummage her memory and tell
| us children some of the stories that
she had heard drop from their lips
stories some times told by the origi-
nal II ,rr8tors to each other with no
idea that the curly-heatied little girls
playing around them were drinking
ing in every word, and would one
day tell them to their children
stories of the Spanish Main, OF the
battles under the black flag, of burn
| ing ships, Of heaps OF goiG, bales OF
silks, caskets Of jewels captured
stories of blood and fire, of murder
and rapine, just such stories as would
sink deepest into the youthful mind
and produce results well nigh met
faceable. The wars that had shaken
and were still shaking the world nj
that time gave opportunity for most
Of those bloody narratives to be told
as having occurred in legitimate war
fare, but sometimes even this dis
guise was thrown away. 1t was on
such all occasion that my mother and
her little playmate heard a man
whom Gen. de Vanvoisie had en-
plOyed recount to a companion how
he and his mates HAD once made u
whole ships crew, passengers and
all, walk the plank. He described
the behavior of different individuals
and the manner that they met death
how some begged and prayed, and
others took it as cooily as if they
were going to breakfast. "But the
bravest of ALL" he said, "was a
beautiful young woman. cabin pas
. senger, who dressed herself all i'll
> white, specially tor the occasion, and
, walked off the plank with prayer
book in her hands" The rufial
!, went on and described her "plun-
!. DER" certain jewelry that she had
!, and other effects captured by him and
his piratical companions, i'll manner
:, that caused the description to sink
!. deeply into the minds and memory
- = of the little eaves-droppers. Some
years afterward my mother read fol
= the first time newspaper account o
the sailing of the Patriot and des
- cription of Theodosia Aston, and thu
instant that she did SO she recognized
- the original of the "beautiful yOuns
:, woman" that met death so bravei!
:. at the hands of the pirates. LII thi
d newspaper account was minute de
~ scrIption of certain pieces of jewelr.
which Mrs. Alston was known Il
- have with her, and which tailed ex
actly with the "plunder" described
by the pirate i'll the hearing Of th
two girls.
- Nv mother died fifteen years age
~, but all OLD citizens of Mobile will rt
10 cognize her identity in this. sketch
=" =" Her companion and lifelong frien
80 died recently i'll New Orleans.
80 Many of the older Mobilians viii
% % remember a one-legged, blackboard
%, S ed, swarthy man, who used to sit da
~ after day, for years, upon the step
r, r, of the old Mobile bum building, (no,
~ the Mystic saIoon). He never " orl
e1 ed aud never accepted aims. To o
no fer him money WAS to make hii
IN furious. He had but one suit {
no clothes, which he wore until they b'
NV came too dirty to suit him. Then b
would walk down to the ury-u Ock {
az some convenient point below towi
II. pull off his clothes, scrub them an
:; hang them out to dry. In the mee,
.s time he would swim across the rive
r., to the RATS, where he would renal
II. until he thought his garments WEI
oh dry, swim back, dress himself all
an 60 back up town. AT intervals of
or few days he made his appearance
wv a bakers shop, laid down All anciel
,rr. Spanish gold piece of small valu
n took its worth i'll bread aud stunpe
,u' off to his lodgings somewhere dow
"a i'll Spanish alley. Ii this mans stol
ce- could have been obtained ami wri
Ie.r ten up, it would have made a volun
sd beside W which the choicest yarn in Il
@ nu ''Pirate's Own Book would
,dSs tame. l know but one man who ev
JOS had his confidence TO any extent, al
RI. this one was priest. He told L
NV one day that "it this old fellow wal
~ ed to, he could very easily unra,
~, - the mystery about Theodosia Burr
death"-words which, taken in CO
,a1 nection with what we now kno
yas mean simply that this ancient cripl
,r. was one of the gang VINO murder
an her. MOBILE