The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-01-15
How Burr's Daughter Died.

The publication of o dying sailors
story of the fate of Mrs. Theodosia Burr
Aston, Aaron Burr's only daughter,
yearly three-quarter's of a century ago,
has aroused renewed interest in the mys
terious tragedy.
The statement of the old sailor, Benja-
min F. Bendick, on his death. bed in the
poor.house at Cassopolis, Mich, one day
last week, was that a pirate crew, Of
whiclr he was one, captured the schooner
sPatriot, ON which Mrs. Aston sailed
from Charleston for New York, and
forced all on board to walk the plank.
1t was his lot, he said, to pull the plank
when Mrs. Alston's turn came, and the
recollection of her. white.robed figure
and upturned pallid face had haunted
him ever since. In. conversation with
New York Star reporter last Tuesday,
Mr.. Joseph P. Bull, of Philadelphia,
gave slightly different version of the
story, which is founded on the confession
of another of the murderers of the "Pa-
tfiofs" crew and passengers. Mr.. Bull
is a son, by the second husband of the
widow of Capt. tOverstocks, commander
,of the Patriot" Mrs. Overstocks was
member of the Mater family of New Jer-
sey, which was very prominent in former
times. Mr.. Bull says that his mother
was accustomed to narrate to him. the
circumstances of her first husbands
death substantially as follows:
The tsPatriot" sailed from Charleston,
s. O., for New York on December 80,
1872. Before she sailed three men called
upon Capt. Overstocks, saying that they
wished to come to New York, but were
too poor to pay their passage. They
begged to be allowed to work their way
on board the patriot Capt. Over
stocks not only took the men on board
and, set them to work, but put them
under pay. One was made cook, and
the other two were put before the mast.
All went we'll until the third or fourth
night out when the "Patriot" was off the
New Jersey coast. Mrs. Aston was
anxious to reach New York, and asked
the captain when he thought the vessel
would arrive. The captain told the lady
that if the; weather continued favorable
they would arrive at the Sandy Hook
light before morning. The night was
clear and the stars shone brightly. The
captain and most of the crew went below.
The men who had been befriended by
Capt. Overstocks were on deck. The
mate was in command of the watch.
+ Soon the men on deck were Joined by
the cook and one or two of The ships
original crew. About midnight plot
that had been matured among the trio
from Charleston and part of the regular
crew was put into effect. The mate was
knocked se1seless upon the deck and
thrown overheard. The matches were
-battened down and all below were i'm
prisoned. The pirates then secured all
the silver sand valuables on board and
scuttled the vessel. She went down with
colors flying. The pirates, with their
booty, pulled ashore in the long boat and
secreted the valuables in the woods.
The next day there came on a heavy.
snow storm, and the pirates having. neg
lected to mark the place where they had
hidden their spoils, were never able to
find them.
The loss. of the "Patriot" was for q
long time complete mystery. Aaron
Burr fitted out an expedition in search
of the vessel On which his daughter had
sailed, and the coast between New York
and Charleston was secured, but no trace
of the missing vessel could be found.
The first indication of her fate was the
recognition Of two of the Charleston
pirates in New Orleans. Suspicion was
fastened on them and they were arrested
One of them confessed the story told
above, but neither said anything of max
ing the passengers and crew of the vessel
walk the plank. Both were convicted
Of piracy and hanged.