Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-07-22

Dy WIDOW opening on piazza, maue LIZ
way to the room, found the flute, and took il
safely to its destination. The sagacious crea
ture had been used to carry the flute for his
master, who was brilliant amateur, and had
of course been previously shown where to
look for it in the room. The same animal
often took pennies to the butchers and
bought his own meat.
1t must be admitted that there are some
domestic servants, to say nothing of the say.
ages referred to by DR.. Lindsay, whose intel.
ligence might easily fall short of that of the
shaggy hero of this little story. - a.,s s
AARON BURR.
AN INTERESTING EPISODE IN HIS REMARKA'
BILE CAREER.
When Col. Burr was released under his
own reconizance to appear before the Su'
preme Court of the territory, he became the
guest of Col. Bensjah Osmun, a wealthy
planter residing in the vicinity. He was a
bachelor, had been an officer in the New
Jersey line, and intimate with Burr. In
politics he was high strung Federalist,
had been strong partisan of John Adams,
and had no confidence in Mr.. Jefferson.
Near by Col. Osmun, lived another old mil.
itary friend Of similar political opinions, the
veteran Maj. Isaac Guion, and with these
two and other influential gentlemen, he had
daily consultations. No sterner or truer pa.
triots lived than those two veteran soldiers,
and they reposed unshaken faith in the friend
whom they had seen so often tested in the
"times that tried mems souls" Col: Osmun
lived at the place now owned by DR.. Stan.
ton, and Maj. Guion resided at the foot of
the Halfway hill, and there was rural path
between the two places trelissed with vines
and shaded with evergreens. This was Burrs
daily resort. But its refreshing shade and
charming prospect were not the only attrac.
tions. There lived at that time, a widow
lady from Virginia, whose small farm and
two or three slaves were the only remains
Of large fortune. Her husband had con-
verted his property into money, and on his
way to this territory had been robbed and
murdered by the notorious joseph Thompson
Hare, more blood. thirsty villain than the
celebrated Msson. She had but one child,
Madeline, who must still be remembered by
a few of our oldest citizens as a miracle of
beauty. In form and feature, in grace and
modesty, she was all that the old masters had
painted the divine Madonna, or that artist
ever dreamed of maiden loveliness. Those
that saw her loved her, yet she was never
conscious of the sentiment until she listened
to Aaron Burr. The family were Catholics,
and there Col. Burr went to meet, by ap-
pointment, one of his numerous agents and
correspondents, the Able Viel, Jesuit priest
of remarkable ability. He was born in New
Orleans in 1746, studied in Paris and became
a member of the congregation of the oratory.
At the dissolution of that body by the French
government he returned to Louisiana and
exercised the priestly function in the parish Of
Attakapas. He subsequently went to France.
1t is probable thai Col. Burr, in his projected
invasion of Mexico, contemplated securing
the influence of the religious orders, and for
this purpose had opened a correspondence
with the abbe and met him by appointment
at this secluded place.
At length, after canvassing his situation
with Col. Osmun and six other confidential
friends, Col. Burr determined to forfeit his
bond. One stormy night in February, 1907,
he set forth, mounted on the favorite horse
of his host. Urgent as was the necessity for
he halted until daylight at the
widows cottage, imploring the beautiful Mad.
cline to be the companion of his flight. He
promised marriage, fortune, high position and
even limiting at imperial honors, not realizing,
even then, fugitive and branded traitor, the
crushing downfall that impended over him.
The maiden had given him her heart; she
had listened to his witchery night after night,
and loved him with all the fervor of a south.
ern nature. She would have followed him
to the end of the earth and to the scafold,
and her mother would have freely given her
to the most captivating man-for they looked
on him as a demi god-but, as with most
of our southern women, the principles Of
religion, virtue and propriety were strong
er than prepossession and passion; and the
entreaties of the accomplished libertine were
firmly rejected. Bafaed and disappointed
he was compelled to proceed, but promised
to return, and carried with him the cove
nant and pledge of the beautiful Madeline.
She was wooed by many lover. The young
and gallant masters of the large plantations
on Second Creek and st. GATHERINGS strove
in vain for her hand. Fortune and the hom-
age of devoted hearts were laid at her feet !;
but the maid of the Halfway hill remained
true to her absent lover-the more so because
of the rumors that had reached her of his
misfortune and his guilt. She lived on the
recollection of his manly beauty, and the
shades he had most affected were her constant
haunts.
At length, when he fled from the United
States, pursued by Mr.. Jefferson and the
remorseless agents that swarm around power
and authority when he had been driven from
England, and was an outcast in Paris, shiv-
ering with cold and starving for bread-he
seems to have felt for the first time the utter
hopelessness of his fortunes. And then he
wrote to Madeline, and in few formal words,
released her from her promise. Stating that
he would never return to the United States,
he advised her to enter convent, should she
survive her mother A year or two after
this, she went to Havana, with Mrs. w., a
highly respectable lady, who then owned
the property where the Christian brothers
now reside, near Natchez. Her extreme beau
ty, her grace and and elegance, produced the
greatest enthusiasm. The hotel where they
put up was besieged. If she appeared on
the balcony dozen. cavaliers were waiting to
salute her. When her valante was seen on
the Pasco or the Plaza de Armas, it was es.
corted by the grandees of the island. She
was feted by the Governor general serenades
and balls followed in rapid succession, and
the daily homage to her beauty never ceased
until the evening bells sounded the CANCEL