Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1881-03-19

The fate Of Theodosia. the beautiful
daughter Of Aaron Burr. has been one Of
the appalling mysteries of sudden disap-
pearances at sea. She was highly cultured,
the icoi OF her father. and adorned by her
grace OF manner and witty conversation
every circle IN which she moved Her
facr, from the best artist evidence, was In
a nign degree classic, reminding the be-
holder OF some Of the Hellenic models
PAIN ed by the old masters and occasional
~ reproduced in flesh in Corinth, Athens,
and os4er parts OF Greece to-day. There is
abou: the "coun,erfeit presen,men,' a
calm dignity and serene beauty which By
ron calls the rapture of repose. Theodo-
sia Burr was married to Gov. Allstou, OF
South Carolina, name distinguished in
the early annals Of that State She sailed
from Charleston for New York on the ship
Patrio:, Dec. ~ 1912, on a visit to her
fataeI. The vessel was supposed TO have
been either ingulfed or cap ured by pirates,
for no soul survived to determine the aw-
tul doub. as to its fate or that Of its pas
seDgers. From time to time various con-
lectures, or even assumed reliable accounts
have found their way into print conccI ming
the fate Of Iheodosia Burr. One account
particularly arrested public attention, and
that was the purported::confcssio Of pi-
rate, Dominick You, which Charles Gay
ARE incorporated in his brilliant ronantlco-
philosophic Ferdinand de Lemos.' It's
SO graphically drawn that very many per
sons thought that the fate of Aaron Burr S
only daughter was known. Perhaps Gay
ARE, well posted in the history Of Latitte
and his piratical gang, who rendevouzed
among the live oaks Of Barritaria Islam,
and at times at Galveston island, and the
adjacent mainland, really found such a
tradition as Domlnick You's account of
the death of Mrs. Allston among the sail
ors Of the gulf. Yet, if later confession
be true, there is an end to the tragic story
Of Latitte's Lieutenant. An Old sailor
| named Benjamin F. B1rd;ck died short
time ago a pauper in Michigan poor
house. On his death-bed he made. the
Startling confession that he was one Of the
principal crew that captured vessel
| named the Patriot and participated in the
murder Of Theodosia Allstou al sea; indeed
he declared that it fell to his lot to pull the
plank from under her. She came forth ar
rayed in white, holding u Bible in one
hand, and with heroic mien took her place
| upon the slender instrument of death, and
without shudder or quiver Of a muscle,
was precipitated into the waves. The no.
bic, unblanched face, erect and airy form,
he said had haunted him all his subsequent
! life. The date Of the vessels loss, Janu
AIRY, 1913, was correctly given by Burdlck,
| and the name Odessa Burr Al SION his
only error, and yet not an error, for the
name Of both father and husband are suf
ticient Identification. The corruption OF
Theodosia into "Ouessa" would be natural
| to ignorant sailor, ana if anythi ne
| tend TO prove that he had not been read
| ing up to make himself sort Of death bee
hero. At any rate, the confession is plau
| sible, not because 1t was ext-emis, for huge
lies are often told with the dying breath OF
criminals, but for the reasons hitherto
| named.