The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-10-18
Douschka Pickens's Burial.

There is an interesting and a pretty
story that comes here from the South
and is being told by Southern people
story of scene in South Carolina,
which will possibly never be witnessed
again in the South tale Of slave
devot; on and Shareholders apprecia-
tion. which sounds almost like fiction.
Al Edgewood, the ancestral home Of
Governor Pickens, of South Carolina,
there lately died his daughter,
Douschka, who was as well known in
the South at her death as was her
illustrious father at the close Of his
career.
Before the close of the war Cover
nor Pickcns died. Learning his ap-
preaching fate he summoned all his
Slaves at midnight from their cottages,
and, being lifted from his bed to the
window around which they were gath
cred, the dying Governor called upon
them to stand by their mistress and
their ''little missy Douschka," no
matter what the war might bring
about, or what temptations might
cross their path to tempt them away.
He died as the moon rose and the
Oldest of his slaves were his pallbear-
ers. Since then not one Of the men
whom addressed that night has left
the service of his widow, and at the
close of the civil strife, when negroes
were fastening to seek work in towns
and citics,o the Pickens plantation
almost alone remained intact
1t is almost the only plantation
where the laborer is paid bonus in
addition to his wages, according to the
season or success of the crop. This
plan Of giving to the tiller his percent
tage of the fruit of his toll was insti-
tuted by Douschka at the age Of IS.
She was buried from Edgewood, and
her funeral services were without a
parellel in Southern history. As
related by a prominent South Caro-.
lima lady, who was an eyewitness OF
the services, it was memorable scene.
Her pallbearers were the ex-slaves Of
her father, some of whom had borne
him to his grave over score Of years
ago.
The spectacle was striking in it's
antithesis. The coffin was white vel
vet, profusely covered with white
flowers, and around it in the palatial
ball room Of the homestead were
grouped the white-haired negroes.
The scene was impressive enough in
itself, but was almost startling in its
solemnity when Mrs. .Pickens, the
courtly, beautiful mother, stepped to
the head of the casket, and, facing
her faithful servants, addressed them
"I have sent for you to do you this
honor, because, and here there was a
break in the voice, "I wish to make a
public acknowledgment Of your faith
fulness and devotion, through all her
sweet life, to this, your young mis-
tress. When your master died, you
will remember, he sent for you and
confded to your faithful care and pro
lection his wife and his little child.
You have been faithful to that trust.
"In all the dreadful times of riot
and thieving you have stood by us and
protected US, and I thank you now in
the presence of all these friends fol
your loyalty and devotion. That
sweet young life is over, and you will
carry from this room her precious
body. Her spirit is with God, she is
an angel in Heaven, and | now ask
you to continue your faithful devotion
and protect to your disolate mistress
and to these little children of your
young mistress, whom she loved better
than her life.
It was a strange sight this little
speech and appeal Of mistress to hel
ex-slaves at the casket of her daugh
ter. The slaves, weeping and awed
bore their young mistress to the family
burial ground and laid her by the side
of her father, whom they had buried
thirty years before. The tombstone
will bear the rame by which she was
known, "Douschka." f" Mrs. Governor
Pickens is the vice regent of Mount
Vernon from South Carolina, and
enthusiastic over the old home Of
Washington, always at the meetings
and upon all of her visits to this city
has been received with marked socia
attention. Washington Post.