The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-07-23
AARON BURR's DAUGHTER.
THE MxsrERY of HER DEATH

The Beautiful TheOdosia Aston Los
Her Life at Sea-The Confession of
Dying Sailor.
The story of how Aaron Burr's onl
child, beautiful young Theodosia, me
her death at the hands of ocean pirate
years ago, and how that fact was onl,
recently established by the discover,
OF portrait Of her, rescued from tn,
schooner from whence she was throwi
for the first time, says the Elkton, Md.
correspondent Of The Philadelphi,
Record. Involving, as it does, the
deathbed confession of one of the pi
rates who drowned the young woman
the tale seems more like fiction thar
verified history but there are persons
living hereabouts who have verified II
In detail and who will vouch for it,
accuracy.
Theodosia Burr, young woman oil
unusual mental attachments, was mar.
ried to the son of Judge Alston, ol
South Carolina, o relative of Washing.
ton Alston, the celebrated historical
painter. Mr.. and Mrs. Alston resided
on their plantation near Charleston.
When Aaron Burr contemplated re-
turning from the extended visit he
made to Europe after his trial he
wrote Mrs. Alston, to whom he VAS
! devotedly attached, asking her to meet
him In New York on his arrival there.
r. AlstOn, engrOssed with the busi-
ness of his plantation, found it impossi-
sible to accompany his wife. There
being no railroads in those days, Mr..
Alston, deeming that summer trip
from Charleston to New York by sea
would be less irksome to his wife than
stage journey by land, chartered IL
coasting schooner. In this Mrs. AL
ston set out. She took with her, as Il
present to her father, beautiful
painting OF herself. But she never
reached New York, and down to the
present date the fate of Aaron Burr's
only child has been q matter of specu-
lation among historians, some contend
ing that the vessel and al on board
were lost at sea, others asserting that
Mrs. Alston fell into the hands Of some
OF the pirates who in those days infest-
ed the Atlantic coast.
But the mystery has at last been
cleared up. Its accuracy is vouched
for by the former rector of Trinity
Episcopal church, Elkton, a Clergyman
we'll known throughout Maryland and
the middle States.
About five years ago this Clergyman
was visiting his native state, North
Carolina, and for several days was the
guest of the widow of DR.. William
Poole, near Elizabeth City. Above
the mantelpiece in Mrs. Pooles paror
was an old-fashined painting, exquisite
ly executed Of a beautiful young wo-
man, dressed in white. 1t so greatly IN
Mrs. Poole whom it was intended to
represent. She gave the following
story of it:
Eight years previously" she said,
DIR. Poole had taken his family to
pass the summer at the little coast
town of Nags Head, N. c., where the
United States man-of-war Huron came
to grief. The place is largely popl.
lated by bankers generally rough
class OF men, who mainly earn a liveli-
hood by picking up all species of hot-
sam and jetsam along the coas,. One
OF these bankers however. was u very
respectable old fellow, named Mann.
His wife was suffering from compli-
cation of diseases, and DR.. Poole took
great interest in her case. Under his
treatment she recovered, and az
token of gratitude to the doctor, pres
ented him with the painting which so
greatly interested the Clergyman.
Mrs. Mann said her husband had re-
covered 1t from wreck. When quite
q young man, he was walking along
the shore one morning. His attention
was then called to a coasting schooner
under full sail, bearing swiftly down
upon the dangerous bar, which, in
later years, occasioned the loss of the
Huron. With others' bankers ,,sMann
put out to her assistance.
"They boarded the schooner, but
found that the only living thing
aboard was little black and tan dog.
Careful inspection of the schooner
proved nothing as to her antecedents.
Even her name was not ascertainable.
But one of the cabins had evidently
been very recently occupied by wo-
man, and in this cabin was the paint
ing which Mrs. Mann gave Dr. Poole,
and which DR.. Mann appropriated as
his share of the salvage. The schoon-
er shortly afterward went to pieces"
DR.. Poole was an enthusiastic stu
dent of national matters. He felt cer-
tain that the picture had very valua-
that it might have represented the
mysteriOusly lost daughter of Aaron
Burr. He put himself in communica-
tiOn with several historical societies
on the matter, but his theory found
little weight, in spite of family like
ness being admitted. AS the clergy
man upon whose authority this story is
given was returning from a recent
visit to Mrs. Poole, while driving
from that lady's house to Elizabeth
City to take the cars home, he met IL
young man, whom he knew to be very
bashtul and much afraid of the gentle
sex, driving strange woman in u bug.
gy toward Mrs. Poole's residence. In
u letter written to Mrs. Poole shortly
afterward he gOod-naturedly referred
to the incident and to the young fell
lows evident embarrassment.
This brought from Mrs. Poole an
other chapter in the story of the beau
tiful picture. The strange woman
was u descendant of the Burr family,
who resides in Detroit, Mich. Her
name has temporarily escaped the
clergyman's memory. She had been
visiting at Virginia Beach, Va,
where she rad heard OF Mrs. Poole's
mysterious painting from North Car
ollna gentleman. Her visit to Eliza
Fbeth City was solely for the purpose Of
| seeing the painting and no sooner had
she s6t eyes on it than she offered Mrs
Poole $500 spot cash for the same, be-
sides any other additional sum she
might require. Mrs. Poole refused to
part with the treasure. She told the
visitor that there was strong family
likeness between the latter and the sub
| ject OF thepicture, whoever that bject
might have been, and further inform
ed her OF the facts already given here
1