St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-19
ROssER,s DAUGHTER.
Judge FIandrau Gives Her Infor
nation Through the Globe.

Judge FIandrau Gives Her Infor-
nation Through the Globe.
| To the Editor of the Globe
1 saw in the G o b e of yesterday
| a notice headed Echo of Territorial
Days" in which a daughter of the
| late j.. Travis Rosser makes in
| quiry for some of his personal eff
fects, consisting Of oil paintings and
"a piano. As l am generally pretty
well advised about the past of Min
nesota, and always ready to i'm
part what information I possess, and
as l have particular knowledge on
the subject Of this lady's in
| quiry, 1 will tell her through your
paper all about it.
/ was an intimate friend of Mr..
Rosser during all the time of his
residence in Minnesota. He came
here as secretary of the territory
when Gen. German was appointed
its second governor, and continued
in his position during the admins
tration of Gov. German. Mr.. Ros-
ser was a friend of Capt. Alexander
| NVilkin, brother of Judge Westcott
Willkin, recently deceased. The cap
tain, on his return from trip to
Europe, brought with him from
Florence a copy of the celebrated
| portrait of Beatrice Cenci, in a very
pretty Florentine frame. His friend
RoSSer admired it, and the captain
presented it to him. 1t hung in Mr..
Rosser's room, and was the admira-
ton of all who enjoyed the privilege
of visiting the secretary in his pri-
vacy. / we'll recall the pleasure with
| which Mr.. RoSser used to repeat the
touching story of the picture to the
frontiersmen of that day, bringing
tears to their eyes by his eloquence
and pathos, and that 1 then con-
Sidered it a wonder of art. I had
/ not seen many pictures in those
days.
Well, the government changed,
and Mr.. Rosser emigrated to Man
kato and entered into the practice
of law in that city. The picture
| went with him among his belong
ings, and continued to adorn his
modest apartments, but 1 fear was
never appreciated by natives of that
inartistic region as it had been at
the capital. I draw this inference
from it's subsequent history.
AS time passed. president of the
United States was to be nominated,
and Democratic convention was
called to meet at Charleston. S. c.,
/ for that purpose. We sent Mr.. Ros-
Ser as delegate from Minnesota to
represent us in that body. All polit
ical historians will remember the re-
| suit of that convention. 1t failed to
nominate a candidate, and adj
| journed to Baltimore. One of the
! pleasantries of that day was a
| scientific conundrum invented by
the Republicans: when an ire
! sistible force strikes an immovable
body, what is the result?' An
swer: "They adjourn to Balti-
more"
| Mr. Rosser never returned to Mime
sofa after his departure to this conven-
ton. The civil war was imminent, and
| being a Virginian and a fighting man,
! he cast his fortunes with the Confed-
eracy. When it was learned at Man
kato that he would not come back, peo-
pie who held claims against him put
them in judgment and sold what little
! property he owned, and Beatrice went
with the rest; fortunately falling at
first into ignoble hands. I think she
was sold to pay a stable bill for the
keeping of her owners horse. Rosser
always liked a good horse. While all
this was tranSp.ring l resided at TraV-
erse des Sioux, and occasionally drove
up to Mankato for pleasure or bust
ness. About the year 1868, on my re-
turn from Mankato, 1 stopped at a
farm house to get a drink of water,
and what should l discover but my old
friend Beatrice decorating the walls of
the farmers kitchen. I recognized her
at once, and from her historically sad
expression I thought she saw in me her
lover of old and prayed for protection.
I then and there resolved to rescue her
from her sad. fate or die in the attempt.
On inquiry L found that she had been
purchased for $50, and that her owner
was very willing to surrender her for
that sum. 1 paid the money, put her
! in my wagon and she has ever since
occupied a prominent place in my gal
lery of art. Since seeing her original
in Rome | have somehow lost large
part of my affection and admiration
for her, but l still retain a high de-
gree of respect for her as one of ouI
very old settlers.
When I made my will I bequeathed
her to Judge Wilkin, in order that she
might continue in the family with
whom she immigrated to this country
but unfortunately for the damsel. the
Judge anticipated me In his heavenly
flight, and l am still responsible fol
her. 1 mean to see that in her declin-
ing years her environments and asso-
Citations shall be both aesthetic ano
dignified; and to make sure Of this,
WILL if Mrs. Calvert, the daughter Of
my old friend Rosser will allow me
.. change the name of Judge Wilkin II
nv will. to that of her own.
I do not think that Mr.. Rosser lef
behind him any property worth men
tioning, except a small law library; a:
to a piano, or any other pictures thar
the one have mentioned, I feel quite
sure he had none, or if he had, theil
value was trifiing, and they have Ions
since been destroyed or lost sight of.
CHAS. e. FLANDRAU.
Mrs. Rafferty's Complaint.
CHRISTOPHER Rafferty, was in the po-