The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-15

Pickens was elected Governor of the state
of South Carolina, and his wife at once
assumed a part In the political history of
her state which made her one of the most
commanding figures i'm the Confederacy.
Her sway and influence was such that il
used to be said thai If the Confederacy
failed South Carolina would herself estab-
lish a monarchy and the Governors fam
ily should be declared the ruling house.
This was the beginning when South Car
ollna telt supreme, and inspired by the
beauty and grace of the Governors wife,
the heated imaginatons Of the Huguenots
was on4y step from the secession to the
establishment of a monarchy. 1t is known,
however, that Mrs. Pickens discouraged
any such wild gossip Of the ballroom and
il was her influence as much as that of
any one which held South Carolina in the
single path marked out for her by her
statesmen at the time Of the Confederacy.
The title of lady" was bestowed on her
in her state and to all her old friends now
she Is known as Lady Pickens as she was
70 the whole ConfederaCy in the days of
the war.
She was an important factor In the af-
fairs of South Carolina during the war
period and no council of state was held
without her influence being considered. It
was due largely to her that South Carolina
became resigned to the reconstruction as
II did after the bloody battles Of the
states She advised her people to accept
the inevitable with good grace and to de-
vote their time to the cultivation of their
wasted lands She set the example of
farming with the negroes on shares. On
her plantation at Edgewood she was left
a widow soon after the war closed. Her
negroes had remained with her husband
ana at his death they continued to serve
his widow. On the night of his death the
dying statesman addressed the negroes on
the place from a window and told them
of Il \ a
their care he would leave Mrs. Pickens
and his daughter They We're true to their
trust. The oldest ones became his pail
bearers and with the exception of three
who have since died. they acted in the
same capacity for the daughter, who died
about five years ago. Each negro was
given plot of ground to cultivate and
was entitled to an interest in all that was
raised on it, Mrs. Pickens was a model
planter and her estates have always been
kept in good condition, due largely to the
system she employed with her coored
labor During the reconstruction days
she was an important factor as she had
been during the war.
Her home, EdgeWOOd. became a politi-
cal center during those dark days. Her
advice and counsel was sought not only
by pubic men of her own state, but from
statesmen throughout the South. She
kept IN touch with every question aris-
ing in Congress which i'm any way affect
ed her section of the country, and often
came to Washington to lend her assist
ance to some cause which was vital to
her people. Her influence was always
used for good In her declining days she
was still beautiful. At the age of 50
her hair would touch the floor when she
was standing She never lost her exquis-
ite contour of her figure. which was 1.-the
and graceful Her face was as clearly
| Grecian as the Milo almost. and she wore
| her hair so as to accentuate the classic
| profile. She never lost the friendship of
| the royal house Of Russia. At the mar
| riage of her daughter the son of the old
| Car sent a casket of jewelry to her as
token of the esteem in which her mother
| had been held at court This daughter
| was her happiness and finally her crown
| ing sorrow. Strong, athletic, a perfect
| horsewoman, yet her health gave way
| early in life, and she died five years ago
| Mrs. Pickens has never recovered from
| the blow. Mrs. Pickens was one of the
| charter members of the Mount Vernon
| Association, and has never failed. until
| this spring, to be present al their annual
| gatherings Her friends on the board had
| noticed her decline, and when she failed
| to arrive this year they all felt that the
| end was near. The room which she fitted
| up at Mount Vernon viii stand as a monu-
| ment to her love and devotion to that
| spot.