The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-11


mains. Spacious grounds and flower
bounded walks lead up 70 large white
|, domlcile Of the colonial period. with wide
galleries reaching around tue whole trent
width OF the house. a large hall extends
the entire length of the house: on each
4 side are the drawing rooms AMI dining
hall; the library occupies the west wing.
and though still magnificent, many OF tne
/ most valuable bucks and ornaments of
4 this apartment, as we'll as .tosc belong
ing 10 other parts OF the house, we're de-
stroycd when the mansion in Columbia
was burned in the mlsiortunes of war.
A number of valuable rollcs OF the past,
however, are still preserved and among
] these most priced that COW occupies a
prominent place in the home is pa'Lt-
/ ing of the czar, Frederick / / presented
/ by him to the minister and his wife dur
! ing the formers incumbency NJ office.
] Two busts in Italian marble from life Of
\ Governor and Mrs. pickeas are souvenirs
! highly priced by the family o. visit
to the sunny skies OF Italy. other cities
visited furnish souvenirs OF some pleas
ant incident in the travels of the dis
tingulshed visitors.
Mrs. Pickens was always intensely pa
triotic The movement for preserving
Mount Vernon was inaugurated by Mrs.
Cunningham of Charleston, who, though
confined to her bed an almost helpless in
valid wrote letters of appeal to persons
high and low, and before her death had
the satisfaction of knowing that her dear
est hopes had been realized and that the
home and resting place of General Wash
ington had been saved from decay and
ruin. She was appointed State regent of
Mount Vernon, and after her death Mrs.
Pickens was selected to fill her place. At
tbo In a spripn MrS
Pickens was among those who spent
week at Mount Vernon. Her room, fur
nished by the State, Is one of the most
beautiful and artistic in the home; II
shows In every detail the cafeured taste
of its presiding genius. The last work
to which Mrs. Pickens devoted her inter-
est was the erection OF monument to
the Confederate dead in Edgeteld She |
had hoped to see 1t completed but this |
will be denied her, and other hands must
complete the sweet task.
~
The years bring sad changes, and the
of merry voices, in many joyful feast.
is silent now, for the reigning spirit is
silenced by the hand of disease. Like the
home that for the past years has shown
the touch of time, so have troubles and
iildlo udu lueiI tlStl Ou us Dtdutilui mis-
tress, until the burden becoming too
great, she has reached the end, and will
now find sweet rest.
One can truthfully say of Mrs. Pickens
that her faults, for all have them, were
fully compensated for by her unlimited
and sweet charity. The loyalty of those
who have ever been associated with her
has been shown most fully in the devotion
of the negroes on her plantation; many of
them are still working there who never
eft, even after freedom had been de-
clared, and are as faithful and devoted to
he interest of their mistress as they had
ever been. Now old and decrepid, they
must begin new life among conditions
so different that one feels for them sin
gular pity in the thought of the sorrow
that will soon fall upon them.
Age had dimmed the uster In the once
brilliant eyes, and laid its hand upon the /
auburn locks, giving them silvery sheen =
out 1t could not destroy the queenly ele /,
,ance or subdue the beauty that made
Nrs Pickens noted figure in any assem- a
ply. In her younger days she was per- c
ect type of Titan beauty; with delicately Z
moulded features and a complexion Just {
moving n tint of color through its pearly
vhiteness, she was picture of womanly a
eauty fair to look upon. Her natural =
ats OF the mind and heart were augment r
ID by all the advantages that culture and n
wealth could bestow, She retained these 4
after gifts to the closing of her life. $
~ a
pathetic coincidence is the fact that "
er old servant. Nance" who had !,
rown up with her and had been her maid 81
rom her young ladyhood to the time that a
lckness prevented her further service Il
4 that capacity, was stricken few days il
go after Mrs. Pickens' illness with the Il
fan11 d. Iok t,sI -
Love of the beautiful, best exemplitied o,
a flowers, and rare charity for the UNI
ortunate, were the marked traits in Mrs al
'ickens' character. n. IL