Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-10-02

Theodosia Burr.
The Tree Story of Her Death at Sea.


-
of this painting makes it almost GER
tain that it is of Theodosia. The wife
of McWhorter, the historian. of North
Carolina, the daughter of the painter
Sully. pronounced it to be clearly of
her, as do. also, other artists who have
seen it. Yours respectfully, W. G.
POOL
Then the following account on the
portrait IS given;
'Theodosia Burr. - This
lady took passage on the schooner
Patriot, which crossed the Charleston
bar Dec. 81, 1912. Until the last mo-
ments of his life, the husband was
racked with the belief that the vessel
had been captured by pirates. =
The authority of the present clue is a
gentleman of culture and fortune
Almond valuable collection of paint
ings in his private gallery is an orig
inal Theodosia Burr Aston. the pos
session of which came about as fol-
lows: Near Kitty Hawk" on the
coast of North Carolina-now so sadly
known as the scene of the loss OF the
Huron and the Metropolis in the win
tire of 1S77-7S-lived an aged and
weather-beaten pilot, who, taken sick
sent for a physician, and as the doctor
had been successful in his treatment
and was about to take leave of his
patient, the latter said he had no
money, but would compensate him for
his trouble when he was able to work"
The doctor remarked that there was
something of his which he would like
to have, unless it had some association
which would render parting with it a
sacrifice, and pointed to the portrait of
beautiful woman on the wall The
pilot did not value the picture, nor
did he know who it was. The physi-
clan asked how he came into posses.
sion of it, and was told that years
ago, say night in January, 1918, after
storm of such force as was not re-
| membered by the oldest people then
living on the coast, several vessels
were thrown ashore, and when the
weather went down, so that he could
head for the breakers, he pulled off
to one of the vessels, little schooner
Everything had been swept from her;
books were scattered about, and in
his search for some records of the YES
sells destination, crew, and passengers
he came across a set of silver and
that picture, and brought them away
A gentleman residing in the neighbor
hood of kitty Hawk" during a second
visit to Washington, happened to hear
a conversation about Aaron Burr--tc
confirm the remark of Theodosia's
beauty, a picture of the lady was pro
duced. After his return to North
Carolina he was visiting an old friend
who was struck with the resemblance
of portrait hanging before him and
the picture he had seen of Theodosia
in Washington"
The writer in concluding an article
already too lengthy will only add that
the British Admirals statement OF his
having passed the pilot through his
feet and the violent gale which fol-
lowed the same night prove most con-
clusively that the boat was lost, and it
is simply absurd to attach any import
ance to the pirate story" in fierce
storm, and in the midst of the British
| feet. The boat may or may not have
been cast ashore. The portrait may
or may not have been that OF Theo-
dosia. The lady written to, with the
hope Of it's being recognized was a
near and very dear relative of the
writer, and was the youngest sister of
Gov. Joseph Aston, but was a little
girl when Theodosia sailed from
Charleston, and could not therefore
trace in the photo sent her any resem-
blance. OF course the sailing of the
Patriot on the 31st of December, 1872.
and the date given by the old seaman
in January, 1873. when he boarded the
wreck, are worthy of credit, and had
the name in the books or even the
letters on the silver been preserved
the wreck of this particular vessel
would have been established, but the
writer rather inclines to the opinion
of the British admiral that the little
boat, heavily laden, had gone to the
bottom with all aboard. OF course it
was natural that the "story OF pirates"
was listened to, when the people of
Charleston recalled the days when
that harbor was the scene of such
severe conflict with them-when Stud
Bonnet, their leader, and forty OF his
crew we're captured and number Of
women released who were found be-
tween decks. These pirates were all
hanged and buried at the intersection
of south and east battery, Charleston.
and the only one who showed the
white feather was their captain,
/ Stud Bonnet, an Englisbman OF edu.
cation, who had to be dragged to the
| gallows in fainting condition. The
harbor of Charleston is noted as hav-
| ing been the scene of three great en-
gagements: that Of the piratical vessels
under Stud Bennett and those OF the
colony under Col. Rhett, and here was
fought in 1776 the memorable battle of
Fort Moultrie and the British feet
under Sir Peter Parker, and again in
the great civil war. when Fort Sumter