The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-11-11
CLUE FURNISHED
BY CLUB WOMAN
Mrs. E. NJ. Miller Is Salt Lake
Double of Theodocia Burr.
PIcTURELIKE PIRATES VICTIM
SHE REVEALS IDENTITY AND
TELLS OF THE MYSTERY.
THE SALT LAKE woman whose Pho

IT HE SALT LAKE woman whose pho
tograph furnished the missing link
in the chain of proof of the tragic
fate OF beautiful TheodOcia Burr is Mrs
E NJ Miller of 1929 First street one OF
the eity's prominent club women. Mrs.
Miller has been prominent in society cir
cles of the city for ten years. and her
striking resemblance to pictures of her
famous distant cousin has been the
source Of no little comment among her
friends who knew OF her family geIleal-
ogy Although Mrs Miller has for years
past been assisting her sister, Mrs Stella
Pierrepont Drake of Boston, to gather
information that might lead 10 the solu-
ton of the fate of Theodoeia Burr, she
has said nothing about her part of the
work until yesterday. when, after read
ing The Herald's story of the historic
tragedy, she made her Identity known
and related TO a Herald represenItaattdl,x. Nv.
some interesting facts about the mystery
Of a century.
Resemblance Is Striking.
The resemblance of Mrs. Miller, who
was, before her marriage, Miss Jeanne
Ogden Drake, to the historic pictures Of
Aaron Burr's daughter, is striking. To
one familiar with pictures purporting TO
be correct likenesseS of Burr's daughter,
the family resemblance found in Mrs.
Miller is noticed Immediately. In fact,
so great is this resemblance that when
picture of Mrs Miller, attired in a cos
tune similar to that shown in Theodocia
Burr pictures. is compared with the
other. it is difficult to distinguish be-
tween the two.
1t was this resemblance in pictures that
Mrs. Drake of Boston used to establish
the authenticity of the portrait found on
the stranded vessel, and thus prove al
most beyond a doubt that Theodocia Burr
was, through the superstition of cruel
pirates, compelled to walk a plank over
the side of that vessel. during a raging
storm, and was tipped to her death in
the waves below.
Mrs. Miller. in telling her story yester-
day. stated that after her sister. Mrs.
Drake. learned of the portrait found on
board the stranded vessel and coupled
with il the nursery story of the dying
pirates confession. she wrote to her Sis
ter here and told her of this portrait.
Prof1es Are Compared.
II dressed myself and my hair in the
fashion shown in this old portrait. de-
seription of which my sister sent me-
taken, showing a profile view of my face.
sent this picture to my sister, and 1t
was that picture which she compared
with the old portrait found on the yes
sci and proved its authenticity by the
striking family likeness She wrote to
me as soon as she had compared the
pictures and told me the result, but |
intended to say nothing about it, until 1
saw the story this morning. From put
ting together the facts of the likeness
between the pictures, my undisputed re-
latiOnship to TheOdocia Burr, and the
dying pirates confession, my sister and
are both convinced that the secret OF
that tragedy of nearly century ago has
been cleared up
Mrs. Miller traces her relationship TO
the famous American beauty of a cen
fury ago through a straight line of de-
scent from the grandfather of Theodocla
Burr The family tree begins with jon
athan Edwards. whose daughter was the
mother of TheodOcia Burr. Timothy Ed
wards, the brother of Theodoeia's moth
er, was the father of Edward Edwards,
the. great -grandfather of Mrs Miller His
daughter, Mary Edwards, married James
Mckinney, and their daughter, Kate Gray
Mckinney, married Addison Tuttle Drake,
who was Mrs. Miller'S father. This
makes Mrs Miller cousin of Theodocia
Burr, removed five generations.
Mrs. Miller is the wife of the Wen
known hardware broker and has resided
in Utah for sixteen years. The first six
years of this time were spent in Ogden,
the remainder of the time being spent
here.