The sun., 1904-08-27
TBEODOsIA BURR.
An Alleged Csnfessisn by the Pirate who
Caused ller Death

! To THE EDIToR OF THE SuN--Sir. II
to-days suS. under Questions and Answers,
! In reply TO correspondent asking what wat
the true story OF the disappearance Of Thso
dosia. daughter OF Aaron Burr. having beer
| captured by pirates" the editor, usually cor.
rect. states that there was mo foundation
for the. pirate story. Allow me. however
to say tnat. on the contrary. tnsre is consider
able foundation for It; and II you will permit
me ] will state my reasons Tor the above
opinion. Tho Mobile Register Of My 90.
1888. said:
The fave Of Mrs. Aston. the accomplished lady OF
Governor Aston Of South Carolina, and daughter
OF Aaron Burr. has bcen shrouded In mystery for
moro thAn twenty years. Occasionally. indeed.
some eleam OF light has been thrown around her
melancholy end and the belief Is that she fell q
victim 10 piratica airocity. Some three years ago
was currently reported that man residing In one
o. the interior counties Of this State made some dts
closures on his deathbed which went 10 connrm
the confession previously made by cuprit on the
ga1ows that the vessel In which Mrs Aston sailed
vas souttied for the sake Of her plate and effects.
Tho following article, which we copy from the
AIeoame Journal goes TO throw some additional
night On the subject. The facts mentioned In II are
-" 70 us' ana VIII De TO most Of our readers:
"coKYxssIoS OF riRArH.
HThe public no doubt remembers the story Of
she daughter OF Aaron Burr who was the wife OF
Governor Aston Of South Carolina. On the re-
furn OF her father from Europe about the year
lsl2 she embarked from Charleston. on . visit to
MIN at New York, on board . privsteer-bu yes.
sei and was never heard OF afterward. II seems
that her friends at nrst thought the vessel had
falien into the hands Of pirates and afterward
Cuded that II was wrecked and lost. II appears
ffom the statement OF . respectable merchant OF
Mobile that man died In that city recently, who
confessed on his dying bed that ho had been q
pirate and helped 10 destroy the vessel and all tho
crew and passengers on which Mrs. Alston had
embarked for New York. He declared, says this
gentleman {who Is well known 10 u.s.. that after
the men were all killed there was unwillingness
on the part OF every pirate to take the life OF Mrs
Aston. who had not resisted them OF fought them.
and therefore they drew lots who should perform
the deed, as 1t had to be done.
The lot fell on this pirate. who declares that he
effected his object by putting the lady TO death by
laying plank along the edge OF the ship and made
Mrs. Aston walk the plank till II tilted over with
her. The dying pirate tsays our informanD re.
auested bis physician to make this story public;
b'rt his surviving family will permit that the
name OF the deceased should be known.
The above tale was repeated over and over by
the merchant before mentioned In the presence OF
number Of gentlemen whose names we are pre-.
pared to give. On being asked II tho physician
was man OF veraclty, he replied that there WAS
no man more SO In Mobile. The merchant was
warned that his story would get INTO the newspapers
TO which he nade no objection"
MY Iatner, the late COL William u. Stone.
visited ihthe Tombs pirate known as Babe,
and endeavored TO procure from him state
ment that he was the one who captured the
schooner In which Mrs. Aston had taken
passage. While the pirate refused to make
any statement to my father either pro or
con regarding II. the very fact that my father
endeayored to get from him q confession
showed VERY strongly what the general
opinion was at that time. My father was o
very intimate friend Of Aaron Burr-hence !
MS enorts 70 ascertain the truth, Theodosia |
was. indeed, a most lovely and cultivated |
woman, as three or four autograph letters |
from her to her father I'm my possessiouJ
by Burr. WILLIAM L. Stone
MoUNr VERNON. Aug. 2i.
For years there were stories current as to |
Theodosia Alston's death, and they were all |
based on evidence as unsatisfactory as that |
In the extract quoted In Mr.. stones letter. |
Dur statement was based on the authority Of
1 personal letter TO us from the nephew OF !
Governor Aston and Theodosia, and present |
head Of the Aston family. Mrs. Aston, he
wrote. Sailed in the schooner Patriot from
Georgetown to New York, to visit her father,
1ol Burr. who had lately returned from
europe. The vessel was never heard OF again.
Governor Aston and his family never be-
ievcd the story Of her capture by pirates:
hey always thought that the Patriot. beine
small and inferior vessel foundered at sea
nth all on board in a severe gale which oc-
urred soon after she sailed from George.
0uu" ]