Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-05-23
WHAT BECOME
OF THE0D0SlA BURR?


In the early part of the last century
there was no woman in America bet
ter known. nor more talked about than
was Theodosia Burr. 1t was not alone
that she was a charming woman and
impressed everyone as such, but her
father was n of the best known men
in the country. and the devotion of
father and daughter was so strong
that 1t was commented upon all over
the country.
1t was no doubt due to the fact that
the mother died when Theodosia was
quite young nat the father devoted his
whole life to her. And when the great
and still unsolved mystery came into
the life of Aaron Burr as to what be-
came of Theodosia. this devotion led
him to exclaim: She is dead. If she
were alive all the prisons in h world
could not keep her from her father
Now as to T~heOdosia's mysterious
disappearance. In 1901 she married
Joseph Aston. a rich South Carolinian,
state. She went to live in the south,
but upon her fathers return from
Europe. some years after his deplor-
able duel in which he killed Alexander
Hamilton and lost the friendship of the
American people, she decided to pay
him a visit. In spite of the fact that
war with England had recently been
"AhN SA0NC1AA16, C6ROCAdlly ny
water, was extremely precarious, she
resolved to make the trip from Charles
ton to New York In that way.
On December 81. 1912, she set out
In a small sailing ship called the Pa
trfot. with several domestios and a
picked crew. TIE last seen of the ves-
sci was when she cleared the Charles
ton bar. Nothing thereafter was ever
heard Of the ship, it's crew or'of Theo-
dosia. By some it was supposed the
vessel was caught in q gale and all on
board lost; by others that she was
looted ans sunk by the British, and
and by still others that she had been
had either been killed or sold as a slave
in the orient.
1t was Aaron Burr's firm belief that
the vessel n it's occupants were de-
stroyed by a storm at sea. For many
years every now and then an unc0n-
firmed m that pirates had cap
tured the Patriot and had forced Theo-
dosia and her companions into slavery
was heard. But h was rich and
could have easily paid a big price for
ransom. At least she was able to
bride Omeo to reveal her where-
abouts, for pirates, in those days. were
a money glowing set. II Aaron Burrs
opinion, as we'll az that Of a greAt
many others, was true, and the vessel
had been wrecked off a fairly populous
coast, 1t seems odd that no identified
wreckage should nave been washed
ashore anywhere.
But the more thought given to the
strange disappearance Of Theodosia
Burr seems only to deepen the y
terry. 1t Is said that some few years
g a portrait bearing q strong re-
semblance to Theodosia's picture was
unearthed in a North Carolina house.
An attempt was made to trace its his
tory. n although 1t was difficult to
nne 1t completely. yet 1t was de-
clared that 1t could be traced back to
the var OF 1872, when a full-rigged
ship. with not a human being aboard,
drifted ashore in a Carolina inlet.
1t was noted that among the con-
tents OF the ship were, many rare silks
n other valuables, which led to the
superstition that pirates had-captured
the Patriot, killed the crew and turned
the vessel adrift. But pirates, were not
In the habit OF turning adftft' any
thing OF any value. &C that this story
found few believers.
Other equally unlikely stories were
get in circulation from time to time.
but to this day no one is\nearer q
solution OF the mystery than they were
100 years ago. for 1t 10 Just . century
ago that the country. from one end to
the other. wa stirred by the myster-
iOus disappearanee Of the only~chfld OF
Aaron Burr.