Evening star., 1916-05-13
"To the Memory of a Fe-
male STRANGER.

Whose mortal sufferings terminated on
the 4th day of October. 1916: aged %
years and months. This stone is
erected by her disconsolate husband.
in whose arms she breathed out her
last sigh and who. under God. did his
utmost to socthe the cold. dull ear of
death"
For century this epitaph in St
Pauls churchyard. Alexandria. Va. has
presented a Sphinx riddle to which no
answer has ever been given. Nor does
there appear to be any likelihood that
solution Will ever be found.
Our account of the mysterious and
dramatic happenings. to which this
unknown wornan's death came as
tragic denouement. must commence
July %, 1916, when the brig -Four Sons
hound from Halifax to the West In
dies diverted her course long enough
to enter the Potomac and anchor or
the Virginia port aforement'oneh. Hne
remained just long enough TO lower
a. boat and send ashore a man ana ms
in wife. When the small boat puiieo
up at the WHAT il was seen Una. 'nf
invalid had on thick veil. which. IN
snite Of the heat OF that midsummer
day she continued to wear while pc
ing carried through the streets 70
The Bunch of Grapes, the lareesl
tavern Of the city.
After engaging the best room that
the host elry afforded, the anxious hus-
band hurriedly sent for PHYSICIAN
VINO was however. before beinS 40 :
| mitted TO the sick room. called aslne
veal what he might see or learn CON
cerning his patient. The physlcian 5
Inns were sealed until his death, ana
the only information concerning MS
from him was that he had never seen
her face. -.
she was veiled during each of his
visits. for ten weeks. me nusos.u
vas the only nurse at the bedside DAY
and night. through all of the enerVat-
| ing heat of August But as autumn
! approached he became exhausted from
| loss of sleep. and two Virginia iaoi'S'
guests at the hotel were permitted 10
administer to the sufferer. but oniy
| after they had taken solemn oath @ that
| they would never reveal What tiies
might learn about the mysterious IN
| valid. .. he
dying, at midnight. Thursday. OCTOBER
3, the husband requested that only ne
| should be left in the room, SO Ihe
nhysician and two volunteer nurses
| withdrew.
A chill east wind ratified the sashes
| a fine, cutting rain pattered againsl
| the window panes and the two ladies'
| with the landlords wife shuddered as
| they waited outside the death-roon
door Finally at dawn the husband
with haggard face and swollen eyes
stepped out into the hall and an
nounced that all was over.
| Then. lest some one should see the
hidden face in death. the husbands own
hands prepared the cold body for burial
| He personally sealed the comm I'D
After attending the burial in st. Paufs
churchyard and ordering the monument
| with its puZzling inscription, he dis
| appeared.
| For a dozen successive years he re-
turned on the anniversary or his be
| loved ones death, to put fresh mowers
! upon her grave and see that its grass
| was neatly trimmed. During these Pill
| grimaees of devotion he was ferried
| directly from Washington and back
| without stopping again at the AleNan
dria tavern or speaking to any one me-
upon the streets.
| But at the end of these dozen year:
| he seems to have died. for his visit:
| suddenly ceased and the grave of hi.
| supposed wife became neglected The
| columns of its strange monument top
! pied and remained until one spring
| morning. when a diStinguished-lo looking
| old gentleman and two elderly women
| handsomely gowne1i, mysteriously ap-
! peared in the churchyard to order the
, stone repaired and the grave replanted
| Under pressure of questions from the
sexton these unknown visitors reluc
/
| tiVes of the dead woman and that hel
! husband had been a British officer. bu
| when questioned more closely they hur
riedly left the cemetery.
Nor would the two Virginia lauie!
| who nursed the veiled woman at tn,
| Bunch of Grapes. where they them
| selves were guests. ever say a word al
! TO what they saw learned in tn,
| sick room. save that their patient wa
| very beautiful and was of uncommonl,
high birth Both lived to ripe old ae'
! and Went to their graves with theil
lips still sealed upon the female
| stranger's' secret.
That it was the lost Theodosia Bur-
! Aston, daughter of Aaron Burr anC
! wife of the Governor of South Carolina
! who had come to this end. was one
! theory, according to which the alleg ed