,7
"!:vtiihin f &ji f-
X moui portrait of Theodosla
' Burr Alston has been hung
In the Hall of History of
North Carolina, . thus giving . official
recognition. If Indeed , such were re-
quired, to the tragic romance which has
, long attached to this painting. In t
prominence of the people concerned In
this strange old tale. In the mystery of
- :4hel.n and the - curious - fatality- by
-tt which -the story cVme to light, point
: by point, half a century later, the trag
. . - baS scarcely Its counterpart In no
tion. '
. '" :' Theodosla Burr Alston, the daughter
of Aaron Burr, a famous beauty of her
' day, was lost at sea early In the last
century. - The ship on which she had
set sail from Georgetown, Bouth Caro
lina, bound for New fork, with a large
crew and many passengers, disappeared,
---laving-no single- survivor , or", sign of
wreckage.- For fifty-years the mystery
was unexplained. By the merest chance.
after all these years, the grewsome
story Anally came to be told, t It wu
.'... learned that the ship carrying Aaron
BUrr-B daughter bad been captured by
pirates, that the entire ship's company
. bad been forced to walk the plank, and
- -even the details f the death -efThee-
dosla Alston came to - be described.
.-There were no survivors, but by a cuii-
' ous chance, which defies all the laws
... of probability, a relie of the tragedy,
. . the portrait of Mrs. Alston, was saved
The 'painting was carried on the 111 -.
fated ship and was a witness to the
. -horrors of the pirates' capture, j
; The Vandeile Portrait.
' ' The portrait of Mrs. Alston Is be
. llered to bare been painted by Vandeile.
, protege ef Aaron Burr. It le JBwr
.. - that Vandeile received a commission
, . from Burr to paint his daughter Theo
dosta'a portrait In llel
The painting came to light In thi
summer of 1(61, when It was discovered
In the hut "of a fisherman on the coast
"Of North Carolina. , The little hut was
far away from any town or habitation.
. on a particularly lonely stretch of beacii
. known as Nag's Head. The reputation
Love Opens Heavens jo Repentant Shiner
By Count" Leo Tolstoi. :, .
MAN oncj lived to become 70
yeara old snd spent his wholo
.lite In Bio And hs.took.aUk and-.
did not repent But when death
tern he
Mr
"O Lord, forgive me as fhou'forgsve
the robber on the cross."
- flnareely had he pronounced these words
when his soul left his body. The soul of
the sinner had learned to love Ood and,
believing In his goodness, came to the
doers of paradise, where It knocked and
asked to be let in.
' And the soul heard a voice behind the
cloeed door asking: "Who knocke-at the
doors of paradise? -And what good deeds
has this man performed while he waa
aitver . - -
And the voice of the recording -angel
told of all the sinful deeds he had done
snd eould say
ly -nothing in his favor,
tne voice Trom behind the
The cried
door: "Winners cannot get into heaven,
tie away from here!" - s "
And the man replied: "My Master,
I hear your votre but I do not see your
fare and do not know your name."
AM the voice answered: "I am Saint
Peter. , : '.'
fTp endcr to prove that
liil AaronBuriif daughter
rar made to valft. the
plank tsy Laf ittefocrevvi :
r TS."-' Tsar L J l
2
si
2
of Nag's Head Is of course familiar.
The name was given It 1&0 years ago.
This reach Of shore Is covered with
sand dunes. In some instances-half a
mile in length and ' tt' feet in width,
which offer remarkable facilities ' for
concealment. A dangerous reef,' likely
to-prove tatat-to any ihlp which might
venture Inshore, extends ut 'from this
beach a considerable distance. -
The formation plays an important
part In the old tales which are still .told
of this region. - In the early days, so
the stories- run, the people who lived
along this shore preyed on the. wrecks
of ships which they lured ashore to
cert ft In doHt ruction It WwLV com miotic
if the only legends are to be credited, to
deceive the ships with false lights and
then quietly await the reward of such
enterprise. A lighted lantern was tied
to a neck of a horse and Its legs wouM
be hobbled to make it limp -and. of
course, restrict Its speed. The borse.
In stumbling over the Irregular sand
dunes, would naturally cause the light
be carried to bob up and down violently
much as would a light upon a. ship at
es.
It was In this lonely region that the
painting of Aartm Burr's daughter was
discovered so many years after the dis
appearance of the ship. In the Summer
of lt Dr. W. O. Pool, a prominent
physician of North Carolina, chanced to
spend the summer at Nag's Head, and
during his holiday was called upon to
attend an old woman named Mann. Thl
woman was nearly TO years old, and
had spent her entire Ufa on this stretch
of besch.
The man 'pleaded: "Oh. Saint Peter,
take pity on me;.thlnk of the weakness
of man and the Vhaiity of Ood. .Were
you not one of Christ's disciples, snd did
you Hot hear hie teaching- from hla rrmn
lips? Think of bow sad he felt when
aehtd you to stay awake and pray
and he found you sleeping three times,
because ' your eyes were heavy. Think
of how you dealed that you knew 'any
thing of him when he waa led before
Caiaphaa, And think of how the cock
crowed and you went away and erled
bitterly." ' .
Then the voice behind tbe door grew
silent. - ... '
But the sinner stood long there and
after a while he again knocked at the
door.- --." ........
And from behind the door again came
another voice and said: "Who Is this
man and how did he' spend bis life on
eerthT" , . -
Then the voice of the recording angel
repeated once more all the qvll things
the sinner had done and did not mention
any good deeds. . ' "
Then the voice behind the 'door said:
"Oo away from here; sinners like you
cenaot be allowed to lire with us In
paradise.", , ,
, Then tho sinner said: "Master, X hear
THE OREGON SUNDAY 'JOURNAL; PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNINO, JUNE 3. 1SC3.
In all her life. It appeared, she bad
never before been attended by a physi
cian nor had any one frm the outside
world ever entered ber - curious old
home. Dr. Pool was successful In treat
ing his patient after many vlalts. His
patient was - very grateful and offered
to give him anything in her possession
Iri lieu f a fee, except money," since- shit
was almost destitute. The doctor made
no charge for his services.
-Daring his visits Dr. Pool had noticed
with astonishment an excellent portral
In oils, beautifully framed, hanging on
the walls of this little hut. In striking
contrast to the -extreme poverty of the
rooms. ' He asked many questions as to. I
Ita history, but the 'bid woman would
say nothing! about It Finally, In her
rrt!tude for her recovery, the old wo
man told the story of the painting, and
one day, when the doctor's little girl
visited her, she actually presented tbe
picture to her. The portrait was after
ward Identified as that of Mrs. Theo
dosla Burr Alston. It la due to the
courtesy of Dr. Pool's daughter, now
Mrs. John P. Overman, that the painting
has within tbe last few days been
loaned to the Hall of History of North
Carolina. T
The . Daintlna- had ' been In the
I old woman's possession - for many
years. Just how many she did
not know. She was a young glr
when It had eome ashore at Nag's
Head. The ship which brought It, she
said, had come ashore with all ber sails
set, guided by the merest chance. She
was quickly boarded br the wreckers,
who found her entirely deserted, with
you voice but X do not see' your face
and I do not know your name."
And the voice replied: "I am the King
David." i
But-the sinner d.d not yet give up hope.
went closer to the door and said: "Take
the weakness of man and the charity of
Ood: Ood loved you and elevated you
above all men. You had everything a
kingdom, glory, wealth, wlvea and chil
dren; but when you from the roof of
your palaos saw the wife of a poor man,
a sinful thought conquered and you took
the wife away while you senf her hus
band to be killed Jn war. You, who were
so rich took everything away from one
who waa poor and had him killed. That
is Just what I have done. And then think
how you regretted It and said: "I con
fees my guilt and repent Thus It la
also with me, and therefore you should
not leave me outside." - .
. The voloe behind the door could reply
nothing. -
Again the sinner stood waiting, but
once he took courage and asked to be
let Into heaven.'
And from . behind the door came
third voice which asked: "Who la this
man snd-how did -he live on earthf"
The voloe of tho recording angel for the
11
. v v a
-,,;,., ..t .. ; , ... mi
astf.
m Sift "?" r -
'I'4 a," V F .
,'lt. - " -
U t. ig
her tiller hashed down. In her cabin
the dinner tables were found as if for a
meal. The beds were not made tip la
the staterooms. The " floors were llt
tered with a curious aisarray 'of trunks
broken open, with their contents scat
tered in all directions. There was no
blood about the vessel to Indicate a
fight no bodies, no signs -of a violent
encounter. To the experienced eyes of
the wreckers, however, the story of the
deserted ship was as clear aa print In
the tables set for a meal and so sudden
ly Interrupted they could see that the
ship had been surprised. In the trunks
broken open and the scattered clothing
they saw the work of pirates.
Ship's Company Walked the Plankr
' The absence of any sigh of struggle
showed ..that the Ship's company must
have met death by walking the plank.
The tiller firmly lashed down, the sails
set to every' breese again Indicated the
drunken fancy of thoee who had cap
tured, looted and deserted her. The old
woman who recalled this strange tale
eould not fix tbe year - of - the - wreck.
third time read off all his evil deeds
and did not mention a single oharitabls
one. ' " '
' And the voice from behind the door
said: "Qo away from here. Sinners like
you caimot be allowed to enter."
Then tho sinner replied: "I hear your
voice, but I do not see your face and I
do npt know your name. ,
- The voice replied: "I am John, favorite
disciple of Christ!. . -.
'Then ma iiiinir rsjoifta and itiart
"Now I am sure that I shall be ad
mitted. Saint Peter and David will let
me In because they know the weakness
of man and tho charity of Ood. But you
will admit me because in you Is true
love. Did not you, John, writ In your
book that Ood is lovs and that ho who
does not love does not know Ood. Did
not alao when you grew old and were
too feeble to preach any longer aay to
your followers: Brethren, love one an
other. How can 'you then now hate mt
and drive ms away frpm, here? You
must either act against your own teach
ings or you must love me .and let me
go Into Heaven."
And the door of paradise opened and
Johnook the repentant sinner Into his
arms and led, htm Into 'heaven. .
A Sturploio.
- The Norwegians sre Insisting ' that
King Haakon shall be anointed with oil
at his eoronstion. Do we see John D.'i
fin Italian hand In thiat
it:.
' .
l: .,.,,
-i; rt.-.ji- ,,.,.1,1 1, ,, n in, . 1
47
'
(Theodosfa
so that the' Interval, probably to be
measured by years, during whlch the
deserted ship tacked aimlessly about
tho seas will, never be known.
One of the wreckers to . board the
ship at Nag's Head, a man namsd Til
lett, collected a few pieces of old finery
from the cabin floors and carried thent
ashore to, give them to his sweetheart
Out of the wreckage he picked up a
silk dress, a vase, a lace shawl, a bunoh
of wax flowers and a painting. Shortly
afterward he married the girl. The
poverty-stricken old woman In -the de
serted hut at Nag's Head whom Dr.
Pool treated hadpresarved this painting
with Its frame for half a century. .
for many year this painting has
been anobject -of - great -eurleslty- to
people from all parts of the country.
Many have made the trip to Elisabeth
City, where It has been exhibited, -In the
hope of identifying it Among these
visitors have been several members, of
the Burr family, and these have stated
their full belief that , the painting Is
certainly the portraltof-the Ill-fated
Theodosla. Several friends of the fam
ily have made tho trip from New York
Man With Dagger Fights
fun
Prom tho London Tribune. " "
T ABU JOTINDRA NATH MUKER-
-ef JEE, a shorthand writer in the
1 M financial department of the Ben-
: gal guiei miieu ."recently Vlsl
rfjj -
hla home In Kaya, near Kustea. O
tho morning of the !8th Instant there
was a great panto among the quiet vil
lagers, as the story got abroad that a
huge leopard killed some heed of cattle
and Injured a child overnight and was
hiding in a shrub within a mile of the
village.
The young man ' promptly got up a
party to rid the neighborhood of the
pest Tho entire party could muster
only one gun a more or less useless
breechloader between them all. This
precious weapon Jotlndra gave to a
cousin who, though reputed- to be a
good shot waa of less robust build, and
waa,, therefore, less likely to be able to
give a good account of himself without
tho aid of firearms. He himself was
armed only with a lathi and a Nepaleee
kukri. The villagers beat the patch of
shrub for half an hour when out
bounded a formidable-looking animal In
prime condition and with a beautiful
akin. Ho fromptlr tackled one of the
r -
( :. ..- . ;
...
1.
1.1,11 - . 11. 1. .- ' 1 11 1 .,, 1 . ..- . 4 'Mrit-
-
5virr Alston
to see the painting, and among them all
there has been no dlsssntlnc voice. The
list of those who have Identified It. is
too, long to repeat here. :
Borne to Shore on Old Ship."
The actual story. of the tragedy was
not told until many years after all hope
of news of the lost ship had been given
over. The strange sequel to the roman
tic story of the painting was gained
from the deathbed confession of an old
pirate who died In a poorhouse In Mich
igan many years after these traglo
scenesrHs hsd been haQnted all bis
life by the memory of It , It was-act-ually
by his own hands that Aaron
Burr's -daughter - was -drowned.
In h's early life this man had been
one of the Lfltte gang, and had taken
part in many desperate attacks. The
pirate ship on -which hs sailed sighted
a vessel one day during a cruise near
the coast of North Carolina and gave
chase. They 'finally overtook her,, en
countered" little resistance, and finally
boarded her. The prise waa found to
carry a valuable cargo and many pas
villagers, who, however, made good his
escape unhurt
The" only gun. was 100 yards away
and from this distance Jotlndra's cousin
took a difficult shot which hit the
animal on the neck, but the bullet
giancea oie wiutoui uoing more serious
dnmage than a akin wound. The thor
oughly roused animal now charged Jo
tlndra, who, however, stood firm to re
ceive the rapidly advancing mass of
black and yellow. As the animal sprang
on to him he nimbly Jumped to one
side and delivered an ugly gash on one
aide of the animal's head, followed by a
rapid suoceaslnn of cuta on the stomach
and chest. Tho animal roared and bit
and olawed the left arm of tho sports
man, who throttled him with the light
and ahook him off with such force that
tho animal lost Its balanoo and rolled on
tho ground. . , .
Jotlndra promptly took advantage of
tho situation and planted his right foot
on tho animal's belly, thus pinning him
down on the ground whlls bo rained
vicious thrusts with tbe dagger all over
the brute's body. "Although badly
wounded the animal had still plenty of
fight left In him, and craning and wrig
gling his neck he was able to plant his
fangs Into the ahlkarl'g thigh Just abort
. -. V . .'.'', 'J1
3
-' . ... , . . . t, .: '. '
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, , ,. , . ,, . )n, ..n.
7 - J- v K'"Ji
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sengers. The pirates helped themselves,
breaking open trunks and looting every
possible hiding place for treasure. Th4 .
death , of saary man and -woman e
board waa decided tcr br necessary, fop
fear that should by any chanoe one es
cape there would be evidence against
them. This was accomplished In tho
simplest manner by forcing them all to
walk the plank.
The old pirate was hardened to such
sights, yet the death of Theodosla made
so vivid an Impression upon him that
It was always before him. Her beauty -and
doubtless her breeding contrasted
with the rest Tho old" pirate described
the scene In detail. He had been
haunted all big life "by- the beautiful
faoo of this woman, with Ita expression
of agony as she stood for a moment
on the plank facing her death. When
the , last of the passengers had gone '
the ship was abandoned, her tiller was
lashed down and she wss set adrift with
all sails set After yeara of almleea
drifting on a thousand different tacks
she carried this curious old portrait to.
a plaoe of safety. . .
Huge Leopard
the kneecap, whUejho deadly olawc
were incessantly at work on other parte
of tho youth's body. -
Jotlndra's dagger oame Into play
agalnr-and-ewe terrific blow tluvo 'the"
skullcap through the brain. The beset
then let go his bite and lay writhing In
death agony en tbe ground, but yet Im
potently snapping Its Jaws together .
every now and again at Its assallsnt,
who finally thrust his dagger Into tho
throat With one mighty snsp tho
beast held the blade In Ita Jaws and
expired It was a Job to release tho
dagger from the grip of the fangs of tho
dead leopard The spectators were hor.
rifled and held spellbound by the sight,'
so much so that not a finger waa raised
to assist JoUndra In his unequal fight .
Tho leopard measured seven feet from
tip to tip and was a magnificent speel- .
men of his kind.
; Jotlndra Is a dark oomplexloned youth
of 24 or 25, tall, sinewy and well built
Hla soft boyish faoo. Brahmlnloal top
knot and bead, necklace give no indloa.
tlon of nls dauntless courage. Tho :
prayers and best wishes of the-entlro
Bengalees .nation will be with the young
hero, news of whose complete recover!)
wUf be eagerly, awaited, - '