Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1848-05-11

Hniings, with and through whom he carried on
that part of his traffic which cenered in that CT
ty. With these two Philadelphians, who owed
most OF their actual possessions to Daniel Clark
and whose hopes of greater wealth were asso-
ciated with him and the contingency of his death
without widows incumbrance of dover, and
without "heirs of body" Richard Reite and
Beverly Chem of New Orleans were closely link
ed in interest; and the natural sympathy be-
tween them was maintained by an epistolary
correspondence Therefore, thus fully instruc-
ted by their conductors in vllainy, they were
prepared to play their part in this singular dra-
ma, and as the result proves, they were in no
particular lacking the disposition or capacity for
equal wickedness.
These men and their agents solemnly assur-
ed the half distracted Zuine that she was the
victim of the arts of an accomplished seducer--
that Daniel Clark, taking advantage Of her igno-
rance. and her distress atthe discovery OF the
crlminality of De Oranges, had imposed upon
her by a mock marriage-that her connection
with him had no legal sanction or authority, and
that she was cruelty betrayed by him as she had
been by DE Oranges that her offspring by him
was iIlegitimate, and that he had forsaken her
forever In confirmation ofthis horrible pretended
revelation, they furthermore assured her that he
was at that moment preparing for formal pub
lie marriage with lady whose rank and position
gagged" 10 one of the Miss Cations, of Baltimore.
1t was true that Daniel Clark, known in soce-
ty only as an unmarried man, had been intimate
IN some of the most distinguished and attractive
circles of fashionable life in Baltimore; and,
partly recommended perhaps by the associations
of his birth in the country of their ancestry, as
well as by his good family, education, and great
wealth, was very well received in the family of
Mr.. Cation, the son.in-law of Charles Carroll, of
Carrollton, whose daughter were then admired
for their beauty and dignity of character as they
have since been almost world renowned for the
lofty station and enviable rank to which these
endowments have raised them, three of them be-
ing now British peeresses the Duchess of Leeds
(late Marchioness Of CRrmarthen) and the Mar
chioness WELLESLEY, and the Countess of -
To one Of these ladies, Daniel Clark had been SO
assiduously devoted, that rumor arose that he
was her accepted suitor, and that they were en-
gagged to be married.
All this, with additions designed TO confirm
the mere rumor into positive, undoubted fact
was poured into the ears Of Zulime by the CO
potters of Re5e and Chen, with such power, that
she could no longer hesitate to believe that Dan.
lei Clark was vlan that he had practced
monstrous imposture and fraud upon her in the
form of a marriage ceremony he had not
legally married her, and that she, now second
time wofully betrayed and ruined, was in con.
dltion OF desolation and anguish to which no g.
quail or parallel could be imagined. As for COM
munication with Daniel Clark it was impossible
for he had already refused to notice her letters,
and she was assured of receiving nothing but in
suit and outrage from man who had SO delib
erately planned and consummated her ruin by n
fraud so wickedly base and cruel.
Having thus overwhelmed her with the bor.
rors of her situation, they soon contrived snare
in which she became irretrievably entangled -
young French gentleman, nah,ed De Gar.
dette, was introduced to her, and being struck
with her beauty, rapidly began to feel a strong
personal interest in her. Her peculiar multi
piled misfortunes, associated as they were with
the most perfect innocence and moral purity not
only excited his sympathy and compassion, but
kindled in him genuine passion of honorable
love. She naturally turned with grateful feel.
ing toward this new and devoted friend as al
most her only refuge in her desolation; and her
hopeless circumstances forbade her to repe him
1t was not long before De Ga.dette, fully appre-
ciating her position, as represented by the pre-.
tended friends Of Daniel Clark, offered her mar
rage as her best security against the injuries
resulting from her two betrayals. She was en-
couraged and urged by the agents of Relic and
CheW TO accept him as the only person capable
of rescuing her from infamy aud distress.
Fully convinced that she had never been law
fully married. and that she was as free at that
time as she was when she accepted Daniel Clark,
she yielded, and was married I'm form) to De
Gardette. The success of the conspiracy was
now thus far complete.
by the browning act of this sngularly con
trved FRAUD Daniel Clark was finally and forev-
er separated from his wife, as effectually as if
death had parted them-yet without leaving to
him or her the liberty of marrying again; SINCE
In law, she was still his wife and her error in
regard to that fact, being not criminal but mere.
ly the result OF innocent ignorance, wrought upon
and betrayed by the most unheard of and artfu
knavery she could not be considered guilty of
that offence which the laws of Chrstendom con-
stitute complete ground of divorce. Zulime
Carreie had now been three times married I;
each of the three men TO whom she had been
married was living; she had been divorced from
neither of them: she was morally bound to nei-
ther of them: she was the lawful wife of one of
them: her lawful husband, even though believ
ing her morally guitless, could never again hon
orably receive her as his wife from the home of
another man, who had regarded her as his own {:
he with whom she last found herself as wife,
could not lawfully retain her when knowing the
facts; neither could he justly censure her or
honorably discard her, or thrust her out from him
and leave her without home or protector as
completely ruined, and as unworthy of again be-
been the most llcentous guilt neither the first
nor the last could lawfully claim her: the other
could not in honor or decency do so to all prac.
teal intents and purposes, therefore, she was the
wife OF no man. 70 her it might have been tru-
ly said-"Thou hast three husbands and he
whom thou now hast is not thy husband" His
tory never furnished parallel to this remarka-
BILE case. Fiction, ever feebler in invention than
truth Is IN It's natural development, never in its
Widest fight, in poetry, in the drama, or in ro.
nance, rose to the conception of a catastrophe so
inextricably complicated in its results, TO appall-
ing, so revolving to moral sense, where the chief
victims were SO free fro u henious guilt.
To this point Daniel Clark and Zulime re.
NAMED ignorant of their relative position. He
had cast her off as all utterly unworthy woman
who had vely dishonored his true affection for
her; and he had determined to spare himself the
modification of exposing her shame and his, by
any public proceeding against her-preferring
that the (by him deemed Fortunately secresy OF
his unfortunate marriage should remain and be
perpetual. Though scoroing to care for the fate
oil such being he heard that she had made q
supposed marriage with another person, bu,
could not regard that as matter of the slightest
moment to him.
But there was tie that bound him. in spite Of
himself, to certain remembrance of her. She
was the mother of his lawful child and natura