The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1848-05-16
% ] :. PUTNAM COUNTY OHIO TUESDAY, MAY M l54s
Tor the worse, may be salelyleft to imagina

for the worse, may be safely left to imagina
tlon. .fW ali har ,y l3slBya eli 60 n0I
81 II was evidently betier for ihem---in tbs
view Of The case--that he, should DIE dIt
suddenly, y,than that he should live 10 complete
his .aIrangeitients for placing his fortune
and his heirtwhose disgrace and ruin they
had so nearly compassed) wholly beyond
their reach, either as his partners in business
or as the executors of his viii. ), And---by a
most singular, striking, extraordinary, .mys-
terious, and impressive coincidence --Daniel
CLARK did die at that peculiarly interesting
crisis, so momehtous TO bis late friends
died suddenly, mysteriously, unaccoun,ab!y,
unexpectedly, 10 all his real friends and in.
tifhatcs, before they knew Of anything more
than slight ailment-a very inconsderable
attack of = very lralng malady, ordnarily,cu-
rable with little effort and a,tention-died
without even an attending physician to Ger
tfy his regular departure secunGum Gytum,
and to make out his formal 'sclearancen for
his long voyage on "the ocean of eternity"
10 Shat undiscovered country from whose
bourne no traveller returns" Still Ii would
be very unjust TO disregard the fact that The
climate of New Orleans is very unhealthy,
and is particularly liable to be visited with
what are, by physicians, called "malignani"
diseases. 1t is possible that Daniel Clark
died of a truly malignant affection. While
attacked with that very slight malady, he
was visited, and almost instantly attended
and watched, solely by his ''dear friend"
and grateful proteg6, Richard Rife, who
remained with him till he died, and was SO
overwhelmed by his anxiety about the recov.
cry of his friend and former patron, that
not another white man-not one of the ex-
eculors of the new will--not one of the wit
nesses ofit-ever heard that Daniel Clark
was dangerously i'll, ill they were told that
he was DEAD. And there at his residence
they found him dead Richard Relfe hav-
ing been with him till he dIed: but where
was the new will which he so recently made
and shown TO these friends, constituting new
executors, Ito the exclusion of Relfe and
Chen? Nowhere TO be, found-neper 10 be
found!
A faithful and favorite slave Of Daniel
Clark, his valet or personal attendant, was
also with him at the time of his death, and
observed that Immediately afterwards, Relfe
left the chamber of the deceased, and went
down stails into the room directly beneath,
where was an armoire, in which, just before
his illness, Daniel Clark had placed a small
box Or case containing some of his most val
liable and private papers-among them las
was proved) the WILL. The slaves curiosity
or suspicious being excited by This movement
though hardly conceiving Of the nature Of
Relfe'st interest III The papers in question, he
quietly descended TO the door of the lower
room, and peeping through the hole or
crcvce, saw Relfe in the room, standing by
the open armoere, diligently examining the
box containing the will. Circumstances
prevented him from longer continuing his
watch of this strange movement, and he re-
turned to the room of his deceased master.
Relic remained very long time in the low
er room, and tltsn departed. The box was
subsequently, examined by legal authority.
but no, will, and no sign or trace of it was
ever discovered in II, or anywhere on the
(premises
r. When III due course Of law, the question
as to the disposition made by the deceased
of his estate, came up, Relfe and Chew ap-
peared with the previous will of Daniel
Clark, under Which they were sole execu-
tors. The Cheval;er De La Croix, Lieuten-
ant Colonel Belechasse, and Baron Bos-
fontano also at the same time appeared in
the Court of Probate, claiming TO be execu-
tors under recent will of Daniel Clark, by
him exhibited to them and other persons,
and acknowledged BY him to be his last will
and testament. These three gentlemen, and
The other persons who had seen and read
The will acknowledged by Daniel Clark, ies-
iifed of its contents, and the Court, at their
instance, suspended proce edings, and order
cd search for the missing document,
whose recent existence was SO indspuably
proved. The search, Of course, was wholly
vain. t3s q" H'A 'f"'tf~
COL. A. H. SEWER. ,.sf
n 4 Ct.I =