Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-03-20
The Gaines VIII Case.

The decision by the Supreme Court of
this long pending suit in favor of the claim
ant Mrs Myra Clark Gaines. has already
been announced. The facts are, perhaps, not
so familiar to our readers as to obviate the
necessity of repetition. They are thus clear
ly stated in the New York Tunes,
Daniel Clark. vino was one of the early set
Tiers in The colony of Louisiana. was a very
remarkable person His sagacity. prudence
and business tact. soon placed him at the
head of the monetary world, while his beauty
of person, popular character, and agreeable
manners, afforded him similar position in
the social circle. In 1902 ne became ac-
quainted, in Philadelphia, with lady of ex-
traorCiinary personal beauty, named Zulime
Carriere She was born in the old French
COLONY of Biloxi. and her parents were emf
grants from the land of poetry and romance
-Provence-the favorite home of the Trou-
badours When Clark first met her she had
been living in wedloek with swindler nam-
ed Jerome De Grange, who having dazzled
her with glittering coronet, married her,
and then disclosed the astounding facts that
be was confectioner and d bigamist.
Znlime appealed for protection to Clark,
who being warm-hearted and chivalrc, at
once espoused her cause, and after becoming
convinced that De Grange had another wife
living espoused her himself The marriage
was kept secret. and in 1906 Myra. now Mrs.
Gaines, was born. Being naturally DESTROYS
of having her connection with Clark public
" acknowledged one, Zulime went 10 New
Orleans to obtain legal proofs of her first
husbands rascality. While she was gone,
Clark. who had grown into an Influential
politician, became enamored of Miss Cation,
granddaughter of Charles Carroll, with
whom he contracted an engagement. though
when reports were brought to Miss Catoa al
leging her lovers marriage to Zulime, she
at once insisted on a release from the engage
ment. and she subsequently, became the Mar
chioness of Wellesley.
In the meantime Zulime had returned to
Philadelphia, and sought to obtain proofs of
her marriage with Clark, who had, with sin
gular treachery. destroyed all that be could
discover. Finding herself helpless, in a
strange cOuntry, and with child dependent
upon her, she was wholly at loss what to
do and in her restitution, driven almost to
despair, she accepted the hand of DIR. Gar
dette, who with kindness and generosity uni
ted his fortune with hers. Clark, in the
meantime, had become penitent but on has
tenin9 to find bis former love, ascertained
that she was the wife of another. He took
the child Myra, placed her under the care of
friend, and had her most literally educated.
Zulime lived for long time after that, at
tanned the age OF seventy-eight years, and
died at New Orleans but few years since.
Clark. whose business talent was proven
bal, amassed an immense fortune in Louisi-
ana, Missouri. Kentucky and Maryland,
which he bequeathed by will, in 1878, to his
mother, Mary Clark, naming Beverly Chew
and Richard Kelf, bankers of New Orleans.
as executors Charges having been preferred
against the executors of bad faith and mis-
management, but however that may be,
Myra, then Mrs. Whitney discovered
at maturity that her mother bad been the
wife of the deceased millionaire, with an
impulse of honorable affection for which she
cannot be too highly praised, determinedsto
assert her right, as the Legitimate child and
consequent heiress, to the entire property.
That she met with opposition and with OBJ
stacles of all sorts may well be imagined,
but she battled for her mothers honor, and
evinced the most commeDdable spirit and
perseverance, III spite of most fearful odds.
Her husband died, but she remarked, and in
SO doing enlisted a powerful auxiliary in the
person of Gen. Gaines, who believed in her
legitimacy, and aided her with all his might
1t would be wearisome merely 10 index the
various legal struggles, the attempted social
ostTacisms, the treacheries, the sorrows, tie
hopes and fears experienced by Mrs Gaines
in this work of her lifetime. She sued in
numerous Courts, and with varied success.
until her fortune was gone, her friends con
WINGED of the useleSsness of further trail, and
all but her own indomitable spirit fed. She
still struggled on, and, as last resort.
brought the case in its amplitude and its lab.
yrinths ofIegal technicalities to the Supreme
Court of the land. There, after a long and
patient hearing, she has obtained her victory.
The Court has unanimously decided that
Myra Clark Gaines is the only legitimate
child of Daniel Clark, aud that, as such, she
is entitled to all the property left by him
Nor are the years and energies of the cour-
ageous woman too far spent to prevent her
enjoyment of her vast wealth. Mrs Gaines
though now in her ffty-ffth year, is repre-
scented as being an agreeable specimen of
what old people delight in calling "ladies of
the old school," She is in good health, and
possesses an abundant flow of animal spirits
which have buoyed her up for over thirty
years under circumstances of unusually
trying nature.
Mr. Justice Wayne, in closing the decision
of the Court, seems to have placed peculiar
and significant emphasis on the words, that
the Supreme Court would see that the pro-
visions ofsthe decision were carried into eff
fect-a statement of more than ordinary i'm
portance when we reflect that possibly the
State of Louisiana may decline to take cog
nizance OF, or be bound by, decree emana-
ting from no Less q tribunal than the Supreme
Court Of the slate United States Of America.