The Constitutional. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1860-1861, 1861-04-20
MRS. GAINES.

more interesting or peculiar cases than
those of Madame Patterson BOnapartc, and
of Mrs. Myra Clark Gaines, both of which
have, for many ycnrs, occupied prominent
positions before not only the legal protcs-
sion, but the eyes of the whole world. |
These eases are singularly suggestive, and
peculiarly illustrative of certain phases oil
American society, and ms such, possess
other interests than those of a merely pccu-
mary character Each has reached, alter
protractrd struggles, decision, the on"
adverse To and the other III favor of the
cloimant-tho one loses all she deemed
worth living Tor, while the other gains not
only fortune of fabulous amount, but rs
tablishcs forever the honor of her mother
Had the Imperial Court been more kind
the American claimant OF klngly hand
would now be- in possession of Il kinglr rs-
tate, with her sons Legitimacy ackn"w!-
cd.rd before the world, while, rs IT ~,
these are denied her, and perhaps forever.
In view, then, of the interests of til"
celebrated cause 50 lately decided in favor
of Mrs. Games, by full bench of the Su-
prcmc Court Of the United States, Il brief
resume of its material facts, which l., taken
from The y. !. Times, will not be misplace
I'd:
Daniel Clark, Who Was one of tn" carly
settlers in the colony of Louisiana, was u
very remarkable person. HIS Sa%ac"N,
urudcncc and business tact, soon placed
linn at the head of lis monetary world,
while hi, beauty OF person, popular char
artcr. and agreeable manners afforded hun
a similar position IN the society circle. la
I~O1 Lr hrcamr acquainted IN l'hlad"l-
nhia with u lady Of extraordinary person
Il L.,uty, named IuliInr Carrirr. She
Wa: born "a the old French colony ct lI
loxi, and her parents were rml%rantS 'r"n
the land Of poetry and r"inanc"-ir"v"nr'
-iL,. C,yoritr home of the Trouhad"nrs
When Clark first met her she had been
Twin" in wcdlock with n swrndl"r naiE"'
Jerome .lr Grange, who, having da/IIr'
her with a .littrring caronrt, marurd hrr
and then disclosed the astounding facts
that Lr WAS a coliirctioucr and Il higanlSi
/ulimr appealed for protection I" LARK
Win, Lriur waIm-hcaIicd and ChivalrouS
at once, ,spuusrd her cause, and after hr
COMING convinced that DE Grange had IN
other wife living, csp"u-rd her himself
The marriage was kept secret, and III INU
Myra. now Mrs. Gaincs, was born hrini
naturally dc,irou. Of having her c"nncctI"
with Clark publicly acknowledged one
/ulimc went To- New Orleans 10 obtain l'
cal nronfs of her husbands rascalitN
While she was gona, Clark, VIII" ha
crown into an Influential politician, h"cHn
ruanorc,l Of Miss Cation, a grand dau%'t'
Of Charles Carroll, with whom he c"ntra'
ted an engagement, though When report
were brought Ia Miss Cation, alleging he
lovers marriage To- XHIimr, she nj one" II
sisted upon release from the rn%"Grmrr
a,"l she subsequently brcam"thr MmchI
rr,s oi Wellesley.
In the meantime. Xulimc had rturn'
to Philadelphia, and sought to 'h'"
nroof, of her marriage with Clark, vi
had, with singular treachcry, destroyed :
that he could discover. Finding hers
helpless. in strange country, and with
child dcpcndrnt upon her, she was Who'll
ot = loss what t, do, and, in hrrdrstituii
driven nlrn,t to despair, she accepted I
band Of DIR. Gmdcttc. who, with kindn,
and generosity, united his fortune VI
hers Clark, in the meantime, had hrc"l
prnitcnt but on Fastening To- find his +
NOR love. aecrrtainrd that she was
wifi. al another. II" took the child My
placed her under the Carr of a friend, -
had her most literally educated. /rl'
lived for long tim" after thai, att II
the acr IS wears, and died ut New Orir'
but few years since.
Clark. whose business talent WIS /
v,rhial ama~-cd I'm immense fortune
Ioui,iana. Missouri, kentucky and Nh
land. which he hrquca'hrd by viii IN i
+, hi. mother, Mary Clark, naming l'r'
" Chew and Richard Rclt, bankers
Sew ORLEANS, rs "N' cutors. Charges II
been rr,i,rrcd against the executors
had faith and management, but J.
tlI.lt lay W. VI Wv a ~ "
nrv-hayiu@ discovered at maturity, Il
her mother had been the vic ct the
ceased millionaire, with animrn.Fr OF !
orahlr affection for which She cannot
too highly rraj,cd, determined to a<
her rirht. rs the legitimate child and
-cqurn, hcir,-s, to the "ntlr" property
That she met with opposition ana
obstacles of all sorts may we'll he I'm"
ed. hu, she hattlrd for her mothers h"
II and cviucrd the most commemorative :
Irrss and perseverance,, in spit" Of most t.
r,Gt odds. Her husband died, but she re-
i. If ricd. and in 50 doing enlisted a pow'
poor auxiliary in the person of General Ga
i ro who believed in her legitimacy, and 4
otrr- her with all his might. 1t would he
irrct isomc merely to index the various
/ III, struggles, the attempted social "Strac'
y, IN the trrachrric~, the Sorrows, the hopes
with fears experienced by Mrs. Gaines in
L I..