Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-01-03
ALEyA. GAZETTE & VIRGINIA ADVERT
Sketch of Mrs. Gaines.


ing eight lines fifty cents.
Sketch of Mrs. Gaines.
Mrs. Gaines is the great female character il
New Orleans. She is small, plump, bright
eyed woman, and she has been the heroine O
very heroic law suit, which she has personal
ly conducted, raising money for the purpose to
the amount of half million, recovering nearly
million and with all the probabilities in her
favor Of getting million more. But if she
were to get what she would receive under other
conditions than those of democratic public
opinion, she would possess half the city of
New Orleans In it's most valuable part, and be
weather. woman than Miss Burdett-Coutts,
whom Wellington endeavored to marry out OF
covetOusuess to her fortune.
The home of this lady is in New York city,
but she spends much of her time in New Or
leans, where she has strong friends and strong
enemies. almost equal in number. Her suit
has involved many of herintimate friends, from,
whom she borrowed money to pay lawyers
fees and court fees. Her second husband,
Gen. Gaines believed implicitly in the merits of
her case, and gave her two hundred thousand
dollars to fight it out She has been twice
married, and to excellent men both times and
[ was told there that the brother of her first
husband had helped her with nearly the whole
of his funds. There is dash, piquance and
nimbleness about this woman which distin-
guishes her as one Of the queens Of her sex.
She is said to be about sixty years of age, but
would pass for forty and, while her educa-
ton is defective, she is natural authoress and
lawyer, and can write a singing brlet, where
sauce and justice are mixed together.
She is just the sort of woman to be identified
with New Orleans provincialisn and cosmo-
politanism mingling in her as amongst many OF
these old habitans. Her mother had married
aFrenoh biganist, and, discovering the fact
after she reached New Orleans, presumed to
marry again the great Daniel Clarke, who was
one OF the wealthiest men. Of the South. He
was one Of the earliest property holders in New
Orleans, and represented that territory in JET
with the beauty of the French lady, and con-
tracted a secret marriage with her-made Sc
cret in order to anticipate divorce from his
French predecessor But while L~ -L---"
in Washington city, his relatives and connec-
tions, who had expected to get his money, told
him that his wife was uutaithful and hired her
LAWYER to tell her that her marriage with Clarke
was not legal. ~
Having a natural affection for man, the
French lady proposed to take third husband
This offended Clarke, and 1t seemed to connrm
the lies which had been said against this lady;
and meantime his daughter was born the pre-,
sent Mrs. Gaines-for whom he maintained
affection, so that, while he let his wife slide,
he rave a very considerable sum Of money to
man in Wilmington, Delaware, to be used and
applied to the education Of his daughter, and
at her maturity to present her with the prlDcl-
nal. Thus the banks of the Brandywlne, where
iiIavetfe Thomas Harry McComb and your
humble correspondent spcut their youth. be-
came the playground of the future Mrs.
Gaines AS they had no penitentiary 10 the
State, and never whipped white people at the
post, the custodian of the baby saw no busl-
ness reason why he should not squander her
money. He did squanuer 1t, and history
has made no mention OF the lnnumerable triea
chickens, roast capons and devlled crabs which
the unfaithful guardian devoured out OF the
inheritance of the babe in the woods. a Mr.
Crossdale, who is the best Journalist IN Dea-
aware, sometime ago collected the story OF Mrs.
Gaines childhood in Wilmington, and 1t was
published, over another name, IN the Galaxy
maeazine.
When the guardian had squandercd all the
money, and both his liver and conscience were
dsordered, some. faint recollection OF her child
hood inspired a dream 10 the little ward.
She dreamed that her father was another
person than the man she called father, that he
was rich and alive in distant State, amongst
negroes mI,olasscs, and such other things as
children like She came down to breakfast the
next morning, where the unfaithful guardian
was thinking. iu a morose way, how fortunate
It was for him that the State had no penlten-
tiary; and how unfortunate that there were no
other little girls to be let out with endoWments
Unhappy Delawarian For him no Logger the
fried oyster gamboled or the chicken tncaseea! e.
While he was thinking over this thing the ut
tie girl told her dream. lie Immediately ialnt-
ed and they had to borrow some old delaware
rye next door to bring, him to consciousness
AS be came to he said. "Myra( he pronounc,,
ed it Myre, as did the future gallant husband
of the little girQ, who has been putting that
nonsense into your, head? He answered DIS
own question by ccnfessing like an honest crlml-
nal in one of the fairy books.
The little girl was at once put IN possession
ofa lawsuit She became heroine, married
two husbands, and has living grandchildren.
Both her husbands were devoted men, who be-
lieved in her claim: she does the same, lighting
it out
have theory that natures chief use tor
US in this life is enjoyment; and that like the
flies which convert into healthy motion the
modification and decay in the atmosphere, We
are all right enough if something is given us tc
do. But nature makes very unhappy ny o.
US when she leaves us a vast lowsult; and al
the same time impresses us with. the fact tha
We are after our rights. Who would know
much about Daniel Clarke or the man in Della
ware if it were not for Mrs. Gaines. CM 1rtd
DR FAWCETTs TOOTH POWDER,