Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-07-30
MYRA's MARRIAGES.
An Early Ch Dter =" the L &c Of Mrs
q ines. The Famous Listxant.

=
An Early Oh pier the l. &c of Mrs.
u ines, the Famous Li.sxant.
Delarnore Place, half u century ago the
home of Col Samuel B. Davis, is where
Mrs. Myra Clark Gaines spent her giIl-
hood days. 1t is beautiful suburban res
lie CO, perch on one of the high hills
that rise to the west OF the city of Will
m,ngton. The surroundings are perfect
The view from the broad piazza is mag
nfcent one Standing there and looking
| eastward through the elm trees that stud
| the slopiug lawn, one has view that ID
| slrikiDgly beautiful You look down on
the city spread out below like panorama,
and lovely section of country stretches
away on eituer side for miles and miles up
ami down the Delaware River. The man
sion and grounds have undergone but
slight change since Myra ClarK was pratt
| uing child about the place. The old
Grecian architecture has not been altered,
and tn external appearance IF the build-
j. g is exactly the same as fret designed.
|. now the property of Senator Bayard.
who makes it hi Delaware home, and has
reside. here f'r many years.
Tni- Was the home of the celebrated liti-
CANT until she reas he'd woDa' hood. She
was brought here when quite child, BY
Col Davis He was a friend of her father,
| and be was made her guardian. When
| Daniel Clark, the proud Southern planter,
| had married Myra's mother. ne was not
| willing to acknowledge his wife before the
| world, and for some reason. not clearly eX-
planned, sent the flu ure Mrs Gaines to
Colonel Davis. Here she remained for sew.
eral years, uucons cious of the mystery sur
| rounding her birth. till she marrIei Wn..
| Whitney, of New York, her first husband.
and started out into the world wi hun to
lay bare the secret of her birth and battle
for her rightful Inheritance. In all the
straT ge experience of this brave and in
dOmit ,be woman, there Is no incident
more interesting, romantic and char. cteris-
tic than her m ,rriage with Mr.. Whitney,
the father of her son. VIII SO tragic death
in w asblngton short time 40 has Occa>
stoned such general interest. In it ia re-
| vesled but an ear evidence of her spirit
and pluck, which she showed to sucn re-
markable extent in after yea g. Athou- b
Mrs. Games has figured prominently 10
be newspapers for more tnsn two score
| Yeas, the story has never been pub
lished. 1t will be found Interesting.
When she came to Delam"re Place from
her fathers plantation in Louisiana, the
cuild Myra Clark WIS too small to know
| that her father had ordered her sent away
to be known by another name. She Was
once taken into Col. Davis household ~
one OF his own children. AS she grew up
Sue was taught that he was her father, and,
of course. grew to regard HIM as sucn. Coz.
J Davis was Of all old Delaware family. His
! ancts ters fought wuh distinction in the
revolutionary war. II s fa her was in tn.
war of 1872 nj won great State dist net
Ton inahls def nse of L. Yves ut the De,a
ware breakWater when the british at
[ Cked that place. He had three SINS and
he named them recuiiarly, through State
price Que Was named Delaware another
Sussex, ate the lower county in the State,
tine OF i, which he WAS borbl and the
| i'd htnt, after the middle county. 1t
~ns snyug here durlI The life OF Col.
DAVIS. tuat be should have another son
| " h. III he co,.ld have named after New
cas- IL, The up or county, a d then he
W uio have had the 5 ate and all three
counties repres med by namr in bis fam
y. Col. ID Wis VS. We y rich. and Ii. ed al
| Deiamure y ace l., ma LihcenL lie L.
sucI ty b. ahd lis f my w-re leaders,
and bis home Vas the scene of mucn
gay ETY.. He was also man of Intelligence e
and rducanon, bat had all imporluus will
aud hot |, mptr.
La this 50 lal atmosphere the girl grew
> INTO d beautiful sUIDan Il man, a CONS
li,hments d full 9 grace and visaciGy
j Sne had many suilor-, bot turned deaf
ear to ali lheir pl-adings until she met
Whitney, u wealthy New Yorker If much
e learning. Tney grew t love each other
, and met mucn when Myra Was ay from
home. Finally httney came to vii
mIrgton TO ask Col Davis for the hand of
bus supposed daughter in marriage He
was confident of success and not prepared
!, for the cold reception he received. HIS
E offer was indignantly refused, and the
guardian ordered Whitney from the house.
They both pleaded with him, but his anger
got the better of his habitual courtesy, and
he had Whitney elected from the house
Myra still urged him to give his consent,
md fpol had oo ro1 h,,h no. hor
i father, but If he was ne would lock her up
for the rest of her life. Had Col DAVIS
been prudent man he would not have let
the secret out To let Nyra Clark know
that he was au imposter, and one who had
: now no right to exercise any control over
suspected--was to put an end to
! ! all of his plans and careful concea
], ment of the true facts .f her history
Il Why he had persistently kept the fact oi
e Myra's birth = secret has since been dis
& covered. In his hands Daniel Clark, be,
= fore his death aud after he had separa ed
1t from his wsyward wife placed $J0,tOJ
i fearing business troubles. Davis WAS t.
. bold 1t IN trust, but he.never told his ware
}; about the money until the secret Wa:
: wrung from his lips. 1t is also known
<: that Col. Davis so emphaticsly objected
oi to the girls marriag- with W hitney be
!. cause he had designed that she should VIC
o"e vi MS sons, ana kept tue large sum O
10 money which was hers by right in his 20
a session. Having learned from her guardian
], mat he was not Der father, Myra CLARK a
Y cnce determined to act for herself. Col
Davis still insisted on acti the part of b
usroian, and refused to permit the mar.
: riage to take place.
Inc young couple met by stealth anG
planned an eiopement. In arranging fol
the runaway match they were assisted b.
a Miss William on. who was lead ny
bel e, a particular friend of Myra, and !
daughter of Nicholas g. Williamson
about that time IN .yor of the city. The
details Of the escspade were gu city fixed
up and AS quietly put into execu ion ane
before Col. Davis knew anything of th,
march which had been stolen upon b IA
the, young couple were in place of con
cealment, awaiting the arrival of MINIS
ter. Oh citizens still tell with terest how
the doughty colonel acted when he first
learned of the Maynard exploit He t,nt
around The house in frantic rage, wing
veng ance on Whitney and ths ri |, an0
finally ordering out his favorite saddle
horse. da he'd down the windii high way