The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-08-25
The FAMOUS LITIGANT.


Delamore place, half a century
ago, the home of Col. Samuel b.
Davis, Is where Mrs. Myra Clark
Gaines spent her girlhood days. 1t
is beautiful suburban residence,
perched on one of the high hills that
rises to the west of the city of Will
mington. The surroundings are
perfect. The view from the broad
piazza is magnificent one. Stand
ing there ana looking eastward
through the elm trees that stud the
Looping lawn, one has view that is
strikingly beautiful. You look
down on the city spread out below
like a panorama, and lovely sec
ton of the country stretches away
on either side for miles and miles
up and down the Delaware river.
The mansion and the grounds have
undergone but slight changes since
Myra Clark was q prattling child
about the place. The old Grecian
architecture has not been altered,
and the external appearance of the
building is exactly the same as at
first designed. 1t is now the prop
erty of Senator Bayard who makes
it his Delaware home, and has re-
sided here for many years.
This was the home of the cele-
brated litigant until she reached
womanhood. She was brought here
when quite a child by Col. Davis.
He was friend of her father, and
he was made her guardian. When
Daniel Clark, the proud Southern
planter, had married Myra's mother
he was not willing TO acknowledge
his wife before the world and Tor
some reason, not clearly explained,
sent the future Mrs. Gaines to Col.
Davis. Here she remained for some
time unconscious of the mystery
surrounding her birth.nntil she mar
ried VIM. Whitney of New York, her
first husband. and started out into
the world with him to lay bare the
secret of her birth and battle,for her
rightiul inheritance. In all the
strange experience of this brave
and indomitable woman there is no
incident more interesting, roman
tic and C! aracteris ic than her mar
riage With Mr.. Whitney, the father
of her son, whose tragic death in
Washington short time ago has
occasiohed such general interest. In
| it IS r.vea ed bnt an early evidence
of her spirit and pluck, which she
showed to such a remarkable ex-
tent in after years. Although Mrs.
Gaines has figured prominently In
the newspapers for more than two
score years, the story has never
been published. 1t will be found
Interesting.
When she came to Dsiamore rlace
from her fathers plantation in
Louisiana, the child Myra Clark
was too small to know that her
father had ordered her sent away ia
be known by another name. She
was at once taken into Colonel Da-
lvts' household as one of his own
children. As she grew up she wa.
taught that he was hsr father, and
of course, grew to regard him as
such. Col. Davis was of an old
delaware family. His ancestors
fought with distinction in the revo
l|gtionary war. His father was in
the war of lsl2, and won great STATE
idistinction in his defence Of AeYei
at the Delaware Breakwater wher
the British attacked that place. HI
had three sons, and he named then
peculiarly, through state pride. ON
was named Delaware, another Sus-
sex, after tbs lover county of tn
state the one in which he was born
and third Kent, after middle county
It was saying here during tho lif'
of Col. Davis,thatsif he should hay
had another son whom he coult
have named after Newcastle, the up
per county, and then he would hav
the state and all three countie
represented by name LIP bin family
lCol Davis was very rich and live!
at Delamore place In magni6cen
style. In society, he and his fam
lily were leaders; and his home wa
J the scene Of much gayety. He wa
laiso man Of intelligence and edu
lestlon, but had ~ an imperious VI