St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-01-20
A WEIRD, ROMANTIC LIFE.

On the night of Jan. 9, 1885, ended the
earthly life of one Of the most remarkable
women Of the age. On that night, as has al
ready been announced in the GLOBE, died
Myra Clark Gaines. daughter of Daniel Clark
and widow of Gen. Gaines. She will take
rank in history, among the most noted wo-
men that ever lived. The following brief
outline Of her life and struggles has been
given since her death, and cannot fail to be
read with absorbing interest. Accounts
differ about whether the lady was so or 76,
but the larger figure probably expresses her
age. She was the daughter of Zulime Car
rier, French adventures, who in 1892 cap
tivated Daniel Clark, an Apollo of his beriod,
employed by the government as an Indian
trader with the tribes in the territory, now
the state Of Mississippi. Clark met the wo-
man when on a visit to Philadelphia, where
she was the companion of Il man named La
Grange, whose life and position came to i'm
portance only as disputed exhibit in liti-
CATION. The Philadelphia visit was followed
BY a removal of Clark and the woman to
New Orleans, and that By the birth Of their
child Myra in that city, two years later. The
mother always insisted she was duly married
to Daniel Clark, aud he as st outly denied it,
having formed miscellaneous connections
from which numerous progeny resulted. He,
however, tenderly cared for and educated
bis daughter Myra. At the age OF 90 the lat
ter married Mr.. Whitney and to them sew
eral children were born.
With the marriage''began the law suits with
which the dead lady's name was so long
identified. As the only Legitimate child of
Daniel Clark, she claimed to be the legal
heir OF his property which com prised land in
the best parts of the Crescent City, afterward
easily worth $50, 900, 900 and now worth over
500, 000, 600. The establishment of her legi.-
imacy was the object Of the suit. The wealth
involved was an incident only. Against her
was the fact that the mother had sued Clark
as his wife and had been declared by the
State Courts not to be his wife, but 10 have
been the wife OF La Grange. Against her
was the farther fact that the mother accepted
the decision and then became the mistress
Of another man, DR.. Gardette. Mrs. Whit
ney as that was her first husbands name, lost
every event in the litigation for many years.
Widowed and impoverished by the death of
Mr.. Whitney, her charms Of mind and per-
Gains, of the army, who made her case the
labor Of his life. From 1925 to 1852 the lit
igatlon lasted, when the Supreme Court Of
the United States decided it adversely to the
plaintiff.
The twenty-seven years Of litigation only
started the lady on new attack An old
family servant found a will all in the hand
writing Of Daniel Clark, acknowledging Ny
IA to be his only lawful child and making
her his heir. The paper was, Of course, at
tackled with all the vigor which the possess
ors Of $50, 900, 600 Of menaced property
could command; but in 1866 the Supreme
Court of the United States decided it was
valid; that Myra Clark had been begotten in
lawful wedlock and that she was the heir and
owner OF all the interests, by this time worth
quite 800, 600, 900. The years since have
been occupied in contentious upon what
forms shonld be followed by the inferior
courts. TO effect the decree of the tribun of
last resort. Mrs, Gaines found that she had
acquired but the right to bring actions
against every occupant in severalty. They
were legion and powerful, including the
municipality of New Orleans.
They have tired her out, literally tired her
TO death, and her heirs will undoubtedly ac-
cept the com promises she refused and re-
linqulsh those on which she insisted All
other celebrated cases" pale before this
one In America. On one or the other side
Of it Daniel Webster, Caleb Cushing, Charles
OConor, Judah p. Benjamin and
others OF the ablest lawyers of
the age have been engaged. The
vicissitudes Of extreme poverty aud the Ella
ton Of wealth beyond the dreams Of avarce
caused the life Of the plaintiff to oscllate be-
tween extremes. Every form OF calumny,
treachery, hattery, persecution and threats
was encountered by her Once she argued
her own case before the Supreme court of
the United States against Daniel Webster
and won II. All the years of law were also
years given 10 charity, TO art and to society
by her, ana none OF the duties OF mother,
grandmother or great grandmother were
neglected. Sorrow aud tragedy and disease
puuctuated her experience. Statesmen,
presidents, diplomats and heroes were her
intimate fri nds for over sixty wears. All the
dreams Of romance seem prosaic beside the
realities Of the life of this little lady, who
was less than five feet high, less than 100
pounds in weight but who In her body held
a mind that was stored with unusual powers
aud a courage worthy Of that Of 'the indom-
liable heart OF Armand Richelieu."