Connecticut western news., 1885-01-21
A ROMANTIC STORY.
THE LATE MIRA CLARK GAINES AND
 HER EVENTFUL LIFE.
The Story of her Contest for a Hundred
 Million DOIInrs-Rend Like a Novel.

The Story of her Contest for a Hundred
 Million DOlIars-Rends Like a Novel.
 For about fifty years Mrs. Myra Clark Gaines has been a prominent figure in society at Washington and New Orleans. She has been no less prominent in the courts in those cities on account of the wonderful series of suits which she conducted to recover the property of her father, a very wealthy man, who died in 1913. The mother of Mrs. Gaines was beautiful creole, who, at the age of IA, married brilliant young Frenchman named M. de Grange, but, learning that he had a wife already living, she transferred her affections to Daniel Clark, an influential Irishman, owning large estates in Louisiana and much property in Philadelphia. It is as- serted that they were secretly married in Philadelphia about 1903, but he never acknowledged his wife publicly. Myra was the second child of this union. She was born in 1906 in New Orleans. Clark persuaded the mother to give up the child and placed it with friend in Philadelphia, who promised faithfully to care for her. Not long after this Clark was sent to Washington as the first Louisiana Delegate to Congress, and his wife, learning that he was unfaithful, separated from him.
 With domestic trouble came business disasters which made Clark think he would lose all his property, and he therefore conveyed to his friend, the guardian of Myra, $7O0, ,OO0 in trust for the child, and made will which gave the rest of his estate to his old mother. He had previously made a will leaving the bulk of his property to charitable in stitutions, and naming as his executor and administrator his business partner, who was also his confidential friend Recovering from his losses, and finding himself still amassing wealth, he made another will, making his daughter sole heiress of all he possessed. He soon after died under circumstances which led to the belief that he had been poisoned.
 Clark's first will was recorded by his partner the day after his death. The will leaving his wealth to Myra was never found, but an aged negro in Clark's service testified that he had seen this partner open Olark's secretary after his death, and take from 1t sealed document and burn it. When, some years later, the partner was told that Myra had declared in open court that her father had made this will and that it had been destroyed by an interested party, he exclaimed: "Great God did she say that ?" and, throwing up his arms, fell dead from apoplexy.
 As a child, Myra was kept in igno- rance and seclusion, her guardian, it is alleged, hoping thereby to obtain com plete control of the $7O0,00 which he held for her. At 20 he selected for her husband who was likely to further his aims, but she had already fallen in love with William Whitney, the son of g wealthy Philadelphian. When, there. fore, Whitney spoke to the guardian about marrying Myra, there was E scene, from which Myra learned for the first time that she was not her guardian daughter, but nothing was said abou the $700,000. AS the wife of William Whitney, Myra had luxurious home, ( kind husband, and intelligent friends From Southern gentleman she learned of her rights, and of her just title tc property even then worth millions oI dollars. She also learned that he mother still lived, and that her gooc name had remained all these years unde dark cloud. To see her mother ant prove her marriage to her father wa Mrs. Whitneys first thought. Tn beautiful home was abandoned, and
 few weeks later MT. and Mrs. Whitne were living in New Orleans, and ha taken the first plunge into the litigation This was about 1882.
 She was at first successful, but he husband died of yellow fever, leaving her with three small children to figE out the contest. To legal opposition were added islanders about the characts of the beautiful young widow, and eve attempted assassination. For the sak of her children and her own name sh pressed the suits with vigor. But he means ran low.
 When she had finally reached a des perate strait, and was exposed to insul and poverty in New Orleans, she was be friended by Gen. B. P. Gaines, the her, of Fort Erie, and an old friend of he father. He was her gallant protector and she at length became his wife. Sh thereafter had respectful hearing. Tn suit was carried to the United State Supreme Court three times on question of practice, and at length, by compro mise with one of the defendants, sh gained a victory in 1848, the United } States Supreme Court declaring that marriage had taken place, and tha Myra was entitled to four-fifths o Clark's estate.
 ; But Mrs. Gaines found that, to secur the property, she would have to brinI suits against each of its owners in sue cession. Her suit against the executor reached a hearing in the Supreme Cour in 1851. The defence was vigorous thi time, and she found herself non-suiteC at the end of nineteen years, the cour reversing it's former decision as to tn marriage of her mother.
 In 1849 her husband had died, an , now, unaided. she again began suit unde the will which, it was alleged, had beel destroyed by her fathers partner. Sh won at every step up to the United State Supreme Court, which decided in he