Year: 1868




On Monday last the Supreme Court of
the United States, in three decisions in her
favor, finally settled the great and remark
able case Of Mrs. General Gaines. These
three decisions we're made upon appeals
brought up from the Louisiana courts
touching the right and title to vast amounts
Of real estate in New Orleans and in the
State of Louisiana, the contestants, includ-
ing the City of New Orleans, and claiming
said properties upon transfers restingOn a
will of Mrs. Gaines father Daniel Clark,
made anterior to that, bequeathing her oil
his estates. Bat she had more serious
battle to fight in the outset, upon questions
raised by the holders Of the property as to
the fact of the will upon which she based
her claim and touching her legitimacy as
a daughter of Daniel Clark. She first heard
of this will, accidentally, some thirty odd
years ago. from an eye witness of its exc
ct1tiOn. her fathers best friend, at that
time living at Havana, and who had heard
of her whereabouts. Mrs. Gaines was
then, we believe, the wife of a Mr.. Whitney,
worthy and enterprising man, and the
news to her was complete surprise; for
her father had died when she was a child
in years, and her guardians had kept her
in total ignorance on the subject. She





her case; but before she had unraveled its


mysteries her husband died, from the viO-
Ienee and persecution of her enemies; and
she, in the struggle for existence, was left
poor widow, with three helpless chill
dren upon her hands. In this extremity,
though resolved to establish her good name
and her rights as the one great purpose OF
her life. she was shortly brought to the
verge of dispair, when Major General
Gaines of the United States Army, learning
Of her story andsdistress, and believing in
the Justice of her cause, sought her out in
her humble lodging at New Orleans and
volunteered his assistance. Such an offer
at that crisis, from such a meu, was like
the veritable appearance Of good fairy.
The General was captivated by the fair
widow, but a chivalrOus soldier, he stated
that considering the disparity in their ages
he could not presume to talk Of marriage.
He would leave her perfectly free upon
that point, but in any event she might
count upon his services in her cause. The
young widow accepted the offer and the
man, and as the wife of General Gaines,
worth a quarter Of a million, she soon
brought her case before the courts. His
fortune was sunk in the litigation, and she
again in the lapse of years, was left
widow without the means needed to
cope with the powerful league of her
wealthy adversaries. Upon the strength Of
her cause, however, she still cOntriVed to
! fight them from court to court, frequently
baff1ed, often penniless - but never dis
mayed--an indOmitable little woman, dis
| possessed. engaged in the unequal contest
I Of the law against the holders Of twenty
millions of her property. At length, in
| 1860, she gained a decree from the Supreme
Court of the United States, establishing her
claim as the legitimate heiress of her
father and the validity of his will bequeabh-
| ing her bis estates. Then the war of the
| rebellion interpOsed and cut off for five
years all further proceedings. At its close
claims of rightful possession by the city Of
New Orleans, and other parties, of large
amounts Of her property, resting upon a
| previous will, were brought into the local
courts and carried thence up to the Supreme
Court of the United States, where they
were decided in her favor on Monday last.
Thus she becomes the wealthiest woman
| in the United States, and still apparently
not over sixty years Ofage. The case is one
of the most remarkable of it's class on
record; her history, embracing her sue
cesses and defeats, her troubles and trials
in connection with this case, is one of the
strangest of rOmances. She has become
through her long experience, a learned
lawyer in the most difficult branch of the
profession, and is still one of the most
charming of her sex. She has fought one
of the most unequal and urpromising con
f1icts in all tho annals obligation; she has
achieved one of the eompletest and great
est victories, and long may she live to en-
Joy it.-TNew York Herald.