The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-09-10
From Household Words
THE UNWELCOME CONpAN1oN


are about to quote is remarkable instance ftboso
apparently supernatural visitatons which if has
been found difficult, if not impossible to exp ain
and account for. 1t does not appear to have bepn
known to Scott, Brewster, or any other English
writer, who has collected and endeavored to ex-
pound those ghosty phenomena.
Clairon was the greatest tragedian that ever ap-
peared on the French stage, holding on it supre-
macy similar TO that of Siddons on our own. She
was'a woman of powerful intellect and had the
merit of efecting complete revolution in the
French school of tragic acting substituting an easy
varied aud natural delivery for the stilted and
mOnOtonous defamation which had ill then pre-
vailed, and being the first to consult classic taste
and propriety of costume. Her mind was cutivat-
ed by habits of intimacy with the most distinguish
ed men Of her day; and she of the most
brilliant ornaments of those literary circles which
the contemporary memoir writers described in such
glowing colOrs. In an age of corruption, unparal-
leed in modern times, Mademoiselle Clairon was
not proof against the temptations to which her
position exposed her. But lofty spirit and some
religious principles which she retained amidst a
generation of inhdels and scofers, saved her from
degrading vices and enabled her to spend an old
age protracted beyond the usual period of human
life. in respectability and honor.
She dIed in 1903, at the age of eighty. She was
nearly seventy when the following letter was
written. 1t addressed to NJ Henri Meister, a
man of some eminence among the literati of that
period-the associate of Diderot Grimm, D'HoI-
bach, NJ. and Madame Necker, etc., and the cotiabo
rateur of Grimm in his famous correspondence
This gentleman was Clairon's '1iterary executor"
having been inIrusted with her memoirs, written
by herself, and published after her death.
with this preface we give Mademoisee Clairon's
narrative, written in her old age, of occurrence
which had taken place half century before.
"ln l743, my youth and my success on the stage
had drawn around me a good many admirers NJ
de s., the of a merchant in Brittany
about thirty years old, handsome, and possess d Of
considerable talent, was of those who were most
strongly attached to me. His conversation and
manners Df pdu nd
good society, and the and timdtv which
distinguished his attention made favorable i'm
preston on me. Atter green-rOom acquaintance
OF some time permitted him to visit me at nv
house, but better knowledge of his situation and
character not to his advantage. Ashamed of
being only bourgeois, he squandering his for
tune at Paris under an assumed title. His tenn
per was severe and gloomy; he knew mankind too
well, he said, not to despise and avoid them He
wished to See no one but me, and desired from me,
IN return, a similar sacrifice of the world ! saw
from TINS tlme the necessity, for his sake as
wen as mine, OF destroying his hopes by reducing
our intercourse to terms of less intimacy Nv be-
havior brought upon him violent illness, during
which | showed him every mark of friendly inter
est, but firmly refused to devate from the course
which had adopted. My steadiness only deepen
ed his wound: and unhappily, at this time a treach-
erOus relative to whom he had intrusted the man
agement of his affairs, took advantage of his help
less condition by robbing him, and leaving him so
destitute that he was obliged to accent the little
money had for his subsistence, and-the attendance
which his condition required. You must feel, nv
dear friend the Importance of revealing this
secret. respect his memory, and would not
pose him to the insulting pity of the world Pre-
serve, then the religious silence which, after many
years, l now break for the first time
CAT length he recovered his property, but never
his health; and thinking was doing him a SER
vice by keeping him at distance from me- | con-
stantly refused to receive either his letters or his
visits.
''Two years and half elapsed between this pc
ri0d and his death. He sent to beg me to see him
once more in his last moments but thought it
necessary not to compl with his WISH He died.
having with him only his domestics and an old
lady, his sole companion for a long time. He odg-
ed at that time on the Rampant, near the Chaussee
dAntn; l resided in the Rue de Bussev, near the
Abbey st. German. My mother lived with me-
and that night we had little party TO supper
We were very gay, and was singing a lively air,
when the clock struck eleven, and the sound
succeeded by long and piercing cry of unearthly
horror. The company looked aghast; | tainted,
and remained for quarter of an hour totally in
sensible. We then began to reason about the
nature of so frightful sound, and it agreed to
set watch in the street in case it were repeated.
sit was repeated very often. All our servants,
my friends, my neighborS, and even the police,
heard the same crv, always at the same hour, al
ways proceeding from under my windows. and ap-
pearIng to come from the empty air. | could not
doubt that it was meant entirely for me. | rarely
supped abroad; but the nights did so, nothing was
heard; and several times when came home and
was asking my mOIncf ana servants II they had
heard anything, it suddenly burst forth as it in the
midst of US. One night. the President de B,
at whose house ] had supped, desired to see me
safely home. While he was bidding me good
night at my door, the cry broke out seemingly be-
tween him and me. He, like all Paris. was aware
OF the story; but he so Mortified that his SER
wants lifted him into his carriage more dead than
alive.
"Anothcr time | asked nv cnmrade Rnselv tn
accompany to the Rue St. Honore, to choose
some stulfs, and then pay n visit to MademOiselIe
de st. P, who lived near the Porte ST. Denis
My ghost story (as it was called) was the subject
OF our whole conversation. This intelligent Young
man was struck by my adventure, though he did
not believe there was anything supernatural in it.
lie pressed me to evoke the phantom promising
to believe lift answered my call. With weak auda-
city complied and suddenly the cry was heard
three times with fearful lOudDess and rapidity.
When we arrived at our friends door. both of us
were found senseless in the carriage.
CATER this scene | remained for some months
without hearing anything. | thought it was all
over, but was mistaken.
'All the public performances had been transfer
red to Versailles account of the marriage of the
Dauphin. We were to pass three days there. but
sufficient lodgings were not provided tor Us. Ma
dame Grandval had no apartment, anc offered to
share with her the room with two beds which had
been assigned to me in the avenue of ST. Cloud. !
gave her one OF the beds and took the other. While
my maid was undressing to lie down beside me
said to her, Eve at the worlds end here, and it
is dreadful weather. the cry would be somewhat
puzzled to get at u.s.. In a moment it rang through
the room. Madame Grandva ran in her night
dress from top to bottom of the house. in which no.
body closed an eye for the rest of the nipbt This
however, was the last time the cry was heard.
"Seven or eight days afterward, while | was
chatting with my usual evening circle, the sound of
the clock striking eleven was followed by the re-
port OF A gun fired at one of the windows. We all
heard The noise, all saw the fire. vet the window
was undamaged. We concluded that some one
sought my life, ard that it was necessary to take
precautions against another attempt. The Intend
ant des Menus Plaisirs. who present, few to
the house of his friend, NJ. de Marve, the Iheuten-
ant of Police. The houses opposite mine were in
stanly searched and for several days were guarded
from top to bottom. Ny house was closely exam
lned the street filed with spies in all possible
dIsguises. But, notwithstanding this vigilance the
same explosion was heard and seen for three whole
months, always at the same hour and at the same
WINDOW pane, without being able to dis
cover whence it proceeded. This fact stands re-
corded in the registers of the police
"Nothing was heard for some DAYS; but having
been invtedIby Mademoiselle Dumesn the cee-
bNated tragedian, to join little evening party at
her house near the Jdrriere blanche, | got into a
hackney coach at III o'clock with my maid. 1t was
clear moonlight as we passed along the Bouevards,
which were then beginning to be studded with
houses. While we were looking at the hal'-fnished
buildings, my maid said, 'Was it not in this neigh
borhood that N. de s. ded?' From what [
have heard | answered, Il think it shoui+ be
there pointing with my finger to house before
us. From that house came the same gunshot that
heard before. 1t seemed to traverse carriage,
and the coachman set of at full speed, thinking we
were attacked by robbers. We arrived at Made
mniselle Dumesnils in state of the utmost terror,
a feeling did not get rid of for a long time
Mademoiselle Clairon gives some further details
similar to the above, and adds that the noises finally
Ceased IN about two years and half.