The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-10-07
The Death Of Menken-A Sketch
Of Her Life and Habits.
Err; DE ED.
+ Paris fAnc. ID. s Cor, n v wo,1d !

| = . i
Miss Adah Isaacs Menken was buried a
few days since. II was sad funeral-not
from the tears shed nor the visible grief,
but because there was not tear shed nor
a single grieving face behind her llearse.
Moreover, because there was 30 few people
to pay this lust tribute Of compassion. OF
all her boon companions, OF all these para
sites who lived On her, drank her wine and
brandy. borrowed her money, abused her
tuot one was to be found to see her to life 5
door. There was just twelve people at her
funeral, Half OF these were tradesmen or
servants; the rest were actors from the
theatre where she played. liesE 2'iI f.
know all that may be said against her;
yet | cannot repress some pity at her fate,
dying among narpies without one kind
friend or sympathizins human being near
her. Horrible was her death. She died
Of t'';tnia potu, complicated with information
OF the bowels and congestion Of the brain.
She sent for DR.. Sims month before she
| died. but he soon saw his skill was inlpo-
tent except to alleviate her passage to
death. He did all he could for her.
find fraguehtary sketch OF her habits in
Paris IN one OF our papers, which you may
read with interest: awhile was in Lon
don, about three years ago. came nigh
being run over in Regent street by the
strangest turnout ever saw The har-
ness of the horses which came near tramp
ling me under foot was as gaudy and as
vulgar as the carriage was aristocratic and
in good taste. Plates and buckles of cop
per studded the bright yellow harness, aud
on the traces hung q hundred red tossels.
l say nothing Of the oran!ents of the horses
heads. The strange turnout stopped sud
denly-I was knocked down by the right
hand horse, and rose bruised and ili-bu-
inored. A footman in a livery Of doubtful
taste ran up toward me, md after asking If
was seriously injured begged me to come
to accept his mistress excuses. Turning
around, saw lying luxuriously on the car
rage cushion a beautiful creature, whose
black eyes rested on me with interest.
Buried in velvet mantilla, and wearing o
round hat adorned with floating feather,
she held out her right hand (which she had
hastily unglovel) to me, and held the rains
in her left hand After / told her who
was, she said: All! you are newspaper
writer and Frenchman! l am delighted
Mcnken's horses have. had the honor, to
kaock you down. Can't you come this
evening to take tea with me in my dressing
rooms at Ashley's Theatre, where l
am playing Mazeppa ? ! bowed. She
gave her horses heavy blow, and drove off
rapidly. Three hours afterwards she told
me, between two acts, the history of
her life, which everybody is now familiar
with. Everybody knows she possessed Il
smattering ofall human knowledge. She
knew and talked on every subject with gid
dying facility, from the dialects Of the New
World to tmnscenlental mathematics, from
Latin to philosophy from versifcation to
theology. The astonishing traits ofthis rare
nature lay in some weaknesses, or rather.
some vices, inherent in the character of
women who have lost caste, and Of ordiua-
ry men. After discussing the Immortality
of the soul and the divine essence Of Jeho-l
Yah, Miss Mcnkin would confess she was
head and ears in love with an Irish prize
fighter, and she would interrupt the most
abstract dissertations and quotations from
Greek sophsts or Hebrew dogmas to toss
off glasses Of brandy with the gluttony of a
drunken hostler. W lille she showed of to
me her mind and so1l. she changed cos
tune; and let me see, without modesty
and without embarrassment, the marvel
Gus beauty other body. She showed me
the trace ofthe balls she had received in
war, and lifting up trcss of-blaclS hair.
which she dropped on my brow with
thoroughly feminine srt, she begged me to
feel the depth Of the scar left on her head
by Ratchet, She admitted che was the
blind sk,ye of her passions, and traced to
heaven the deplorable delights found in the
satisfaction of the. guiltiest. She was a
Jewess, aud yet her beauty had nothing
oriental about it. Her blact, eyes, edged
with long lashes, had q gamut Of character
istic expressions like a inger-board with a
series Of notes of different tonaliiies. Her
eyes expressed anger, love, ferocity, gen.
tleness. Her nose had the aspirations Of
the wild beast; it sometimes invited kisses
and sometimes made threats, or gave in
suits. AS for her body, imagine not the
body Of classical Venus, but the body of
some peculiar Venus with round, obtru
siye, almost thick outlines. Her flesh was
firm, but slightly tanned by the climates in
which she had lived, and also by the vio-
lent exercises in which she had INDUCED
since. her childhood. Her flesh almost
burst the stockings that she wore. AS
soon as be reached Paris she sent rae her
address. forget what prevented me from
going to see her. Nevertheless one day
I contrised to call on her. found her
in fourth-class hotel giving the last fou-