The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-09-16


some vices, Inherent in the character of wo-
men who have lost caste, and OF ordinary men:
After discussing the Immortality Of the soul
and the divine essence Of Jehovah, Miss Men,
ken would confess she was over head and ears
IN love with an Irish prize-fghter, and she
would interrupt the most abstract disserta-
tions aud quotations from Greek soDhists or
Hebrew dogmas to toss of.glasses OF brandy
with the gluttony of drunken hostler. While
she showed off to me her mind and soul, she
changed costume and let me see without modes
ty and without embarrassment, the marvel
lous beauty of her body. She showed me the
trace OF the balls she had received in war, and
lifting up tress Of black hair, which she
dropped on my brow with thoroughly feml-
the scar left on her head by Ratchet. She
admitted she was the blind slave OF her pas
sions, and traced to heaven the deplorable de-
lights found in the satisfaction Of the guiltest
appetites. She was Jewess, and yet her
beauty had nothing oriental about it. Her
black eyes, edged with long lashes, had
gamut OF characteristic expressions like flu
ger-board with series OF notes Of different
tonalities. Her eyes expressed anger,
love, ferocity, gentleness. Her mouth had
the aspirations Of the wild beast: it
sometimes invited kisses, and sometimes
made threats, or gave insults. AS for her body,
imagine not the body OF classical Venus, but
the body of some peculiar Venus-a modern
Venus with round, obtrusive, almost thick out
lines. Her flesh was firm, but slightly tanned
by the climates in which she had lived, and
also by the violent exercise in which she had
indulged since her childhood. Her flesh almost
burst the stockings that she wore. As soon as
she reached Paris she sent me her address.
forgot what reYented me from going to see
her. Nevertheless, one day 1 coptriyed to call
on her. / found ler in o fourth-class hotel,
giving the last touches TO q volume Of poetry
which her London publishers imperously ask
sheet Of a political letter destined to some
newspaper(2) in the United States. She always
wore long white tunic srotted with the
ashes of cigarettes, which never quilted her lips.
She always had around her people who lived
on -chambermaids, female friends, and
Americans who uncorked her champagne and
emphed her brandy bottles. I assure you
cises. She spoke with enthusiasm one day OF
an idea Of NJ. Dumas, Sr., and Of one of NJ.
Dugues's pieces With the hope Of playing
the parts sketched II these projected works.
she studied French, which she spoke with dif-
fculty, but which she wrote quite well. Her
dressing room at the Gate Theatre was quite
elegant. She had stipulated in her engagement
she should have o drawing room to receive
visits, where she might smoke and serve tea to
her friends. The last time saw Miss Menken
WIS two months since in The hotel in the Rue
Conmartb, where her funeral took place. She
wrote me note to say she was i'll, and called
on her one afternoon. She said to me
with very sad smile: My poor, dear boy,
teel am very ILL, When I tested with
great change which had taken place in
her features filled me with the worst forebod-
ings, she replied: I have received my death
! wound. I am lost to art and to life.' She
fetched resigned sigh, and added: After all
have lived more than woman of q hundred
years, 30 it is but justice I should go where
they carry old people, succeeded In giving
her some confidence, but the idea OF death con-
tinued to return In her conversation. Sh" said :
You have never written an article about me.
Make haste, for If die shall not read it, !
replied: Don't talk Of death; the manager OF
the Theatre du Chatelet wants you for the re-
vival Of the Pirates.' She exclaimed, Non
sensel he'll easily find another LeoP She
burst into tears and exclaimed between two
sobs: Poor Leor I severely scolded her that
day for keeping constantly in bed with her o
little dog, to which che was lreatly at
tached. I told her it was unhealthy. She
gravely responded: My dear fellow,
| have been told dogs smell death coming. and
run away, 80 long as my dog remains by my
side shall know must live. II ny dog runs
away shall understand nv last hour has come
andI shall pray God to have mercy on my soul.
Three weeks afterward received q telegram
from Bougival, whittier her physician had sent
her. 1t was in these words Come quick
Menken is dying. went at once to Bougival
She was deIirious. She did not recognize me.
She talked rapidly in English. In the chaos Of
incoherent ex xpressions which fell from her col
orless lips 1 heard these words: Give me
more brandy The poor creature made the
diagnosis OF her disease: it was an infammar
tion OF the digestive tube, caused by the abuse
OF tl,ohol and the defiance she had constantly
bid her vigorous constitution by lndulglng II
superhuman exercises. A rabbi was with bel
at her last moments, and she was buried ac'
cording to the Hebrew rites"