The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-10-29
A PRIMA DONNA'S FREAK.

" NuiL La O411 -
A PRIMA D0NNA'S FREAK.
WHY NINE. PAULINE LUCIA LEFT
4. BERLIN FOR AMERICA.
Forfeiture or her Contract at inc NoyaA
Theatre In Berlin-Her Deserted nus
band Demands a Divorce.
A late Berlin paper says: Several years ago
Nine. Pauline Lucca entered into an engage
ment with Herr Won Huelsen, superintendent
of the royal theatres in this city. By the term
of this contract the prlma donna was constl-
tinted q life member of the royal opera troupe
at q salary of eight thousand thalers per
aunum. The contract also provided that she
was to receive a pension of twenty-five hun
dred thalers q year 30 soon as her voice
should be gone. In engaging Nine. Lncca on
these terms the shrewd manager mo doubt
closed a very advantageous bargain, for the
stipulated salary is a very small one when CON-
pared with those generally paid in Europe, to
yfrst-class artists, and when taking into ac-
count the superior talents and accomplish.
ments of Nine. Lucca. On the other hand. 1t
must be borne In mind that the Emperor Will
liam honored her with frequent costly pres
ents. and that the provisions Of her contract
Wece such as to allow OF her accepting ''star"
ENGAGEMENTS in Russia and England during
three months OF the year. Nine. Lucca seVe-
raj years ago was appointed "kammersange-
ria" (court-slnger,) which honor, until recent
", she shared with Messrs. Nieman and Wach-
rel. and With Nine. Mallinger. Some ditdculty,
however, arose between the rival cant2trices.
The nature OF this ''uDpleasantness" was III
fling, andLucca came out Of THE dlmc4ily vlcto-
ror and EMPRESS, while Nine. MallingerI fell
INTO disgrace at court. 1t Is only proper to add
that there are many people here who consider
Mme. Lucca to have been clearly In the wrong,
: and who ASSERT that Nine. Mallinger was most
unfairly dealt with by their Imperial high
months every year In the British capital, with
the obligation of appearing In opera thirty
tunes. For: this engagement she receives
thirty thousand thalers q season. Tne lmpe-
rial Opera House, st. Petersburg, paid NINE.
Lucca fol, her last three weeks 'star' engage.
ment I'm that city the sum of ten thousand
9rublea. Her engagement with MIR. eye has
Two wears to run. She did spend three
,months thissyear In the British capital, but,
instead OF, returning to Berlin at the expira-
ton of thai, time, she closed a contract Win
III. Maretzek to 60 to America, and then en-
0e8VOre0 70 nave neL onSakomonI Will ~.
Van Hueisen cancelled. Falling In her eff
forts to accomplish this end, she went to Ischl,
In austria; and, after spending several weeks
at that resort, the independent prima. donna
went to England and took passage Tor New
York Under the!clrcumstaneeS.t ID not SO
be wondered at that the Berlin pres, and pub
lie should be much excited over the conduct
OF Mme. Lucca. The Stattsburger Zeltung,
for Instance, says: 1--WE consider 1t due our
readers to STATE that we have from very good
authority, viz: that Nine. Lncca, q lew days
previous TO her departure, made use of the
following language: u shall go to America,
even II they eI,a all Ts ssana on s, easls i Ges ssyere terms
Of thetcoutse pursued by the Baroness Won
Rhaden. Under date OF the 9Th Instant, It
publishes the following "TAe Insults to N
tuo06 during last winter, to which the prima
donna takes the trt uble of calling attention,
were Of q very t:lhiDg and inslgniacant pa,
by the community In the most decided and un-
mistakable manner, and In terms highly fiat
tering to the songstress. We therefore Incline
to the opinion that none bata person possess.
ed IA very resentful temperw would MINK OF
pareding those old grievances as just ground
Tor breaking contract. 1t will be still fresn
inthe minds OF our readers that the Insult
of which Nine. LuccR complains consists In
q trinlngi Opposition which possibly had no
existence at all except IN the imaglnaton OF
the fair prima donna-sald to have been
offered to her on the occasion of her APPEAR.
ance as Cherubino In the '.Nozze de Figaro"
80 far as Nine. Luoca's assertion 10 concern
ed. that she does not go TO America for
money, we annot but doubt the truth OF her
remarks. But We do not blame her Tor leaV-
ing Berlin for this reason. 1t ID evident that
by doing 30 she makes q very good bargain:
Upon her return from her transatlantic "star'
engagement, she will be In possession ofa
cash capital of about 10000 thalers. The
yearly Interest on this sum alone will be more
than four times as large as the pension guar.
anteed her by the management OF the Royal
Opera House OF Berlin. Now that NINE. Lucca
has thrown up her engagement, having taken
her departure from the German capital with
ont leave of absence, and against the Wishes
ofMr.Vo Hueslen, she will be-, OF course, no
longer entitled to the pension.
The Berliner Borsenzeitung says: Mime.
Lucca has started on her journey TO New
York, without asking the consent Of her hus-
band, the Baron Won Rhaden, nay, without in
forming him of her intended departure. This
course of action, and other proceedings on
the mart of the little prIma donna, have 1nduc-
ed he Baron Won Rhaden to institute legal
proceedings against his vile for divorce" In
Justice to Nine. Lucca, however. ills proper, go
far "a this action of the Barren Won Rhaden is
concerned, to say that the Baron Is no longer
the exemplary husband he was during the first
three or four years of his marriage to Mime. LUG
ca. Indeed, the fact has frequently been men
toned by the newspapers that Baron Won Rha.
den is an inveterate gambler, and that he
has squandered many thousands OF dollars OF
tine earnings OF his wife He Ia reported to
have given a good deal OF trouble to the little
prlma donna Of late years, by keeping very
fate houru, and conducting himself generally
In q manner u%nbecoming to one In his hlgn
station in life. Some of the Berlin papers, few
months ago, In commenting on The fact that
Baron Won Rhaden would probably not accom-
many bis wife on her trip to the United states,
mentioned that Nine. Lucca, In order to pro-
teot HERSELF and her young child from want In
the future, would probably have to bring suit
for q. divorce against the Baron, her husband.
The sale Of her Jewels In London. In May last.
Sc was said, was due to the fear on the part or
Mms. Lucca that she might become the VIC
tim OF another Marguerite Di1blanc: l nave
reason TO believe that such was not the case,
and that the sale was owing to some domestic
difficulties. N
WHAT, THE BLIND sEE.-In a recent work on
ssplindness and the Blind, " the author, q Mr:
Levey. says: when passing along q street l
can distinguish shops from private houses, ana
even point out the doors and windows, &C.,
and this whether the doors be shut or open.
When q window consists of one entire sheet OF
glass 1t is more difficult to discover than one