Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-07-29
VICE ON A PEDESTAL.
Men ana Manners In Modern France
Correspondence of tho Pail Mall aazette1

Correspondence Of the Pail Mall Gazette.
Some months ago silly young gentle
man in this city tried to kill himself for
woman who was certainly not worth
the knife he bought for self destruction.
The event made noise; the person in
question was interviewed by representa-
tives Of the press, among others by the
correspondent of one of your London
contemporaries; and M. Leon Renault,
our project Of police, exiled her as a
public nuisance, which was the best
thing he could do Recently, decent
people have had sort of a revanche
on the demi-monde by one OF the most
prominent members of that body com
hitting suicide, the difference between
her case and young NJ, DuvaPs being
that the latter failed in his object,
whereas she succeeded. The affair was
as dramatic as any hunter of scandalous
horrors conld desire. After Haunting
her diamonds, horses and painted fea'
lures in the face of gaping Paris for a
dozen years or 80, the woman, who was
Spaniard, fell in love with a nobleman
and endeavored to break off a marriage
which his family had arranged for him
Baffled in this attempt, she swore to de-
stroy herself, and after a stormy scene
in the cab which had driven the unhappy
couple from the restaurant, she rushed
up to her rooms and flung herself of
the balcony on TO the pavement be-
low, while her truant lover was en-
gagged in paying the coachman 1t was
thought at first that she had lost
her balance by accident; but the fact
has been incontrovertibly proved since
that she perished felo de se The oe
currence has been great boon to sight
seers, who have gone in crowds ever
since to stare at the identical spot on
the pavement where the catastrophe oc
Cured; and all the journals in Paris
which plume themselves Oh being well
informed have been treating us to the
minutest biographical details concern
ing her who it now appears the fashion
to call Cette pauyre Pepita Sanchez.
But this is not all, for yesterday and to-
day the sale-rooms of the Hotel Drouot
have been choked to overhowing with
eager ladies of all ranks and ages, who
have been pushing, straining and gasp
ing with all the mania Of morbid curl.
osity to see the dead woman's wardrobe,
jewelry and furniture. And meanwhile
the graver newspapers are talking about
the regeneration of public morals.
! must apologize for intruding this
matter on yon, but France must be
Judged from her social as well as her
political aspects; and lean assure you
that it was impossible to see the treble
lines Of barouches and broughams which
have been aocking by all the avenues to
the Rue Drouot these two days without
wondering whether Paris had not be-
come q plague spot which nothing can
ever cure. Passing Rue Ressini, yester-
day, toward four | thought there must
be concert at the opera, so great was
the crush; but French acquaintance
came pelting along who assured me |
ought to 20 and see what tout Paris "
would be chatting about for the next
nine days; so ! went, and returned in
structed il not improved by my visit.
OF the 400 or 800 ladies | may have
seen in the course OF Q two hours in
speetiOn-and many Of these ladies were
NiNNo " 0SENhf-o SUI u hNAhANA
ters--I heard not one utter word that
would be construed into disgust or
censure. Wistful envy seemed to be the
predominant feeling. The visitors look
ed with yearning eyes at the laces and
trinkets, the furs, plate, china, books,
and pictures; and the dresses (of which
II seems there we're 1917 excited more
murmurs of admiration than | have ever
seen bestowed on historical relics. Nov
elists, statesmen, artists and officers,
journalists and stock brokers, were
fitting about the crowd, and it was
standing joke, much relished, ior men
TO ask each other how much they had
respectively contributed to the treas
ures heaped around.
The object thst fascinated me most,
however, was q white silk Gag With red
cross, which had hung from Mile
Pepi.as window during the siege as
proof that she was keeping an ambn-
lance