Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-05-09
STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL.
The Last Days of a Brilliant Actress-An Incl
dent In the Lifs of A da fsnacs Menkcn which
Led TO Her DEATH
New York Correspondence St. Loais Post.


New York Correspondence St. Louis Post
In one of our uptown picture GAL
lerles is beautiful portrait, which is
attracting considerable attention. It
Is Menken, the Amazonian actress
Looking at it the other day. it re-
called an incident in her life that has
never been told and is worth relating.
One of the strangest characters the
world has ever seen was Ada Isaacs
Menken queer mixture of sensuality
and mentality, she led life the PEI
culiarities of which seem impossible
to fathom. Her outward life is a
matter Of history, and it would be
useless enumerating its chequered
events. Her inner life she gave the
world glimpse of in the small vol
nme OF poems she published shortly
before her death, some OF them con-
tanning the most profound thought,
woven into the most poetic language.
Living life that was an open def
ance of all moral law, sensual to the
extreme in all of her passions, she had
a mind the most delicate and sensitive
| ever met with; strange being, she
met with strange fate.
When she first went to England she
set London ablaze with excitement
Thousands thronged Astley's every
night to see her in "Mazeppa," and as
many watched her day after aav driv-
ing up the "Mall' with her team of
ponies. Duchesses passed by .unno
tioed, even if they were young and
beautiful, if la belle Menken was in
sight. Apparently impressive, casting
chances at no one, with no companion
except her tiger" behind her, she
swept over the NAH the observed of
all observers. | had frequently
watched her there, little thinking that
| should soon know more of this
strangely fascinating woman.
was then a student rat Guy g
Hospital, and one evening the house
Surgeon, gentleman who has since
become famous in bis profession said /:
"Let us GO over and see this Menken
the people are going crazy over.
Have you seen her ?"
"No, excepting in the park, where
I have seen her driving"
In few moments we were rolling
through the borough in hanson cab
to Astley's which is situated at the
southern end of Westminster bridge.
Purchasing two stall tickets, we en-
tered. In all Of the European thea
ters there are three or four rows Of
seats next to the orchestra rallied off
these are called orchestra stall, and
are considered the best seats 10 the
house. The place was jammed' high
| and low, and it will hold small city
The play commenced. There was bu,
little excitement until Menken came
on, when deafening applause rolled
through the house. She was not very
beautiful in face, but her figure was q
model of symmetrical beauty. We
| have all raved about thatg marvellous
marble at Florence that the sculptor
| seems to have imbued with life, but
one glance at Adah Isaacs Menken
as she stood that night in her roya
beauty, and you would say with
Byron:
1--WE seen lovelier woman ripe and real
Than all the nonsense of their sto ne IDEAL"
The play proceeded. 1t is needless
to say how it was put on. 1t was
perhaps one of the greatest :heatrica
spectacles ever seen, with stage as
large as the whole of one of our thea
ters. The s!eed fairly galloped over
the mountains of Tartary, appearing
in the distance until the horse and
the living form bound on his back
appeared small in the perspective.
Suddenly a slight noise and a faint
scream were heard. There was 9
buzz through the house, the curtain
was rung down. Then the manager
stepped to the front and stated thai
Miss Menken had met with a slight
accident accidents are always Sigh,
under such circumstances If there
was a doctor in the house would he
come around. We were sitting close
to the front, My chief said, ssFollow
me-" and before you could say Jack
Robinson we had scrambled through
the orchestra and over the footlights
to the stage. The manager led us to
the green-room. There upon the
floor lay the beautiful Menken, her
silk tights stained with crimson blood.
81 don't think / ain much hurt, doc.
tor" she said, "I'm only frightened. y
In turning corner the horse had
gone too near one of the flats and had
grazed her limbs, tearing the flesh all
down. Expedition was required. The
room was cleared and we were soon
at work. The wound, which was not
dangerous, but must have been ex~
tremely painful, was soon dressed,
and the patient taken TO her home at
BromptoD. The performance ofssMa-
zeppa" was not concluded that night:
the audience dispersed after having
been informed OF the nature of the
injuries the lady had received. II
was my duty day after to visit
her; the wound soon healed bnt
the mental shock renamed. 81
have been" she said, ofor wears in
constant dread of some accident OF
this kind, and the fright more than
the hurt has Frustrated me I shall
never recover" We laughed at what
we thought her idle fears, but thew
proved to be true. This girl, in the
vigor of her womanhood, full of pas.
| sionate life, with every sense strung
to its highest tension-a magnificent
| animal, such as Du Marier loves to
draw and Lawrence or Swlnburne de
scrlbe-began slowly but almost i'm
perceptlbly to fade away. For months
ste was carefully watched, then travel
| was prescribed, and she went on the
continent. A few months later | re
celved a telegram dated from Paris :
"Come and see me before dse.'
| lost but little time in reaching
the gay capital, but it was too late.
They say she died of CONSUMPTION
she died from the nervous shock
caused by the accident / have related
In her later days the power of her
1 n Il :,