The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-04-26
The Last Days Of Adah 1saacs
Menken.


leries, is q beautiful portrait. which il
attracting considerable attention. Il
is Menken. the Amazonian actress
Looking at it the other day, it recalled
an incident in her life which has never
been told. and is worth relating
One of the strangest characters the
world has ever seen, was Adah Isaac!
Menken-a queer mixture of sensual
ity and mentality. she led life, the
| peculiarities of which seem impossible
TO fathom Her outward life is mat
ter of history, and it would be useles.
enumerating its chequered events. Her
inner life she gave the world q glimpse
Of in the small volume of poems she
published shortly before her death
some of them containing the most pro.
found thoughts woven into the mos,
poetic language. Living q life tha,
was an open defiance Of all moral law
sensual to the extreme. in all her pas.
sions, she bad Q mind the most delicate
and sensitive | ever met with-a strange
being. she met with q strange fate.
When she went to England, she SET
London ablsze with excitement. Thou
sands thronged Astley's every night, to
see her in 'Mazepra,' and as many
watched her day after day, driving up
the Mall with her team of ponies
Duchesses passed by unnoticsd. even il
they we're young and beautiful, if "a
belle Menken was in sight. Apparent
ly impassive. casting glances at no one.
with no companion except her tiger
behind her. she swept over the Mall,
the observed of oil observers. had
frequently watched her there, little
thinking that should soon know more
of this strange fascinating woman.
l was then g student at Guys Hos
pital, and one evening the house sur.
geon-a gentleman who has become
famous in his profession-said: Let
US GO and see this Menken, the people
s-e going crazy over. Have you seen
her?'
No except in the Park, where have
seen her driving
Rather queer character, l hear.
But we'll go and study the lady ana
tomically. as she gives plenty of oppor-
tunity for it,
ln 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 enter
ed. In oil of the European theatres,
there are three or fsur rows of seats
rallied off. next to the orchestra. These
are called orchestra stalls, and are con-
sidered the BEST seats in the house The
place was jammed, high and low. and
it would hold small city. The play
commenced. There was but little ex-
citement until Menken came on, when
deafening applause rolled through the
house. She was not very beautiful in
face, but her figure was a model of
symmetrical beauty.
We have all raved about that mar
vellous marble, at Florence. that the
sculptor seems to have imbued with
life. but one glance at Adah Isaacs
Menken, as che stood that night in her
royal beauty. and you would say with
Byron:
i've seen lovelier women. ripe and real.
Than all their nonsense Of their stone IDEAL
The play proceeded. 1t 10 needless
to say Low it was put on. It was per-
haps one of the grandest theatrical
specticles ever seen, with q stage as
large rs the whole Of one of our thea
tres. The steed fairly galloped over
the mountains of Tartsry appearing and
reappearing in the distance, until the
horse and the living form, bound to his
back. appeared small in the perspec-
tive.
Suddenly q slight noise and faint
scream were heard. There was a buzz
through the house. the curtain was
rung down. Then the manager step.
ped to the front and stated that Miss
Menken had met with q slight accident
accidents are always slight under
such circumstances. If there was q
doctor in the house. would he come
around. We were sitting close to the
front My chief said; follow me- and
before you could say Jack Robinson.
we had scram mbled through the orches-
ira and over the footlights to the stage.
The manager led US to the green room.
There, upon the floor. lay the beauti-
full Menken, her silk tights stained
with crimson bleod
i do not think l sm hurt much.
Doctor she said, / am only frighten-
ed In turning q 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 cleared. and we were soon at
work. Tie wound, which was not
dangerous, but must have been ex-
tremely painful. was soon dressed, and
and the patient taken to her home. at
Brompton. The performance of Ma
zeppa' was not concluded that night.
The audience departed after having
been informed of the nature of the in-
juries the lady had received, 1t was
my duty day after day. to visit her;
the wound soon healed, but the mental
shock remained. < have been, she
said, for some years in constant dread
of some accident of this kind, and the
fright more than the hurt, has prostrat-
ed me; | shall never recover. We
laughed at what We thought her idle
fears. but they proved to be true. This
girl. In the vigor of her womanhood.
full of passionate life, with every sense
strung to its highest tension-a mag
nificent animal, such as Du Marler
loves to draw and Lawrence or Swim
burne describe began slowly but al
most imperceptibly TO fade away. For
months she was carefully watched. then
travel was prescribed. and she went on
the Continent. A few months later |
telegram dated from Paris.
Come and see me before / die
lost but little time in reaching the