Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-06-20
A GENUINE ROMANCE.
The Interesting Story OF a Brave Little
WOman-Her Struggles to Obtain
Musical Education.
mOnial Alliance and Subsequent
Marriage to Miserable Scoun.
drel from Germany.

Rapids, the other day, while watching the
doings of the greenbackers, | heard an inter-
esting story of brave little woman who has
recently been singing before the people OF
Chicago. 1t is worth transcribing:
Some eight years ago bright young girl,
daughter of dissipated Grand Rapids Jour-
nalist, discovered that she had a voice. She
also discovered that unless she could acquire
an education she must be content to remain
in obscurlty, without the remotest hope of
ever rising above the level of the plaster
grinders and saleratus- makers who compose
a good share of Grand Rapids society. An
education seemed out of the range OF her
possibilities, however. With drunken father
and an insane mother, she was tie only one
to care for batch of neglected children, so
she staid YEARLY at home, until Providence
threw in her way a chance of studying at
Mount Holyoke as pupil-teacher: She got
a reluctant consent from her father to go,
and for several years she studied with I'M
mense energy and purpose. Her voice de-
veloped gIoriously while she was at Holyoke
and gave her and her friends every reason to
believe that, with culture, she would become
one of the worlds singers. But she was
poor, and culture costs money. Genius Is not
taken up suddenly in this work-a-day world
las it used to be-, and the brave little girl
saw a very dismal prospect of achieving the
ambition which had grown up in her soul.
singing at concerts, In choirs, earning a few
dollars wherever she could, and storing them
away for the accomplishment of her design.
She was rather fortunate after little while,
and was enabled to go to New York and en-
ter the conservatory of music, where her abll-
tiles soon attracted attention. Miss Kellogg
declared her voice to be superb.
TIETJENs HEARD HER IN ORAToRIo,
and praised her method, and Miss Cary was
lavish in her encouragement. Max Strakosch
lent his aid, and the little woman thus
cheered on her arduous path, devoted her
whole soul to the art, and made rapid prog
ress She was engaged at a fine salary as
soprano in a leading church, and thus ena-
bled to continue her studies without worry
from pecuniary pressure. By this time she
had reached that stage in the life of an Amer
lean singer when teachers say that the pupil
has no more to learn here, and must proceed
to European schools. And by this time, also, had
she fallen deeply in love with a gentleman
a physician of the highest standing who,
after a most assiduous courtship, offered her
marriage and position, promising to take her
to Milan, and there give her every possible
art advantage. The poor child was delighted
with the prospect, accepted the offer, and
spent every dollar of her little hoard in the
of the day fixed for her marriage brought her
astonishing intelligence that her lover was
a married man, and when she frenziedly de-
manded to know the truth, he tremblingly
confessed that he was the husband of living
wife, Six months in hospital brain-fe
patient, the poor girl bitterly rued the day
she had ever permitted love to come between
her and her art. From the hospital she came
out penniless, and with her voice nearly
gone There was nothing for her but to re-
turn to the old life In Michigan, to the revels
of the father, the insane raving of the moth
er, and the wretchedness of the neglected
brothers and sisters She went home and
faced it all-worked for the helpless brood
around her, sewed, painted, taught drawing
and music and infused little happiness and
comfort into the cherries household. Gradu-
ally her voice returned, and she went again
upon the concert stage, singing In Grand
Rapids, Chicago, st. Louis, Cincinnati, De-
troit, Toledo and Cleveland, with marked
success. Friends clustered around her, and
once more she had little hoard laid by for
her cherished European journey and studies,
when the illness of her mother called her to
Grand Rapids again. The insanity of the
daughter nursed her for months with tender
devotion. Her evil genius here threw across
her path person destined to work her
UNUTTERABLE MISERY.
This was an individual claiming to be of no.
BILE German family and liberal means, one
DIR. Marheincke, of Saxony, man of fine
address, extensive education, polished man
ners, and apparently unlimited means. He
lived at the Morton house, had style about
him which laid over anything the gilded
youth of Grand Rapids had ever been accus-
toned to, speedily won his way into the best
society of the baliwick, and led gorgeous
life. He professed to be interested in large
operations in corn and pork, specializing on
e IL. r.
western food products. He met the young
lady, who is the subject of this sketch, and,
after long wooing and several reflections,
won and married her. The marriage was a
tremendous event in Grand Rapids, the big
gest thing since the Presidential election in
fact, and the whole town and the best part of
Kent county turned out to witness it. The
happy couple went to Chicago on their bridal
tour, and put up at the Sherman house,
where the best that Chicago afforded was
considered by the bridegroom as all too poor
for his bride. The young wife rejoiced in
the thought that the dream of her life would
be realized, and that in Europe she would
soon, after faithful study, be enabled to win
applause as great artist. Had not her
husband promised to take her? Was he not
rich and talented? Was he not of noble
blood, and had he not produced papers to
prove his claims? And how good of him to
marry poor little Michigan songstress, with
no fortune but her voice, some diamonds and
three hundred dollars in cash? One day.
while enjoying her dreams of fame, her hus-
band rushed In excitedly. "Baby mine" he
said, 81 hat choost receefet wife dousands
pooshels of krain, unit | must bay re weight.
My money didn't vas come from Chermany,
unit must hat dat krain. Lent me dose drei
hoodert thalers you vas got, unit l bays you
ven got my remiddances' She cheerfuly
complied with the request, gave him every
cent of her little store, and was happy in the
thought that she could do so much for him.
Next day he came in tearing his hair and
swearing that he had lost his all by the re-
suit of his speculation, and couldn't pay his
hotel bill.
THEY HAD TO LEAVE THE SHERMAN HOUSE
minus their trunks, left behind as security,
and take up less expensive quarters, where
they subsisted for awhile on the product of
the unhappy woman's diamonds, temporarily
loaned to a pawnbroker. These went, then
every article of ornament, then all superflu-
GUS clothing, and then the husband declared
that he was a beggar, and confessed to his
wife that the money he had borrowed from
her had been squandered in gambling. Here
was second experience with a vengeance
Gathering what little impedlments she had
together, and borrowing few dollars from
Chicago friend, she fed back to Grand Rap
ids, their to be received with contumely. Her
parents were mad with her for having been
deceived; the public, especially the women,
gloried in her discontinue, and tainted her
with her ambitious alliance, while the church
members turned mp their pious noses at
woman who, after having been entrapped
into marriage with scoundrel, had the
courage to leave him rather than starve as
the wife of blackleg. Nothing remained
but work. Cherishing her ideal she could
only see one course of rapidly attaining 1T,
for she felt the years and the sorrows she
had endured telling upon her. One can be
made to feel very old at twenty-five. She
boldly ventured upon the vaudeville stage as
ballad singer, and engaged with C. NJ.
WEIGH, who had just reopened
THE THEATER CoMIQUE,
Detroit For month she filed that house
from pit to dome, and earned enough money
to take her wardrobe and jewels out of pawn.
The cody, for whom she had so often sung,
the leaders of charitable fashionable organi-
cations. who had often had her gratuitous
services at concerts and festivals, turned from
her because she sought living on the only
stage open to her, and threw upon the at
mosphere of a variety theater refinement