Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-06-08
+ BRUTAL LORD.
How the Marriage was Brought
About and the Result.

A recent London letter says: Patti
earnings are something fabulous.
When she sings no manager can af-
ford a support Of anything above me-
diocrity. 1t is the necessity of paying
the diva all the proceeds which COM
pels her appearance at the most for
Torn theaters in the capital. Her sea-
sons are sung in houses hat would
compare as the Bowery theater would
with the Broadway houses.
Her good-for- nothing scamp of q
husband shares handsomely in these
earnings. For by the terms of the
infamous French law, though it was
proven that he was uniaithful from
his wedding day, the wife is compelled
to pay over a moiety OF her earnings
even after the delree of separation was
pronounced. Scamp as he was proven
to be, it was he to whom the sepera-
ton was awarded, involving the terms
Just cited. Patti proved by irreproach-
able witnesses hat he had stolen all
her money to gamble, and had even
robbed her OF all her jewels and that
like the continental Europeans, when
in a rage beat her mercilessly. Wife
beating is an ordinary incident in all
ranks of continental life.
How worthless a scamp this Mar
duis de Caux is known to every n in
Paris. 1t was an evil day for Patti
when the Empress Eugene took it in.
to her head to catch a rich wife for
him. Blue with all the blood Of all
the Howards of France, he was fol-
twenty years in the market for a rich
wife, when the empress kindly charged
herself with his fortunes. She took
| this interest in him first, because she
like a good politician, ssrove to
strengthen her husbands precarious
throne, and second, because he had a
a Gne figure and made an imposing
parsonage at court. The marquis,
when Patti appeared in Paris, was hor-
lribly poor. He lived with his mother,
Madame la Marquis de Caux, in a lit
tie street back ofthe Palais Bourbon
now the Chamber of Deputies. The
mother vas reduced tothe most indig-
nent straits, and it is related that she
got some Of her income by the prepa-
ration OF a substile identifying pow
der. which rejuvenated the courts
danes.
Patti was made much of at court
and the impress began to play hel
arts Of guile to entrap the unfortun
ate singer. The emperor was in
duaed to grant diplomatic promot or
In the event of marriage. For a
time the young mamie was then
nearly %fJrty-eave up his grisett,s anc
paid court 10 the singer in the mos
approved form. He used to take his
place in the orchestral stalls at the
opera and sit staring at the diva when
abe came upon the stage. All Paris
laughed, for all Paris knew that the
scamp was simply striving to capture
mine to pay his debts and his Other
less reputable diversions.
The wedding was as bright as the
empress could make it, but the pail
quarreled before they had been togeth.
err two days. The nature of the cause
hinged on the excesses of the husband
which endangered the life Of the wife
They had hardly been a week togeth
er when the servants were compelled
to rescue Patti from the blows Of the
MARQUIS. The marriage was a golC
mine for him. A million or more wa:
paid to liquidate his gambling debts
An equal sum restored the chauteu2
of his ancestry. But this did not sat.
isfy this thrifty nobleman. He exac.
ted the salary Of bis wife in advance
This wal the cause of frequent rup.
lures with managers. Patti you'd
have probably endured all this if the
miscreant had refrained from forcing
the wantons of his revels almost intC
his wife's presence. The miserable
business came TO an end in 1870
The leech, besides F0bbipg his vic
tim of her earnings, attempted tC
steal her jeBelry. She refused to leI
him sacrifice them. He accused hel
of inidelity with Nicolini. She asked
him sarcasticslly how be could wUnde'
if she thought more of Hacolini thar
of him-a gambler, q thief . wife.
beater and a procurer7 He strlci
her in fury and Nicolini, rushing in
gave him a sound t~hrashing, and wheT
ne crawled from the room his wife wa
in the taaor's arms, treating him to {
tableau, not uplike the mimic scene
she hal acted for years.