Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-03-11
AN ECCENTRIC WOMAN.
ST. ACCOUNT OF SOME VERY ODD
PEOPLE.
A Criminal Trial-A Pitiful Tale-French
Morals-Poor Encouragement for
Mothers with Daughters.
PARIS Fehrnaru Il las

PARIS, February II, 1881.
The Princesse de la Moskowa has just
died at Paris. Not very long ago 1 men
| toned her in one of these letters as the
grandmother of the Baronne Friedman,
recently imprisoned along with her hus-
band for forgery. Her history is singu-
lar one, and her eccentricities of late years
have caused her to be pronounced insane
by all those who have come in contact with
her. She was the daughter Of the banker
Laffitte, of great renown, the first banker
in France who, through his financial
talent and extended influence, arrived at
an exalted and enviable position. 1t was
at his house took place reunion of jour-
nalists who protested against the successive
suppression of the peoples liberties by
Charles x, and which led to the famous
revolution Of 1880, and the dethronement
of the King. The meeting was an audaclous
act on the part of the members, for each
cne in those days risked his head on the
expression of liberal principles, but
their energy and courage were reward
ed Mr.. Laffitte was a liberal re-
publican under the monarchy, and
so much was he esteemed by his fellow
citizens that in 1880, by national subscrip-
tion, private hotel was offered him in the
street bearing his name, which street is one
of the principal streets opening on to the
boulevard des Italiens. His daughter
married the eldest son of Marshal Ney, he
who was covered with glory following the
Russian campaign and eventually con-
demned by the Court of Peers to be shot.
His original name was Michel, but after
having been dubbed the Prince of Moskowa
by the first Napoleon, this last title was
the only one applied to him. His son of
course inherited his title, but it has been
asserted that did the old Marshal possess
other than military virtues his first born
did not inherit them, for ne was a
FsvIcIoUs, VIOLENT AND UNWORTHY
Creature, whose conduct was SO objection
able that his wife was obliged to ask a
separation from him. At the trial he de-
MED that he had ever struck his wife, and
in anger at her assertions slapped her be-
fore the entire Court. She, for her part,
was as eccentric as he was vicious, and
after her marriage, which was celebrated
with great deal of eclat, having numer-
GUS visits to return, which annoyed her, she
would take off her shoes and throw them
out of the carriage window so that when
the carriage door was opened for her to
alight it was impossible to force her to
descend, for it was found she no longer had
any shoes on her feet. The Princesse de
Moskowa has left an immense fortune, but
during the last years of her life she became
fearfully miserly, SO much so that her
mania reached insanity. She rented all of
her hotel with the exception of four rooms,
in which she crowded herself with her
seven servants and SO fearful was she of
being robbed of even piece of sugar by
her servants that she was known to invari-
ably put fly in the sugar bowl, and if she
found it there on again opening the bowl,
she was satisfied, but if the fly had disap-
peared she knew that sugar had been taken
by some one, and her anger and indigna-
tion were difficult to Withstand. She
would never consent to spend any money
on her clothes, and persisted, when she
went out, in wearing garments such as
were worn near fifty years ago, and was so
ridiculous that she attracted the atten-
tion of all the passers- by and rendered her
femme de cham6re so confused that
she scarcely dared accompany her.
However, during the latter years of
her life she rarely went out, and for
two years before her death never once left
her apartment. Her daughter married
Mr.. Fialin, who was a sous officer of cav
airy When Napoleon Ill needed men to
aid him in his conspiracy against the re-
public, he naturally looked around him for
those who, having nothing, had less to risk
and could the better serve his purpose.
Mr.. Fialin, like Morny, Saint Armand and
Mauprat, was covered with debts, had no
means of extricating himself from his diff.
ficulties, and was only too glad to take part
in any adventure whatever which might
promise him some future profit. The four
were fit instruments ior the abominable
coup d'etat, and when the
CHIEF OF THE ADVENTURES
Became Emperor of France, he rewarded
his associates by clubbing them all dukes.
Mr.. Fialin was named Due de Persigny,
and was married under that name Morny
became Due de Morny, and SO on. 1t was
Mauprat who, after he had been appointed
Prefet de Police, arrested Mr.. Theirs
what a set of brigands Nine. Persigny
inherited the eccentric nature of her
mother, besides developed other vicious
and disgusting qualities peculiar to herself,
which caused her to be much remarked
by those persons with whom she came
in contact. She united her existence with
sportsman, man possessed of the nature
of Jockey, who was always to be seen on a
horse, or driving a fast team. His name
has escaped me at any rate, they did not
hesitate to show themselves everywhere in
public together, and often travelled in an
open manner, but were scarcely ever seen
unless quarreling On arriving at the
gare they would be quarreling and would
continue to quarrel after the train had
started, and 1t was then could be seen
| flying out of the window the gentleman's 8
hat, cane, or other objects of his which the
enraged woman had laid hands upon, there
upon accentuating the mothers propensity,
when she threw her shoes out of the
window. On arriving at Nice, or any other
place of resort, the couple would continue
to quarrel, and Nine. Persigny is known
to have entered the dining hall, and, in
anger against her companion, seized hold
of plates, glasses, cups-anything she could
| lay her hands on-and dash them upon
the floor. One can imagine the scandal
this scene created, and the picture the
dining-hall presented as all stared at the
| wrathful lady and her companion, at the
same time adjusting their eyeglasses
to get better look at this strange and
fantastic creature. Her conduct as a
woman reflects no honor on her sex, and
she is said to be the most deuergondee of her
monde, with the exception of the notorious
Mme Ratazzy The daughter of Nine.
Persigny, Nine. Friedland, has not mani
tested the same eccentricity of her imme-
| diate ancestors, yet in some instances has
she proved herself worthy of their rela-
tionship. When she and her husband
started out on their bridal trip they spent
the large sum accorded them with such ex-
travagant haste that but little was soon
left in the purse, and instead of moderating
| their expenses, they hastened to Baden