Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-01
FREAKS OF THE FAIR.

Mrs. William b. Astor's Fancy for Wear
ing a Great Fortune in Jewelry to
BalIs-A Swindler Claiming to be the
Legitimate Daughter of Bret Harte
and AN Authoress-The Mania for Ath-
letics-Odd Toilets by Actresses and
Others-Views on Ancestry.
A New York letter says: 1t struck me
the other night that Mrs. William b. AS
tor was exposing herself to a deprecia-
ton of about hundred thOus and dollars
in her stock Of diamonds. She was at u
ball with that amount Of blaZonry on her
person-enmeshed in her hair, pendant
from her ears, pinred at her throat, encir-
cling her wrists, and scattered over the
front OF her dress were the flashing gems.
Rapid fingers could have picked them
from her like huckleberries from bush.
What struck me particularly was that a
somewhat famous Socialist stood right
alongside her. This was a handsome,
well-preserved woman, whom l often see
in public gatherings this winter. Her name
IS Sheviltch. She has a European histo-
ry 1t was on her account that the duel
was fought by Prince RacOYitza and
Lasalle, the German Socialistic author.
Her father was Baron DOenniges of Ba-
yaria. In her youth she was famous
beauty. Poets and painters hOnOred her.
She was very young , when
nand Lasalle. Her family did not like
the intimacy, and tried to match her with
RacOvitza, a Wallachian Prince, who
killed Lasale on her account. The duel
made her notorious throughout Europe.
She published frank book about her re-
laliOns with the slaughtered lover. Her
boom was enormous. 1t was as though
the Prince Of Wales had killed Freddy
Gerhard in a fight for Langtry. SheYitch
went on the stage, and subsequently mar
ried the Prince tor pity'sssake. His heart
was so nearly broken, however, that the
wedlock did not cure him, and the woman
was soon a widow. SheYitch is her pres
ent husband-the last of a long success
sion-and her escort to places of New
York amusement. Both are deep in love
with the Socialists, and that is why L
imagined that she might see virtue in
despOiling an AstOr.
HEIGHTENING PHYSICAL CHARMS.
Now that we are considering women
who are or have been young and fashion
iOnable, let me incidentally voice the
complaint of a friend of mine who has
been a husband only a few months. lie
says that his wife has become a mono
maniac on the subject of physical i'm
prOvemeD5. She persistently goes in for
everything that promises to heIghten her
charms.
s'She is successful, | presume" L re-
marked by way of comfort. 'She is
nuisance" he holly retOrted. do you
suppose / found my bride fair, untram-
meled slumberer, such as she might be,
and was until this craze took possession
OF her. No, no, no. Her hands were IN
an old pair of my gloves last night, packed
in some sort of slush for whitening the
skin. Her ears We're tied fiat with BAN
dage to make 'em lie close to her head.
Her lips were smirched with cold cream,
and her eyebrows were thick with Ongu-
ent, put on to make 'em get luxurious.
Her Eair was in an Oiled-silk bag to keep
All experimental saturatl0n from solllnS
the pillow"
There's nothing so frightfully repul-
sive in all that. You can't expect your
wife to sleep in perfect and elaborate
condition of toilet"
''Worse than have told remains to
tell. l had grown a little reconciled to
things like have mentioned, and some
times they were quite entertaining, tor
every week or so she tried 4 new recipe TO
produce some effect or other. But last
night was scared half to death by my
first glimpse CT her. Somebody had told
her how to make the toilet masks that
are the rage now among women. she had
Obediently melted a spoonful Of tar IL
pint Of hot olive oil and spead the cOmpO-
sitOn all over her face. This was war
ranted to refine the skin, brighten the
complexion, and prevent wrinkles. Inc
directions were to cover the smear with
patches of soft linen-and that was what
made me think she had met with some
dreadful accident"
One woman of odd toilet has run
against a social snag. Miss Harriet Jay
is sister-in-law of Robert Buchanan, and
like him is a writer of novels; and while
he also makes plays, she acts in some II
them. Miss Jay is this week acting
boys role in one of Buchanan's pieces.
The Herald and the Telegram contained
criticisms which were facetiOusly devoted
to her insecurity of costume, and there
upon she wrote furiOusly for publication
that the writer's of those articles were
'Sdirty-minded bOys,' with ''lewd, spite
full little ewes" deserving of sentence to
"a reformatOry prison." and offensive to
the decent people who might chance to
have read their attacks. 1t happened
that the HerdId'S offender was Howard
Potter, a scion of the distinguished house
of Potter which gives birth to so many
bishops, college presidents and million
aires; and that the IeleQrdm'S was Maui
rice Minuurn, nephew of Mrs. William b.
Astor. of course, neither man is the bet
ter or the worse for his powerful kindred;
but when Miss Jay found out that she
had berated members of the families
whose social favor she had some hopes Of
obtaining, she may well have been
scared young woman.
A Merry FEMALE.