Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-05-18
BARONESS FAHRENBERG
ESeminiscenccs of a Noted NohI..
Woman.

notice, writes a contributor to The
Louisville Courier Journal. in the cor
respondence finding its way into eastern
journals, bearing upon the beouest of the
late Baroness Fahrenberg, (not Fan
nenburg), that by implication this LADY,
is made party to the publication that
she was unhappily mated to the baron
Ihls leaves room for the casual reader to
dwell upon the perhaps" that the
baron was not altogether to blame. Tn
1860 the writer was visiting the CITY of
Brussels, and remained in that CITY dur
ing the summer OF that year, becoming
intimate with Hunt Strother, the brother
OF the baroness, nee Sallie Strother. An
introduction and an establishment into
tne domestic as well as social circle of
Nine. lie Baron and her mother followed
Mrs. Strother was one of the kindest
women ever knew, forbearing, forgiyino
and motherly to fault; but it was the
central figure in the family circle that 7
love to picture. Baroness Fahrenberg
was as perfect picture OF womanly lowell
ness as ever had the entire of the court
circles OF Europe = tall, beautifully
formed, graceful as the fawn of her native
Kentucky hills, with clear-cut face.
each feature perfect; a blue eye that
spoke volumes of love, pride, self-poise.
and courage; head that Venus might
have envied in its courtliness of poise.
resting beneath canopy of brown tresses
that, In simple toilet of a single coil,
added to the Grecian outline. 1t was
such woman who was united to a man
Intellectually her inferior, and as well
untitled by his habits for happiness in
the circle of which his bride was the
shining central star. Baron Fahrenberg
was young man who rarely
retired without a quart hagon of beer at
his bedside. He loved his pipe and beer,
his switzer and his sausage, with their re-
suits, better than his wife. On one oc-
casion the Baroness remarked, as
pleasantly: "The Baron loves you be-
cause you eat sausage with him" He
was of good blood, of gentlemanly bear
ing, but his tastes untitled him for the
society that his lineage claimed as her
itage, and demanded of their equals
subordination which could not be can
celed when their inherited rights in blood
were degraded by bestial indulgencies
The Baroness secreted her unhappiness
in her heart. 1t was not given to the
public in the gauze of complaint, or the
yelling of expression. She was concilia-
tory, forgiving, and ever ready to make
any advance that womanlv modesty con-
served by hope and affection could per-
NIT. | remember an instance. Mother,
daughter and writer were riding on the
boulevards The Baroness had been with
her mother and brother at the Hotel de
France for three days, having left the
Baron in one of his moods; we were
within few squares of the Baron's resi-
dence on the Boulevard Waterloo. l sug
gusted: "Mme. LIE Baron, let me order
Jules to drive to the house, step out, go
in and forgive and check this growing I'M
happiness. ooh, no! No, can not"
at will be better, Nine LIE Baron"
ooh, no." The carriage was opposite
the house "Jules, turn to the curb" 1t
was too late then CHOW l must" and
this charming woman, with forgiveness in
her beaming eyes, tripped to the steps,
then into the house. We drove
on, to the dismay OF Mrs. Strother,
and the satisfaction of the writer. The
next evening we met at Mrs Strother's
hotel and this paragon OF her sexforgave
my coup de couer, and said: owe are
reconciled." But this could not be
maintained. What was love and for
bearance was tortured by the baron into
concession, and trifles became serious
offenses, and as good woman the
baroness, knowing nothing but misery
could result from the continuance of this
alliance, justly separated from him.
Surrounded by the influence of corrupt
courts, hedged in by conventional rulings
that savored of all the evil passions, this
model of her sex stood, like Caesars wife,
above suspicion. Not by word, or deed,
did the spirit of Shakepeare's terse senti
m mt approach the skirts of the Baroness
Fahrenberg overt thou as pure as
snow and as chaste as ice, thou couldst
not escape calumny" No! the malevo-
lent tongue Of SANDER was never poised
nor the pen dipped in envy, or malice
never stained he paper with even the
faintest allusion to the spotless name OF
this, one of the brightest of all the pure
womanhood that gathered daisies from
the fields or saw their bright faces re-
.fected in the purling waters ofher native
State, Kentucky.
In 1866, and again in 1867, / met the
baroness and her mother in Paris,
Hunt having died meanwhile, and
then met the same unalloyed greeting
hthat did years before.