The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-10-21
A BEAUTY
The Unsuccessful Fair Ones Make q Violent
Assault Upon the Prize Winners.
Repeat from the beginning to TRIO. :


Paris Special.
From sais very serious matter / will come 20
somethihe gayer and tell you about the result
OF the beauty meeting at Spa, IN Belgium, which
result has not a little interested all our conti-
mental papers, which print long articles on it,
looking at 1t as an important affair. As l was
not 50 lucky as to be o witness Of the final core
mony when the prizes were given IN the King
dom OF Beauty: called yesterday on one Of the
queens, Miss Marie Stevens, who had returned
to Paris with the third prize, and with the OBJ
ject Of having q few details from her. For Q
whole fortnight" said she. 1--WE have been
obliged to sit nightly on q great platform
that was erected in the middle of the
dancing-hall in the Casino. I need not add that
We had to put on our most elegant ball-dresses
and all the jewelry We had. Fancy, being N.Y.
self a passionate dancer, TO be forced to rest ia
a fauteuil for a couple of hours, exposed TO the
looks of people. like in q menaeerie. If / had
known this before / would never have taken
part In the affair. Now, it being over. / must
confess that | am rather glad Of it A far az il
concerns my companions. you will know that
my best and most intimate friend, Mademoiselle
Marthe Soukaret. has taken the first prize. She
was born at Gouadaloups. and is o Creole
OF great beauty, She was brought MP
in France, where che is q great
IL only eighteen years of age. In q few days
you will, l hope. see our photographs all over
Paris. She was rather lucky, as Mademoiselle
Martens, who was crowned at Budapest, did not
enter the competition. for which she was a
dead certainty" Miss Martens is, as You
know, on the eve of her marriage with q Russian
officer, who, as it will be understood, did not
like to have bis bride exposed once more. An
other dangerous belle, LA Belle Fatma," well
known in Paris and London, although she was
with Us on the show, did not compete. and so
little Soukaret had the chance Of receiving the
10000 francs with the fine necklace, of which
alone, / confess, l envy her. An English
girl. whose name I cannot pronounce, was Sec
ond best. while l myself had to be content with
the third prize. A Hungarian, Avanz Wilma,
came 10 fourth. a Swedish fifth, and . Viennese
won the sixth and last prize. You will never be
able to imagine the row which followed the cere-
mony on the night of the distribution of the
prizes. The jury began at first to hand over to
all the ladies who were left in the competition q
lovely bouquet of flowers. We were about forty
can assure you. All went we'll until the gentle
men OF the jury pronounced the name Of ''plus
bellies" 1t was beyond description, the turbu-
lent scene which followed. The discontinued
ladies who were left out in the cold flung the
flowers to the ground, jumped on
orable gentlemen of the jury's heads, giving
them them the most ridiculous names. Others
rushed on Us, the winners, threatening
US with fsts. 1 left the platform, while my
friend Marthe, the champion, was attacked by
one Of these furies, who went 90 far as to spit on
her dress. If 1t had not been that one Of the
stewards came to ner relief she might, besides
the first prize, have brought q black eye. That
is how this famous 'concours de beaute' came
to an end. We all hope that the next one. which
will come off in Paris in 1889, during the exhi-
bition, will be better regulated. Miss Stevens
Is a young lady Of remarkably regular beauty.
She has q face reminding one of the Roman beau
ties as they are to be seen on old cameo stones.
In private life, she il correspondents for Vienna
papers, her native town.