Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-11-08
Prima Donnas and Their Jewels

How does a lady singer become world
famed asks feuilleton writer in the
Fronkf,Tter ZeStUpg, and goes on to
explain that their only royal road 10 for
tune is to have some OF their iewelry
stolen from them. Belllike intonation,
harmony, strong voice, acrobat-like
technique, impressive expression, dis
tinctiveness OF pronunciation, lively
action, and an attractive appearance
ought to secure fame to lady
artistic. But only those will say this
who have lived in a hermit-like retire
ment, for in order to become famous n
lady singer must at least have been rob
bed few times. Just now a new candi-
date has presented herself as qualified
for the part OF the prima donna assoluta.
Miss Sigrid Arnoldson, the attractive
young Swedish girl, who has hitherto
been like all other singing birds OF the
opera and the concert hall. has suddenly
risen above them all and her impresario
sends out the notice in great delight at
last, at last, she toc has been robbed.
The object was, OF course, case with
bracelets. earrings, &C., gwen 10 her by
empresses, queens, and princes. The
impresario was nearly in despair when It
appeared as il row Of pearls had
been overlooked by the thieves; the
clouds only vanished from his face when
it was found that the pearls too were
gone. A thief, remaining undiscovered,
belongs as much 10 the outfit OF phe-
nomenally famous singer as does her In
dispensable rouge-pot. She cannot do
without q drAwlng-room Fra Diayolo.
The lack Of a perfect shape does not
signify, the lack OF a thief would be
ruin. Adeine Patti has been robbed by
night and by day, in Europe and
America, on shore and at sea, in hotels
and on railway trains And Cariotta
Patti and Christine Nilsson and-but
why mention names? An incredible
amount of diamonds and jewels have
disappeared in this way without ever
turning up again. But the lady artistes
are generous, compassionate, for
giving; they do not prosecute the
thieves they do not go to the police {;
they do not offer rewards. Perhaps they
know that the gold in their throat can
easily be coined, and that the rippling
shaks can soon be changed into rows OF
pearls. They are easy-going, and soon
forget their loss. But the wonder is
that the august donors should still con-
tinue TO present the singers with dla-
monds. They might have learned by ex-
perience that every precious stone they
give TO them is doomed TO be stolen. A
royal present to lady artistic which does
not get stolen has missed its object,
and cases have indeed occurred
where presents were stolen which
were never given. The thieves be-
longing to the latter category are most
favored by the impresarIo. According
TO q rough estimate which statistician
has made concerning thefts Of jewels
from lady artistes, jewels Of the value ol
9l5, 900, 900 have been stolen from sing
ers during the last decade, and however
greatly the abilities Of the police OF diff
ferent countries may differ in other re.
spects, they are alike all the world oyel
ia never troubling the thieves who vic
timize prima donnaa But there remains
one consolation to the friends Of the fail
singers, and that is that however fro
quently they are robbed Of their jewels
| they are still ornamented with the same
amount Of iewelry even directly aftel
the theft has occurred.