St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-02
MONTE CARLOS MASK
Story Of the Many Strange
Lights That Are Hidden
Behind 1t.
How the News of It's Many Sui
cides Is Kept From the
World.
Bodies Let Out Of Rear Win
dOWs at the Dead Of
Night.
The Victims All Men Who Had
Lost Their Last Dol
lar.

SIluS OuU ~ pulO III Pm O'''J
what habitues of the gambling rooms
talk about in whispers, says the New
York World There is no doubt that
suicide in Monte Carlo is almost as COM
mon a thing as the blooming OF the
medlars along the Mediterranean. But
there is strong cause for believing that
many OF the European newspapers
which have correspondents there are
subsidized, and that is why so few ac-
counts of calamitous ends of mems lives
in the little state ever creep into type.
Every traveller ell voyage from Mar
settles to Monte Carlo hears these
rumors as he goes along. In the par
lors and on the verandas of the hotels at
Nice or Cannes he listens to the odd
gossip which is floating around about
this or that unfortunate who has staked
his last sou upon the cloth. has lost 1t,
and then has gone away and killed MIN
self. You are inclined to think as you
listen to all these whispers that they
are exaggerated, like all gossip. But go
to Monte Carlo itself, stay there any
length of time, and you will be pretty
apt to see your suspicious Slowly ma
terialized into stubborn fact.
There is no doubt that all such ugly
facts as the suicides of these UNI
fortunates are skillfuIly huShed up.
That is, the general public never learns
of them. There is little doubt, too, that
the records of these suicides are care
fully kept out of the books which deal
with vital statistics. The principality
of Monte Carlo is as deSpOtic in its gov
eminent as any Greek state III the old
DAYS. The stroke of pen from one
who can write mandate with authority
is religiouSly carried out to its fulfill
ment.
Yet with all the turmoil and upheaval
of existence that find vent there, every
thing OH the surface is Well-Ordered at
Monte Carlo. There is the soft murmur
of the blue Mediterranean against It's
shores; there is the sound of delicious
music beating out from its heart; there
is the scent of orange blossoms and the
0dor of magnolaS stealing everywhere
above its lawns. There is warmth and
light and color and the sweet touch
of a Southern sun everywhere about
1T domain. But underneath ali
this seductive glamOr of JOY and
happy nature, all that is bad Ill
human nature gathers to hear the music,
DdlIlC Ill lllC tiih "o'iA 80
those heavily scented gardens. They
have a reason for gathering there
these evil natures. For there the bad
that is in them is allowed full bent.
And the warmth, the beauty and the
natural glory of the place are like
mask beneath which, if one looks, he
sees face distorted.
But this hideOuS, distorted face IS
never allowed to show without its mask.
In other parts of Europe public gam
bling has been trampled out by
the law. But IN Monte Carlo
it still exists. still flOurishes.
1t means, if it is overthrown there, the
loss of to-morroW'S revenues to the
powers who profit by it. That is why
every care is taken that the sleeping
lion of public opinion is not aroused,
and precaution is exercised that the
dark sides of this fairy paradise may
never be illumined by the light.
In the potter's field of Monte Carlo
how many broken hearts are buried be-
meath the grass which hides their mis-
cry. How many tragedies and histories
are there hidden away from human ken.
If all these histories and tragedies were
known what cry would rise up against
this place-this sunny. SeaWashed, beau
tiful Monte Carlo. When suicide 0c-
ours it is an ugly sight. And no ugly
sights must be allowed to mar the beau
ties of the place. There is Gods acre
smiling in its luXuriance. Hide them
away beneath that gras.
SO when suicide OccurS-and any
one who has spent month at Nome
Carlo knows they are not lnfrequent-
the affair is covered over as with gar
ment. They have way there of lower
ing BODY out of hotel window at the
back of the house and the front win
dows know nothing of it. That is one
way. 1t is done so eXpeditiously and
so quietly. 1t prevents an ugly scene
and ugly scandal. And 1t is gen
orally done at night. Again, if
that expedient is impracticable
they had another little scheme that dis
arms suspicion. A man is found OIL
one of the pleasant lawns lying dead
and stark with a bullet in his breast
and roll of money in his pockets. He
could not possibly have committed sui
eide because he had "staked his last sou
on the table," for there IS the money i'll
did it get there? When the history of
Monte Carlo is truthfully written you
may learn.
And there are other schemes which
are as subtle as this, by which ugly
truths are distorted in the Prince of
Monaco's dominion. Under the flower
ing grass of the Gods Acre all these
ugly truths are hidden away.
Here, for example, is one sOrrOwful
romance of Monte Carlo. charming,
deadly. 1t is the romance of the artist
of the picture, "The Harem of.the Sui
TAM" which hangs on the Iignt-hand
wall of the Hoffman house cafe.
1t represents two women, dark
skinned. Oriental. The one, naked to
the waist, is decorated with strange
bangles and belt of Persian workman
ship, from which hang the folds of her
garments. The other is her slave, busy
adjoining the favorite OF the sultan. 1t
is signed ''Etienne.'
Etlenne, Count de BlasOtf was his full
name. His life was a fairy tale. His
death was the death of suicide. The
81 knew him WE'LL" said Billy
cafe of the Victoria hotel, slipping his
cognac. II won 100000 francs from him
once. He lost 100000. He was the
natural son of the former car of Rus
STA. He was banished by his half
brother, the present czar. who gave him
$4,000 as solace. He took it and
lived in luxury. He wandered
all over Europe. He painted
pictures, but he would not sell them.
1t was impossible to buy one until after
his death, when his executors put them
up at auction. Finally he went to
Monte Carlo. He caught the gambling
fever In few months he had squall-
dered all his fortune. Driven to de-
spair, he went out into the gardens of
the Casino and killed himself.
HE is one of the many who end their
career at Monte Carlo. Yes; there is a
great deal OF truth in the newspaper re-
ports of what goes on in that little prr-
cipality. There is far more which
is never printed. When a man who
commits suicide is well conrecIed, when
inquiry is apt to be made, the body
is properly attended and expressed
to the relatives. They naturally are
anxious to hide their family's disgrace.
Nothing is ever said of it. In other
&lo Wiz Of GOLF doe trr,a -,