The morning call., 1893-06-10
A COFFIN DANCE.
Omene and the Suicide
Clubbists.
SHE HAS COLLINS ASHES.
The OdaIisque Tells the Tale for the
First Time to {" CALI
Reporter.
SHE HAS COLLINS ASHES.
SACRED !
DON'T HANDLE /!
DON'T TOUCHI

DON'T Ii ANDLE
DON'T Touch!
These words were written on a card tied
to a small vase on mantel in Omene's
room at the Langham House. OF course
you have read of Omene, the famous
odalisQue. THE CALL reporter had gone
to see her for an interview.
''Have you anything really sacred in
that small vase?" he asked.
"Oh. thereby hangs tale which | never
tell any one; but l value that vase very
much. l am very what you call 'supersti-
tious,' you know, and l am sure that if /
lose that vase or anything should happen
to it should meet with some great mis-
fortune. On, it makes me sbudder to
think of it. 1t was so dreadful.
"Well. since you insist on it I'll tell you.
But it seems such a dreadful thing for a
woman to do.
"Oh. 1 will relate it to you; but will
you not take cigarette? They are
Turkish and very good. will smoke one,
too. do so love my cigarette smoke"
Lighting the cigarette the fair Turk be-
gan;
"You of course know or have heard of
the Whitechapel Club in ChlcaEo-the
suicide club. you know. Well. must tell
you l was the first woman to be enter
| tained by them, or, l believe, to enter the
| CLUB even; but they were 50 much pleased
with my dancing that they Invited me 10
| be their guest, and requested me to dance
! for them.
81 went, not expecting to see the sight /
! did, and on being Teceived-0hl ii was so
! horrible The whole furniture was coffins.
| shall never forget it. l did so wish |
! had not come.
1.-The room l was ushered into was not
! only furnished with coffinS but the walls
/ frtubtfpI nf
murdered men, ropes with which the eX-
| istence of murderers had been terminated.
| BloodStaned knives adorned the walls.
| The instruments used by the Chicago dy
namiters were also there. and many relics
! of Indian masSacres.
1T was, in fact, a regular chamber OF
| hOrrors-far worse indeed than anything
| | have witnessed before But ! must tell
! yOu the worst is yet to come. | had not
| only to sit down on coffin but the table
was made of collins also. and the flowers
were placed in the heads of the dead men
skulls, l suppose. Yes, skulls; there was
nothing else hut skulls and bones and col
/ fins. Diabo! said Omene, shudderng.
! when l had to drink WINE from the
skull of a dead man. | felt qnite over
come, it was 80 very, what Is that you
| call that in English?"
"Morbid?" suggested the reporter.
Yes, that is the word. When the
time came for me to dance | found a coffin
! had been prepared for the stage and |
actually danced on the ccffin, with sk ull
and b ne in my hand.
And then the presents they made me.
| Look here" she exclaimed, taking down
the small vase. When Omene removed
the lid the dusty page OF an old newspaper
was first seen. She carefully lifted this.
| Under it was nothing but some gray
| cinGers and ashes.
"Do you know what this isl" asked
Omene, observing a look of disappoint-
ment pass over her listeners face. These
are the ashes of Morris Allen Collins, the
president of the Suicide Club. When he
committed suicide the Whitechapel Club
cremated HIM with many ceremonies and
placed his ashes in an urn. An ordinary
urn of Egyptian shape. The lid Hts off.
and every day the members Of the club
put their hands into The urn and filter the
ashes through their fingers. BY way of
expressing pleasure at my dancing they
ran and lifted the ashes il their hands and
! their president presented me with some Of
| the ashes as the choicest gift he could
oestow as a reward for the pleasure l had
! given them"
Rather a curious gift for a woman,
wasn't it?"
Yes, but l was very much afraid and
did not dare to refuse. [ am Circassian by
descent, although born in STAN mboul, Tur-
key, and you know we Eastern people have
very much superstition, and | am afraid
that evil would happen me if ! should lose
| those ashes; but | want to get rid of them.
l am going to Italy in a few months and
shall place them in San Pedro's cathedral,
where they will be held sacred.
II do not think / shall ever know peace
! until they are safely deposited, and to pre-
vent people meddling with the vase, L
have placed that card of warning in front
of it, Always when travelling l carry the
fatal vase in my own dressing-cese.
so now you have the whole story of
the card, vase and ashes OF the celebrated
president of the Suicide Club
And the newspaper cutting? Oh, that
contains the account of the cremation, and
the weird ceremonies; they danced round
the funeral pyre and did all sorts Of
strange things.
cepton was actually, Tears for the living,
Cheers for the dead
"Oh do not want to see the inside of
thai club again." said Omene. shuddering
at the recollection, as she carefully re-
placed the ashes ard newspaper in the
vase.
Questioned as to her ideas of dancing
Omene said: Dancing should be con-
tnual series of graceful movements with
out any apparent motion, or motion with
out movement
AS she expressed it, 81 cannot associate
dancing with spasmodic jerks and convul-
sive jumps. There is no grace at allin that.
High kicking! BAIL a monkey -on-tile-
stick movement! | like dreamy. grace
ful movement that is soothing rather than
exciting. / do not like your spring splits,
your serpentne dances or your turning
somersaults ON the stage. That is not my
idea of dancing at all"
How did you learn to dance?''
81 suppose | inherited the talent from
my mother, who was the most famous
dancer in Stamboul and Constantinople
have danced since l was years old, and
| love dancing still.
mo. don't wear tights or shoes and
dance barefooted. at least all except the
rings wear on my toes when dancing.
Those rings are all sonvenirs-nUt from
dead suicides, but all have history"
Pardon me-" said THE CALL man. as
he rose TO take his leave, "but is that not
bone or some relic of poor Collins on the
table by the vase ?'
Mon Dieu p' screamed Omene. ooh.
that is not piece of Collins" said Man
ager Williams, who had just come in.
'1ps bit of bone we picked up the other
day on the plains"
II forgot to tell you" said Omene. that
the president of the Suicide Club made me
promise to tell no one in Chicago about
my being entertained ty the club. and you
are the only gentleman | have ever men
toned the circumstance to-