The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-01
CHASTITY FUN IN PARIS.
Weird Amusement Devised by I'm
feeling Frenchmen.
Paris letter In Glasgow Herald.

Paris lettef IN Glasgow Herald.
Paris has been dwelling on the strange
taste for the horrible and grewsome
which al the present moment character
ICES the performances at cafe concerts in
the gay city. The eliminating point In
this direction seems to have been reached
at cabaret Just opened in the Boulevard
ROch6Chouart ian outer boulevard
which goes by the name of the Cabaret
de la Mort.
On entering the low rooted house, the
door of which is Orpamented with a
death S head and cross-bones, visitor is
somewhat taken aback to find himself in
the presence of a number of "crOque
mOrtes' (mutes), dressed precisely as
they are for a funeral. These are the
walters, who are forbidden to smile, TO
talk cheerfully, or to accept any Rratuity,
and whose solemn faces, very suggestive
attire, lit UP by weird green light and
generally mournful aspect, cast a chilly
feeling upon one, in spite of the knOwl-
edge that all Is assumed.
There was, moreover, a very unpleas-
ant smell about the place, due, no doubt,
to the fact that the collins which do duty
as tables are quite new. At these collins
a score or 50 of customers were seated, q
few women among them, drinking beer,
coffee or liquor.
Down dimly lighted fight of stone
a
fifteen or twenty persons are waiting
their turn 10 be admitted to what may be
called the cham Der of death. To amuse
the visitor while waiting there are aper-
lures in the brick wall, which, on being
looked through. reveal studies of cholera
patients, of persons buried alive and
similar cheerful subjects. With the
imagination thus prepared for what is to
follow, the waiting party is ultimately
admitted 10 another vault by u hooded
and masked individual, with clanking
chains and huge keys about his person.
By a clever arrangement of mirrors one
sees ones self, on entering, reflected lying
in cohin, and this, coming unexpectedly,
SO upset the nerves of a woman present
that she nearly tainted and had to go
away.
On few rough wooden forms the COM
pany took their seats, while a second
masked and hooded individual after
making a little speech anent death and
what came afterward, inquired whether
any one present was willing or anxious to
die. A young man offered himself. and
after shaking hands with his companions
he was taken by the masked man and
placed in a coffin standing on one end
Just opposite the spectators. His body
was then wrapped in a winding sheet,
the last dress, as the masked individual
observed, OF lue flCn ana poor allke, q
spectral green light was thrown upon his
uncovered face, and we were told to fol-
low attentively the work of destruction
and decomposition. AT this moment n
gentleman left his place on the form be-
side me, turned deathly pale and declared
he felt i'll, so strong was the impression
the CHASTITY comedy produced upon him
l confess ! was half inclined TO initiate
his example and turn my back on the
livid face of the man in the coffin, but
such weakness seemed TO be puerile, so
determined TO have all the horrors to
which payment had entitled me.
The winding sheet, by some trick grad
ually melted away: 50 did the flesh, or
rather the man in the coffin, and a skele-
ton appeared in his stead