The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1895-06-05
The CAFE OF DEATH.
THE MOST REMARKABLE OF PARIS
RESTAURANTS.
The Latest Thing in Paris of the Fin DE
Steele Order--SOme of the Queer
Things Done There.

Things Done There.
Paris Letter iuPost-Dlspatch.
Situated on the Boulevard de Cichy,
not yerv far from the Moulin Rouge and
the Rat Mort, the quarter where journal
lists. artists and their models are mostly
m he found. and surrounded on all sides
by Gates and concert rooms, in sombre
and dismal looking building, the front of
which is painted gruesome black.
A boy in deep mourning stands upon
the sidewalk and distribu cards. The
door is hidden by black hangings sewn
with silver tears. You push the hang
ings by and step into a spacious, dark
eped room, where few candles give an
impressive twilight. A dozen collins on
supports replace the ordinary cafe tables
It is the Cafe of Death, the latest thing
in Paris of the fin de steele order. Thurs
day nights are reserved for the beau
monde; each glass of beer is two francs,
and Won NAV kiss the undertaken Free
On ordinary nights the book is thirteen
sous.
The name of this establishment is not
really the Cafe de la Mort, although all
Paris calls it so. When first opened it
was under that name that gave you beer
to drink from imitation skulls. But the
police paid them visit, ordered that
drink should be served in plain glasses,
and suppressed the name of death. So
now its title is officially the Cabaret Tor
drinking shop du Meant. Meant is
French for nothingness.
You sit beside your coffin in the big,
black room, and you see sitting here and
there in philosophic attitudes big skele-
tons that yawn and snap their jaws at in
tervqs. Death scenes and midnight or
gies decorate the walls, on which may be
seen the following suggestive sign: "The
lady clients are desired to scream tout
doucement,' that is, very gently, very
softly.
The walters are costumed as under
takers men in black coats of an ancient
cut, tall oilcloth hats, and with black
bands of Grape tied around their arms.
Beyond this room is another one called
the chamber of TRANSPORTATION, to which
admittance is gained by ticket, given to
you when ordering your beer. The crowd
moves onward underneath an archway
into a black, vaulted passage. Here
women often have attacks of hysteria;
for as the alley widens into what looks
like a burial cellar underneath schurch
there strike upon the vision scenes in the
far off perspective, underneath the arches
and between the pillars, vague glimpses
of grey skeletons engaged in conversation
or theIdance. The passage is narrows, and
there is a door. You knock. A bell
strikes three. There is voice: "What
do you seek, my brother?' You respond:
81 wish to die" There is rafting Of
chains, and you are in the chamber of
TRANSPORTATION.
The attendants are clothed in monks
robes. with hoods. You take up your
seat. and a curtain is drawn aside. Down
long vista, brightly lighted, is seen an
open coffin standing on one end. Some
one is then asked to step from the audi
ence to sacrifice himself for the others.
One of the spectators step out, half
ashamed, half smiling, half repugnant,
vainly cuno1S and supremely anxious to
shine in the eyes of the community. He
is lead off to appear beside the coffin
IN the distance. A parlor organ strikes
up distressing hymu tune as they make
the man stand in the coffin. Undoubted-
ly it is the same man, smiling in sickiy
fashion to his friends down in the audi
ence. The transformation lin him that
will soon take place is brought about by
magic lantern effects, as in dissolving
views.
The man stands in the coffin, and they
tuck sheetIaround him. The attendants
disappears. The man looks at you f ON
his coffin; as he looks at you his face
grows whittier. The horrid parlOr organ
goes on with its frghtful tune. Green
lights begin to play. There is smell of
phenol and old bones. Sometimes a Girl
or woman in the audience has crise
de merits at this point, and is led off
sobbng; but the spectators for the most
part sit still, staring blankly at the white
face in the coffin. The face takes on q
greenish-ye tint, it softens, seems to
decompose, then harden, as the eyes
grow big and black. The body, covered
by the sheet begins to shine through