The evening times., 1896-09-25
sMOTHERED BY FLOWERS
Sweet VioletS Nearly Caused
Sadie ConnOlly'S Death.
AIR POISONED WITH THEM
Three Thousand OF the Fragrant
Actress from California, and She
Went to Sleep With Them Close
by Her Bedside.

New York, Sept. 25.-By aio wing herself
to bc hair sfpothered by the sweet breath
of violets night before last, Mss Sadie
Connolly pluckcd the finest press agents
free advertising scheme OF modern tlucs
before 1t was ripe.~ Happily Miss Connolly
lid not lose her life in SO doing Size was
able to be out of bed yesterday. to receive
in person Congratulate of visiting men-
Ders Of the admirIng press, though still
nervous and upset over her extraordinary
experience.
AT present Miss Connolly is not playing
For that reason no press agent can be SUE
pected or half poisoning her with the odor
OF viole.s.
For the past six years Miss Connolly's
face and voice have been familiar to play
socrs all over the coantry III the character
OF Mrs. Latin III "You Yonsun." Durulg
this period, when not on the road, she has
been at home In her snug fiat at No. 4ia
Second avenue, OF which her sister. JULIA.
is housekeepcr. The two sisters live en-
tirely alone.i Sadie being the bread wiuncr,
her health and comfort are eeorrespond,ngiy
precious. .1.' 4 g."
SwEETER THAN ALL THE ROSES.
Monday morning anespressInan delivered
at Miss ConDouy's fatua huge box full Of
violets. shipped, alp tfeiway from Califnr-
MIA in a bed or moist moss. There wcre
nearly 3 900 separate flowers. They COW
cred the table and dresser and oycrfiowed
the floor. Their penetrating odor fillt'1 She
fiat, and. escaping whenever the door WAS
opened. floated into the hall and up the
stairs, so tha all the other tenants shared
IN the understanding gift.
Miss Connolly's bedroom has no means
Of ventilation except a door opening into
the front parlor and another coninunicdt-
ing with Icr.sister's beruom. Tine air being
chilly Tuesday night: the actress retired in
the midst OF her violets with the windows
all closed.
The first l knew OF anything wrong in
the fiat said the actress sister ycster-
day, was when Sadie failed TO answer
when | called her on Tuesday morning.
| was alarmed and ran into see what was
the matter. | found her lying on her bed
breathing heavily, half UNCONSCIOUS, aud
wholly unable to speak. When / lifted her
up she could not USE her lower limbs. This
frightened me terribly, and ! sent for DR..
Constable. who had treated her for slight
Illnesses before.
when tue doctor came he sniffel around,
threw up all the Windows, and bundiing up
the vioets. told me to take them out of
the flat. This was the first idea l had
the viulets were accountable for Sadie's
condition. The fresh air revived my sister,
and today she was able to go down town
in carriage.'
Miss Connolly said that when she re
covered consciousness her first sensation
was that of extreme nervousness. Then
she discovered tina her vocal organs seemed
paralyZcd, the Dumbness extending to her
lower limbs.
This frightened me greatly" she said,
for as singing and dancing is my trade,
have use for my voice and my legs"
Sadie Connolly is not naturally nervous
or hysierical woman, but it was apparent
yesterday, twenty-four hours after the at
tack that che had received n severenervous
shock.
Dr. Herbert L. Constable, of No. 145
West Forty third street, said on being ques-
toned about the case:
Il treated Miss Connolly for simple hys-
terra. which concluded had been brought
on by lack OF fresl, air. AS the violets
| were cut flowers, already in process Of
decay, therefore adding to the carbonic
gas in the apartment, had them thrown
out"
is there no disease known to medical
science that is produced by the Odor OF
lowers?'
INJURIOUS TO THEW VOICE.
None SO far as my experience goes and
none reported in any medical work in my
library" said the doctor. Il have no
| doubt, however, that the odor OF these
vioiets, tending to further burden an at
mosphere already heavy from lack of ven
tilation, helped to produce the condition in
which I found Miss Connolly"
Inquiry made OF another physician de-
veioped the theory that professional singers
consider the too powerful odor OF flowers
injurious to their vocal organs. 1t Is said
that the habit among pupils in the European
conservatores OF music of bringing flowers
to the studios Is discoura ged Tor the same
reason.
Another ph ysician told story he had
once heard of the death OF young bride
and groom in a room which their friends
at the wedding had filled with flowers
But no professional evidence could be dis
covered showing that any disease may be
contracted from the odor of violets Or other
flowers
There is no denying, however. that
highly valuable scheme Tor exploiting
prima dvnnas and other dramatic stars
has bern waseed pp honest, straight.for-
ward Sadie Coaapayr