The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-30

Romeo's DEATH
Adelina1 Patti had been for ten years
married to the Marquis de CauX when
Nicolini came into her life. From that
time until his death their relations
were Of the most devoted character
Whatever each could do to make the
other happy seems to have been done.
There is no more romantic story in
fiction than that Of Adelina Patti and
Ernesto Nicolini, says the New York
Herald.
That it lasted to the very end-till
death cut the lovers knot which bound
them together-was shown in PATHS
devotion to Nicolini during his last Ill
ness. He was stricken at Craig-y-Nos,
PATHS castle among the Welsh high
lands, early last summer. Until the
end came she was his constant and de-
voted attendant. leaving him only when
professional engagements which could
not be Cancelled called her away, and
then returning to him at the earliest
possible moment.
LOVERS TO THE END.
Thus, early last summer, when she
had to sing at Albert hall, London, she
had a special train in waiting to bear
her quickly back to his bedside. Nico-
lini, stretched listlessly upon his couch
hardly ever took his eyes from her
and when it was necessary for her to
move about the room in attending to
his wants his gaze would follow her
Patti had always been accustomed to
entertain lavishly during the summer,
but last summer all invitations were
Cancelled and all diversions interdict-
ed in order that she might devote her
self uninterruptedly to him. All the
medical skill that money could pur-
chase was lavished upon him; she had
as many as eleven doctors in consulta-
ton.
Patti was at the height of her bril-
liant career when she met Nicolini. AS
the wife of the Marquis de Caux, her
marriage to whom had been one Of
the pet undertakings of the Empress
Eugene, she held a brilliant social
position. While she was unhappy with
her husband on account of differences
in age and temperament, that is moth
ing more than has fallen to the lot Of
many less famous than she. To leave
him for an opera tenor required GER
tain sacrifices of position and influence,
to make.
AT nrSt there were guarded whispers
in private circles in regard to her rela-
tons with the. tenor, but an occurrence
during a performance of Gounod's
Romeo and Juliet" caused the scandal
to become public property, and it was
passed from tongue to tongue
REAL KISSES ON THE STAGE.
At the performance it was noticed
that in the balcony scene Nicolini kiss
ed Patti no less than twenty-one times
or. as a humorous StatiStician of the
day stated, fifteen times more than the
libretto called for. 1t is not eXaggera-
ton to say that from that day until
his death Nicolini continued the same
ardent Romeo to his Juliet
AS rule, where there is trouble be-
tween a famous stage character and
her husband, especially when he is
merely a ''prima donna's husband"
the public is apt to sympathize with
the woman, but in PATHS case it was
different. Owing to the Marquis de
Caux's social position and the influence
he was able to bring to bear she was
obliged to endure much obloquy. More
over, she was not only married herself,
but Nicolini also had a wife and chill
dren. The papers referred to him as
the gentleman who now travels about
with Nine. Patti and certain practical
jokers got out mock invitations to her
alleged coming wedding, with the tenor.
At ST Petersburg there was scene
between her and the marquis, and the
women of the higher social circles
showed their disapproval of her action
by either leaving their boxes or draw
ing the curtains when she appeared
upon the stage.
Although all this occurred in the
middle seventies, divorce proceedings
begun between her and the Marquis de
Caux were not concluded until late in
1884. Judgment was rendered in favor
of the marquis, "inasmuch as the scan
dial which caused the separation be-
tween husband and wife was still main
tanned"
PATHS devotion to Nicolini even went
so far as to include her admiration for
his singing, which shows love is not
only blind, but sometimes also deaf.
Nicolini was never, even in his best
days, a great tenor, and, however
pleasing his voice may have been when
Patti first. met him, it is certain that
when she brought him over here on a
concert tour in 1881 the feu sacre, if
it had ever burned within him, was not
observable, and he was already, from
vocal point of view, good deal of an
extinct volcano.
Now, her insistence that he should
always be engaged by managers to sing
with her may have been a matter of
business, but there was plenty of evil
dence to show that she really enjoyed
his voice. 7 remember that during one
of her visits here Nicelini, who was a
collector of rare violins, bought a PaoIo
Magini Three or four of his musical