The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-09
PATTI AND HER HUSBAND.
Their Life as Narrated by Joncieres-Thc
Great Gun of Craig-y-Nos.


1T was in 1876, few days after the
first performance of 'Dimitri' in the
Theater Lyrique, that l became ac-
quainted with Patti, who was then the
Marquise de CauN. She sent me her
faithful factotum Belloni, who told me
that the diva. charmed by my work,
proposed to play the part of Mariana
at ST. Petersburg, where she was en-
gagged for the following season. 1t was
necessary to translate the piece into
Italian and forward it as soon as it was
finished to the directors of the theater
in order to have it submitted to the
censure. The next day ! went to see
my future interpreter and expressed to
her my gratitude for the unexpected
honor which she was about to confer
upon me. She introduced me to the
Marquis de Caux. The interview was
cordial and charming. Patti, in all her
Drilliancy of her youth and beauty, was
particularly attractive ON account of
her almost childish grace. The har-
mony between her and her husband APP
peared complete.
"A few months after the first per-
formarce of 'Dimitri' I received the
cross, and some time after my nominal
ton appeared in the Officiel l got from
ST. Petersburg a telegram of congratu-
lations, signed Marquis ana Marqulse
de Caux. Now according to its orig
inal date, this telegram was sent only
some hours before the scene which oc-
cured between the celebrated canta-
trice and the marquis.
When I saw Patti again she was di-
voTced and was about to marry the
tenor Nicolini, for whom she had just
renowned the crown of marquise.
'Dimitri' could not be played at st. Pc
tersburg on account of the veto of CEN
sure that would not authorize the APP
tt,@ h@1 v>Ie <,f opfI
ious archmandTte. and still less that
of a usurpiag czar. 1t was in London
therefore. where she was engaged for
the following season, that my illus
trious interpreter was to sing the role
of Mariana.
in studying it she noticsd that her
part did not have sufficient Importance
and that the role of Dimitri had too
much. 1t was necessary, therefore. to
diminish considerably the latter and to
increase the former by two prominent
arias destined to bring out the talents
of the cantatrice. When madam SINGS
said Nicclini to me. the other roles
count for nothing. I vainly called at
tention to the fact that nv work was
conceived from quite a different point
of view than that Of presenting exclu-
sively the qualities Of an artistic. But
it was no use, and left after this Sec
ond interview less delighted than / was
after the first. 1t is useless to say that
Patti never sang in 'Dimtri.'
My relations with the celebrated
singer ended there, but I have met her
since several times at long intervals
with her second husband. They we've
two veritable turtle doves, always
looking at each other with affection,
and as a matter of fact their honey
moon was prolonged until pitiless fate
robbed her of her loved one, the once
brilliant tenor. Nicolini, according 10
all who knew him, was a charming fell
low, artless, with little or no will of his
own-in fine, with all the qualities re-
CURED to make a woman happy. At
the Conservative his raivete was
played upon by his comrades. His CO.,
worker, Gailhard, was foremost of the
fellows who played practical jokes on
him.
Long after he left the Conservative
he continued the jokes. The last one
dates only a few years back. 1t was
at Craig-y-Nos, where Gailhard. who
had been appointed leader of the opera,
went to see Patti in regard to an en-
gagement for Romeo and Juliet Mic
clini imagined that it would be a fine
thing to get an enormous bell to an
nounce the arrival of invited guests in
old lordlv fashion. "A bell!' said Gail
hard. That is altogether too common.
magnificent. If l were in your place I
would get cannon and a breechloader
at that. At the present time the broth,
err of Gya turns out splendid guns. If
you wish we will go tomorrow and
choose one in his foundry. But don't
say anything about it to your wife. 1t
would be a good thing to give her an
surprise The next day Mic
olni. accompanied bv Gailhard. went to
the foundry, selected a splendid cannon
and ordered it sent to him as quickly
as possible by railroad.
with q thousand precautions to con-
ceal the object in question from his
wife. Nicolini planted it in an obscure
portion of the park of Craig-y- Nos The
day of the arrival of the guests. as
soon as the train which brought them
stopped at the station in front Of the
property. Nicolini, aided by Gailhard,
pulled the string which, was to fire the
cannon. The deto1 lion was something
terrific. but Nicc,ini, behind the breech,
never thought of the recoil It knocked
him sprawling in the grass with his
hands and feet in the air, and his
screaming wife, not understanding any
thing of the explosion, cane running up
to him. 1T was merely surprise that
l was reservtng for you muttered Mic
olini, recovering from his fall, which
happily did not hurt him. That is
nee sort OIL sufpflSe!' exclaimed FAITH.
How did you get such n stupid idea as
that into your head? 1t was Gailhard
who told me to salute royalty the a.
rival of our guests replied Ntcolini.
Always that fellow Gailhard' said
Patti, shaking her little white fist at
the waegish leader, who was half con-
vulsed with laughter.
"She ordered the cannon to be buried.
and no more was thought Of it. The
following year Gailhard returned to
Craig-y-Nos. Ore morning he was
walking in the park when he studied
his foot against hard obstacle and
fell at full length uDon the rr-unl,
while from an open window in the cas-
tie there was hurst of silver-tonod
laughter Part of the mouth Ct the
cannon was above ground. and It was
this which caused the little accident
that happened to Gailhard. Patti was
avenged.
"In his last years Nicolini practiced
on a less noisy instrument. He became
passionately fond of the violin and
passed many days scraping upon a
MAGNIFICENT StradiyariUs for which he
paid 1880 francs. Patti lardad his
n q t. .tfx