The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-10-16
PHOTOGRAPHED IN a COFFIN.
Mad Prank OF Pretty and Very hisehiev'
eas Girl.


From the san Francisco Examiner.
The rnaddest OF all mad pranks ever
played by A mlschievous San Francisco
girl is that which recently pleased the
capricious fancy Of Miss Maris Leonard.
Miss Leonard. in all the lively. larksome
buoyaney OF perfect health and gay spir-
it's, posed before the camera in coffin.
Br-r-r-rll How II makes one shudder
and shiver to think OF 1t.
Not so with Miss Leonard.
That remarkable young person was as
much at ease during the eounterfeiting OF
a death sleep as other girls would be In a
hammock under tree on drowsy sum-
mer day.
Which shows eonelEslvely that all peo-
pie are not alike md that what ehills the
marrow In one persons bones may be
merely a trihlng amusement from anoth-
er persons peculiar point or view.
Miss Leonard regards this. her pet 40
ton about what constitutes a real photo
graphic novelty. as a Joke.
The serious side of the matter Doesn't
impress her at all.
She laughs lightly when told that the
act was uneanny ea0ugh 10 shake the
nerves of a strong man and insure him
lifelong supply Of horrid, terrifying, night
marish dreams. ------
OF course. there have been other In
stances In the world in which living per-
sons hobnobbed with such grim. silent. APP
palling companions as caskets. .
Miss Leonard's cheerful chummlness
with a receptacle sacred to the dead rath-
er than the living is not without prece-
dent: but to be photographed in comm
while alive is something so foroidding and
Tepellant that the cameras services are
not In demand for that purpose, never
have been, and, unless this world loses It's
equilibrium in Its old age never Will be,
Sarah Bernhardt, with passion for do
ing freakish things that would advertise
her the world over as genius with start
ling eccentricities. had pleasant little
propensity for luggtng a coffin around the
country with her on her dramatic tours.
Sarah is not so sensational nowadays.
Charles v had maria for sleeping IN
a ccffin-preparing himself in advance, as
IL were, for the habit that all human be-
ings must acquire sooner or later, unless
they are crema ted or buried at sea.
The royal Charles has teen dust FOR
maay and many year,
II is said that NeIoleon had a comm In
readiness for his final resting place.
Napoleon was nothing IL not eccentric.
All these eminent person9ges. however.
drew the ljae at being pictured alive as
ready for the tomb.
Miss Leonard has written on the back Of
the portrait herewith reproduced this
testing inscriptions:
IAN old maid at rest"
That Is part OF the joke-according TO
Miss I.eOnard's unusual idea OF humor.
Miss Leonard Is not IAN old maid" She
is a youthful one, with an ardent interest
in amateur photography
When she asked the local photographers
to take her picture under tine singular
conditions proposed they all declined. They
were entirely unanimous In their opinion
that they did not care to cultivate that
particular branch OF the photograph bust
ness In vain Miss Leonard urged her un-
prec edented plea.
Then che went 10 an undertaker's es-
tablishment and amazed the solemn gen.
tleman In charge by asking the following
question:
May / come here and stand up in one
OF your caskets and have myself photo
graphed?"
After the undertaken had got his breath
and thought the matter over awhile he
gave his consent.
Miss Leonard went away. returning
presently with q FRIEND who was an ex-
/ pert amateur photographer.
This friend obtained likeness OF Miss
Leonard i'm a casket, she having robed
herself In a shroud and settled into the
satin receptacle with undisturbed ease
of body and mind. -.
81 simply wanted to be original" says
Miss Leonard in justification OF her act