The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-19
BATHED III PRECIOUS GEMS.
Hours a Day This French Actress
Spent on Her Gorgeous Fancy.

Spent on Her Gorgeous Fancy.
(San Francisco ExaminerO
Up to twenty days ago Ernestine Du-
verger lived immured in an ancient
chateau at NeuilIy, near Paris. She had
utilized the fertilization methods Of 500
years ago to make her residence prac-
tlcaIIy Inpregnable to visitors whether
their intentions were good or evil her
castle was surrounded by five lines OF
deIense; ditch, bastiOns, wall. earth
works and draw bridge. The first three.
remnants OF medieval days, Ernestine
had rebuilt and strengthened; the 9TH
erS were added, for picturesque effect.
according to her own statement. while
IN reality the flower terrace" was an
additional device for keeping strangers
out The drawbridge did the rest.
But even the MULTIPLICITY OF outworks
didn't satisfy Ernestlnes requirements
Tor security. A further set of en-
trenohments, tosses ana battlements
was provided within the castle itself;
10 get to the chaCe laine one mad to pass
tireproof wal, steel curtain and as
Destos Enclosure, all reaching from
foundation to roof, and the nrSt two
pierced by one door each of the
strength and construction of those used
for burglar-prOof safes.
There were two sets of KEYS; one
madame carried in her bosom. the
other was in the posse ssion OF her Paris
notary. who had strict orders to come
to Neuilly and procure entrance to the
citadel whenever he failed to hear. from
his employer for twenty-four hours
q g g
Ernestine spent her days and nights
within the confines of the asbestos wall.
a circular space of about forty feet in
diane ter, while her house servants.
cook and butler inhabited the outside
rooms of the castle, and the kitchen
maids, grooms and gardeners lived in
cottages under the towering bastfons.
OF them all none but the COOK and but
Ter ever saw their mistress: they were
admitted to the hottest of holes morn
ings TO make the bed. arrange the FUR
niture, dust and clean and attend to
madames pets At such times Ernes-
tine paced the floor, revolver in hand.
watching every movement with Argus
eyes. The cleaning over, madame gave
orders for the day, and the servants
withdrew, the doors being locked be-
hind them Meals were brought in on
a silver warming table, rolled to the
outer wall. ErneStine herself naVigated
/ II to her living room, where she dined
and supped with her dumb friends.
After meals she deposited the perambu-
liant restaurant in the space between
the solid wall and the steel curtain,
where it remained till next day.
Ernestines self-infiicted prison FouId
have been as dark as a dungeon but for
the fact that the old roof had been re-
placed by crystal one, protected by
steel gratings and pierced by port
| holes that opened and shut. The glass
dome lit UP a veritable curiosity S,lop
| filed to overlooking with furniture,
| hangings and hric-a- brac of all styles,
periods and degrees OF righteousness.
There was Marie AntOinette's famous
! bed Of porphyry supported by a mas
SiVe silver frame, and formed like q
with OrldQn frnni6G STANDING he
| hind and fCttering over the dash
boards; here a Secretaire of sharp
edged ChipDpendale next to a Boule
tortoise she'll commOde; rugs interlaced
! with strains of spun gold, crystal -
delabra starding fifteen feet high. And.
to still more enhance the deiusion, a
procession OF safes, of the kind wherein
big jewelers. hide their treasures The
massive safe doors were the faucets
| from which flowed the streams of pre-
cious stones for Ernestine's daily
! bath. which the munif1cence of
| her late protector and friend. the Prince
/ of San Donate, permitted her to indulge
in.
! san Donates real name was Anatole
Demidofe: the Grand Duke of Tuscany
gave him. his title for consideration =,
! and he was rich. Alexander Dumas is
! authority for the statement that at
| enc period of his meteoric career he
was ''one of the mysterious Russians
/ who figure as counts in Rome. as bar
/ Ons in Berlin and as princes In Paris,
/ while at hon they are no better than
usurers or pig stickers." By birth Dem
/ idoff was a scigneur of the steppe, and
| before the liberation he owned more
serfs than many a German duke has
subjects. From the empire of the
white car he had brought untold par
/ rels of gold and the reckless lavish
ness of a satrap to dazzle the boule-
] wards. The doors of the Tuileries were
I closed against him, it is true, but he
was a bona flde relative, nevertheless,
! for in 1910 he married Princess Math-
| Tide, daughter of Jerome, king of
/ Westphalia, brother of the great Napo-
| leon, and half sister of the son of Mrs.
! Elizabeth Patterson oneparte of Bal
! timore.
/ At the time when the Muscovite null
| ti-millionaire espouSed the eX-king :
daughter the Ronepartes were eating
| the bread of exile in Rome-impoVer-
| ished parvenus without the slightest
| hope of rising again to a commanding
position. AS for Mathilde, she was per
! haps the most beautiful of the Napo-
| leonic race of fine women, and, be-
| sides loved her husband, who had the
/ reputation of being the handsomest
man in Europe. But the young couple
/ lived together only three years ano
when they separated it was for life
/ Still seven or eight years later both
! took up their residence in Paris
Mathilde with the rank and style OF
Z imperial princess, San Donate as the
leader of fashion par excellence.
Here he met Ernestine Duverger. the
idol of the hour in the gay capital
Ernestine was the daughter of a laun-
dress in Poitiers, whom the Due d.
4 Charities had abducted when she was
scarcely Ia years old. Taken to Paris