The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-11
Human -
"Ace of Spades"

Georges La Notre. in his indefatiga-
bic research among ''old mansions and
old documents" has just revived one
OF the Aspasias of. the Louis XVI days
who, had she been gifted with as much
brains as beauty. could have left alb
sorbing memoirs of the memorable per-
sonages who made the early days of
Marie Antoinette's court the mirror Of
mirth and loveliness that captivated
Edmund Burke.
BY laborioGs research through
masses of police and other archives
La Notre traces the woman who set
the gallants OF Paris agog TO little
village in Burgundy. Her name was
Catherine Thevenin. but she was known
from Paris to Petersburg as the Ace
of Spades" CI'As de Pidue'D. Just
why is not explained. unless in allusion
to her extraordinary fortunes
At 10 she tired of her wooden shoes,
and one fine day quit the paternal cot
for adventures IN Paris. She became
known to the editor of the police de-
partment as Mile. Dufresnoy. in 1772.
so1ourning in demure splendor as one
OF the extra danseuses" of the opera
1t was fortune, if not fame for any
ordinarily good-looking girl to be of
the opera in those carnival times of
gallantry. The soft brown hair and
roguish eyes of Catherine We're men
toned TO the Duke of Richelieu. and
that Alcibiades. having confirmed the
verdict by a nod and a dinner, the
young womans fortune was made.
Richelieu was I'm his seventy-eighth
year, and he was known from end to
end of Europe as the most dashing gall
| liant of the century He not only bore
one of the greatest names in the realm.
was adulated by Voltaire as the hero
OF Majorica. where he beat the British
under Admiral Byng. but still more,
while his army was assaulting Port
Mahen, invented tire dressing" called
to this day 'mayonnaise."
To spite his son and heir, the profit
gate Duke de Fronsac, Richelieu mar
ried in his seventy-eighth year bride
of 20. Celebrated by Voltaire and con-
coded every grace, accomplishment and
grandeur that mortals enjoy, the duke
who couldn't sign his own name. was
elected member of the Academy of the
Immertals, and read an address said to
have been written by his friend Vol-
taire. He preserved activities and
proNess i'm competition with his young
er rivals by a treatment which seems
to have fallen into disuse when he diej.
He kept on one of his domains near
Paris a herd of COWS and every night
he caused a calf to be slaughtered.
When he retired his body was wrapped
in the warm flesh of the calf. and
from this astounding blood absorption
he retained the vigOr of youth until
| long past three score and ten.
He was OH the verge of so when lie
eclipsed all the younger gallants at the
opera ball. when Marie Antoinette was
present, in the masque of "Cephalus, :
dancing like boy of 90" He bore a
debt of 30o0.0 900 with such serenity that
] his creditors hadn't the heart to disturb
him. Hence, when this imposing per-
sonage allowed ii TO be known that he
thought rAS de Pique pretty, the gold
en- youth of the court FASTENED to
squander the fortunes of their families
to please the Burgundian maid
At the very time that the Count d Ar
tots. the kings brother. was credited
with too much bFotherly affection for
Marie Ant0inette. the prince was really
patronizirg the dernure fAs &c Pi1ue.
| Her salon became the supreme height
OF fashion for the dukes. marquises and
princes. who. quitting the Trianon, hur-
ried to the Catherean shrine.
CagliOstro. then in his highest flight
of wonder making. was seen at the
Pique's Lucullian dinners, where the
brother of the king did the honors.
One day Paris was bewildered al
sight of a coach with six white horses
! in which sat a ravishing creature that
1 the plain folk supposed TO be the
queen, since the queen alone had the
right to ride behind six steeds. The
Pique received the reverential courte-
! sizes of the people with affable smiles
and only learned when the police Wis
tied her in the evening that the ETH
quette of the monarchy reserved that
style of equipage for royalty alone
/ Her chief aim seems TO have been &c
accumulate money.
When the crash of her cortege Oi
princes came with the resolution, she
showed callous indifference to the
great folk who had aided I'm her for
tunes. She was seen during the Ter
ror with a pike in hand marching will
the harridans who surrounded ths
! guillotine. and when the directory sue
ceeded the Robespierre regime she be
came one OF the personages of Barrus
iissolute court During the empire the
police lost sight of her. but in 1925 she
appeared in the royal city of Fontaine.
bleau. to the wonder of the citizens. Shs
sold her palace in Paris to Baron Louis
the minister of finance, and, with about
half million dollars in securities ant
fabulously interesting bric-a-brac. set.
tied at II Rue Royal. not FAR from tht
palace of Fontainebleau.
For years she lived in this mansion
the wonder, terror and despair of thu
town. She lived entirely alone; she die
her own marketing and on such Occa
sfons would ask any stout young work
man she met 20 aid her in carrying hei
basket. This was to be protected from