The evening world., 1909-03-03
ONCE RICH GIRL
COMES TO END Of
PRIMROSE PATH
May Koeltsch, Who Long
Reigned in the Tenderloin,
Dies in AFFECT Poverty.
WON FAME AS A BEAUTY.
Well Educated and Highly Tai
ented, She Early Left Home
for the Gayer Life.
WON FAME AS A BEAUTY,

n this story were sermon In con-
struction or intent II would be proper to
head It with the Bible text THE wages
OF sin Is death" But It Is simply a plain
unadorned recital OF facts in the life OF
May Koelsch, an outcast, whose poor
body was partially destroyed by fire
early to-day in an undertaking shop at
No. 3l Seventh avenue.
Many a said business or professional
man of this city will read with retro
spective interest about May Koelsch.
They will recall the days, twenty or
twenty-five years ago, when they were
young and reckless and she was young
and reckless and beautiful, when she
and Agnes Silve were the queens OF the
Tenderloin. They will recall that they
had their fling and dr!fted away from
the primrose path OF alliance-to marry
largey-but May Koelsch did not turn
aside; she pursued the path past the
primrose line. along the rough places.
through slime and degradat!on-right
to the end she pursued 1t.
Beautiful and Talented.
May Koelsch would be about forty
I'VE years old now. She was born In
Brooklyn. Nature endowed her with
rare beauty and great talent. Her dot
Ing parents gave her an education that
included languages and music. And
IT. ~, rooohaa .h. oeo n, e,gh,esn
"hen sue iea'"eu "'io "se y, .'e"'.."
she left her home and dropped from the
ken OF her people.
cha r.os .e,o,ot,or IN tho ba,, world
one was iNe'a''''' " Wv "a'
OF New York. Men or wealth. ana posi-
tIon fought for her fayors She was an
o,,,h,,-,a.,,, horsowor,.r and ba- e,u,.
e"'""S'"s''' "o' sow '"".' "'u ~
pages were the talk OF the park
Nav Koelsch and Agnes Silve had
,.u,ols tho, n ,nil,iono,rs's wife might
'e"e'S .''a' nm
envy. They were inseparap'e coHpah-
ions in those days, both beautiful but
=, oonosi,o trros Avnes Silvia nv the
vi 'ppo''' >! 49,
way, dropped dead on the street TWO
years ago, a homeless, ragged, tottering
H.,
nag.
After May koelsch had reigneo IN tne
Nenderloin for about fye yearsEWhich Is
long term-two men became interested
In her One OF them was an old man
and the other was young. Both were
rich For a time she disappeared from
the life she had known. 1t was reported
that she was living In a mansion up
town"
Acquired pruo Habit.
And then she was heard OF again. llv-
ing in Sixty-ffth street, near Central
PARK West She had no horses and
some ~ nor iewelrv was missing She
boS oontroc,eS mo oni,,n habit From
nai ront, a',ea t'e opG nrnb ,n o,d on'
opu 1' n the oo y" t.', ~ ,,r,a and ~
tnawitohia a erodat,op sSa ,os, i her a Az, in
tSts,,'a .s.t s,aua',ol' sue iost nua Ia. III
sLAIy-h min street ana moved dowhtoWh-
Dach 10 the scene vi neT olu uiulnpns,
But tne scene Nad nillerent settlng TOT
May hoelsGh. She was IN such a cohai-
tlon morally and mentally that she
FOUND entertainment IN the black-and-
tan joints along Seventh avenue. She
was given to telling all she met OF the
days OF her youth, and her stories were
greeted with ribald Jest and laughter
About two years ago her sister and two
brothers who live In Brooklyn, located
her They found little difficulty In send
Ing her to the Manhattan State Hos
pital for the Insane.
In that institution May Koelsch was
cured OF the drug habit, mentally mend
ed ana physically rehablitated. She re-
gained some OF her old cOmeiness Of
feature and form, and her talents and
cultlvated ahility TO please made her
gIeat lavotte. fot time she acted as
Officials. '''' '''' ." - ''' " ''''
lonqed for Old Freedom.
p,,. ,,huo No. no. - .,o. -.