Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 December 1883 — A PARIS SENSATION. [ARTICLE]

A PARIS SENSATION.

Marie Colombier Horsewhipped ( t>y Sarah Bernhardt. A Duel the Result of the Scandalous Affair. [Cable dlsnatch from Paris.} . The scandal of the day is the appearance of a book called “Memoirs of Sarah Barnum,” by Mlle. Marie Colombier, who writes what purports to be the memoirs of Sarah Bernhardt, the authoress’ ex-friend and directress during her tour in America. Marie Colombier begins with Sarah Bernhardt in the cradle, drags her whole life through the mire, and winds up a tolerable sot-disant prophecy where Sarah is represented dying and having cut open her head and from striking the bedstead during an attack of delirium tremens. The first outcome of this abominable book was a duel yesterday morning between Octave Mirabeau, who wrote a scathing critffism of , the volume, and M. Paul Bonnetain, who wrote the preface to the memoirs. M. Bon-/ netaln received two slight wounds. M. Bon-f! netain's seconds were Prince Karageorgevitch and the Marquis de Talleyrand. The duel begun in the morning by the mon was continued in the afternoon by the women, and under the most unique circumstances. Mdme. Sarah Bernhardt went in the morning to see M. Clement, Commissaire aux Delegations Judiciares, to find out whether the law did not give her the right to seize the book and stop its sale. She was told that she must first take legal proceedings and await the decision of the Judges. Sarah, with her blood thoroughly aroused and too impatient to wait for legal technicalities to suppress the book, took justice into her own hands and sallied ferth, armed, nob with a sword, nor a revolver, nor a mitr&ille, but with a plain stout horsewhip. Sarah drove straight to the apartments of Marie Colombier. At the moment of her departure Sarah, boiling over with fury, did notconceal what she meant to do, and her friends present —namely: Mlle. Antoinine.Mme. Jean Ruchepin, and Kerbernhardt—who knew wett where a woman’s anger begins, but not at all where it ends—also jumped into a carriage and followed Sarah. Arrived at the Rue Thann, .Sarah went up the staircase and rang the ’bell. The moment the servant opened the door she darted into the salon and foqnd herself face to face with Marie Colombier. The two women for an instant eyed eaeb other, then like a hungry tigress Sarah sprang at Marie Colombier, vociferating murderous epithets, and lashed her adversary straight across the face with her horsewhip. Mlle. Cylombier shrieked with pain and rage. She was not alone, for M. Jehan Soudan and Mlle. , Defresnes happened to be visiting her. M. Jehan Soudan burst into the room to separate the two women. He tried to seize Sarah in his arms to hold her down, but at the same moment M. Jean Richepin, who had just arrived behind Sarah, dashed open the door and clutched M. Soudan by the throat. Sarah again sprang at Colombier, lashing and cutting her with the whip. M. Maurice Bernhardt, M. Kerbernhardt and Mlle. Antoinine ( arrived upon the scene of the drama. Mlle. Colombier turned and fled, Sarah pursuing. , The wild chase continued into one room and out of another, nobody being able to stop them, Sarah and her victim jumping over chairs and tables and dashing into a thousand pieces mirrors, etageree, and pictures, Sarah all the time whipping Marie. At last Mlle. Colombier managed to escape by the servants? sffiiirway. 1 Sarah Bernhardt, utterly exhausted but revenged, withdrew. In passing through the front door, Sarah showed her horsewhip to the concierge, saying; “ Marshal Canrobert gave it to me, but I give it to Mlle. Colombier as a souvenir.” An hour later Sarah Bernhardt played her role at the Theatre Porte Martin in the dress rehearsal tor “Nana Saib.”