Mass in Paris for the Artists on the Evening Star.
Mass in Paris for the
Artists on the Evening Star.

Mass in Paris for the Artists on the
Evening Star.

Correspondence of the New-Orleans Picayune.

                                                                            PARIS, November, 1866.
    The Dramatic Artists' Association here celebrated this morning, at St. Roch, a mass for the unfortunate artists who perished on the Evening Star. A catafalque was raised at the entrance of the choir. All the artists--lyric and dramatic--in Paris were present. The manager of the French Comedy and the superintendent of the theatres (M. CAMILLE DONCET) were also in attendance. The families of the victims wore deep mourning. The most distressing scenes took place at the close of the service. The widow of poor CLARENCE, who died here a few weeks since, was so affected by the sobbing cries and moans heard all around her that she was seized with hysterics and was carried out of the church. The father of poor Mlle. DU MERY--who is believed to have been the unfortunate woman who hung on a boat by her hands for several hours--sobbed and moaned in a heart-rending way and at last fainted from excessive grief. The families of many of the victims have been plunged into the deepest poverty by the loss of those on whom they were dependent for their daily bread. I have heard of one old lady whose daughter and son-in-law left their children with her. They went down in the ship, and she, with her poor grand children (who were entirely dependent on her children) do not know where to procure the means of living. Among the victims was a Mlle. MARITA CAMPANA, whom fate tried its best to save from death, but the poor girl would rush to her watery grave. She was well known here. She played for some time at the Belleville Theatre; then she went to Constantinople, where she played for a year, and she was engaged there when Mons. ALHAIZA enlisted her. She was informed of her engagement to go to New-Orleans just in time to quit Constantinople and reach Havre when the Company embarked, provided she traveled constantly by express trains. She embarked on L'Ulyssus, the French steamship of the Messageries Imperiales. When Marseilles was made, the mistral blew with such violence and the sea was so rough that the steamship was unable to enter the port, and was obliged to take refuge in the harbor of La Ciotat. Mlle. MARITA CAMPANA then begged the Captain of the steamship to allow her to land with the mails and go to Marseilles with them; she explained to him how necessary it was for her to reach Havre on a given day. He consented. She reached the Marseilles and Paris Railway station after the ticket and baggage office were closed. She appealed to the station-master to allow her to take a place in the train then about to leave, and she wrung consent from him too. She reached Paris after the transatlantic steamship had sailed from Havre. She took the railway and reached it just in time to take the Ville de Paris, which bore her comrades to America. The passage of the Ville de Paris was singularly stormy and uncomfortable. She embarked on the ill-fated Evening Star. You know the rest. The person designated on the list of passengers as "J. BONNE DE CAMPANA," was Mlle. MARITA CAMPANA'S chambermaid, named JOSEPHINE.
    On the same day the artists of the Havre Theatre had a similar mass celebrated in their cathedral. They went in procession from the theatre to the church and returned in procession. The municipal authorities at Havre were present at the mass.


Source:

Unknown, "Mass in Paris for the Artists on the Evening Star," New York Times, New York, Sunday, 9 December, 1866, Page 6.

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