The San Francisco Examiner from San Francisco, California • 73

wv 1 I 7 7C I JL (UiiUiflitft3 LUX Ll RM MAIM VilriM With Millionaires Getting Scarcer and Scarcer, Theatres Closing and Gambling Places Deserted, the One-Time Gay Little Butterflies of Stag and Fashion Are Turning to Suicide as the Only Way Out of the Gloom Sacha Lyo. 17-Year-Old Dancer, Artist and Musirian, Ended Her Promising Young Life With Gas Because Her Elderly Admirer Refused to Marry Her. Mile. Nicole de Rouvres, Om of a Theatrical Job and Broke, Tried to Die, but Wag Saved Through the Frightened Barking of Her Dog, "Lord." x- I 7 7 Ai vl 7 7V1 1 Pierre Batclieff, Successful Film Actor, Brooded 's if I mK Over Sorrow of 1 U(e lInlil IIe Wa I'; jrf Found Dead of Poison. 7r" S-J CJ izi "vJ i 1 I eral hours.

Before expiring, the broken-hearted girl scribbled the following note to her Egyptian Prince Charming: "I love you more than As I walk along the Bois Boo-long, With an independent air You can hear them declare: "He must be a millionaire." You can hear them sigh, And wish to die, You can see them wink the other eye At the Man who broke the Bank at Monte Carlo. From the old-time popular song by Fred Gilbert. was no room, and he went to live with his mother who cared for him till the day he jumped to his death. Tierre Batcheff, Russian screen idol of 24, is believed to have been a victim of self-murder, as he wrote a letter announcing his intention to be finished with life a few days before he was discovered poisoned at his home in the Square Roliac. Ever since his debut, at 16, with Dolly Davis in "Claudine et Poussin," he has been popular with film fans, and his future seemed most promising.

He played important roles in "Le Joueur d'Eches," "Les Deux Timides," "Napoleon," "Destinee," "L'lle d'Amour," "Les Amours de Minuit," "Le Rebelle" and "Baroud." Batcheff had a deep sense of the sadness and sorrows of existence, and, despite his successes, frequently told friends that "death is a deliverance." The distinguished actor, Jules Mon-dos found dead in his modest apartment. Rue Clauzel, on September 23 is also thought to have killed himself. Police investigation disclosed he had died on May 20. Mondos made his first bow to the public at the Odeon, appearing later at the Athenee, Nou-veautes and Vaudeville. In recent years, he quit the footlights for the movies, and won considerable praise with his interpretation of the bishop in "Monsieur le Due." After acting in a contre Purand," Mondos signed a contract with a film company in Berlin.

Depression in his calling is supposed to have been responsible for his death. The theatrical crisis here is of exceptional gravity, and many reasons have been put orward to account for it the universal economic depression confiscatory taxation on the part of the government; the high price of seats aggravated by annoying petty charges for ushers, programs and cloak-room accommodation; the boredom of too-prolonged entr'actes; the execrable pieces offered the public by the playwrights. Even optimistic observers admit the outlook for the theatre here is far from reassuring; as for the pessimistic, they manifestly believe that it is doomed irretrievably to extinction in the near future. Three weeks ago, M. Malinconi, director of several Paris playhouses, committed suicide by leaping from a window of his office at No.

4 Rue Nicolas -Chocquet. His business ventures seriously affected by the hard times, the director had been forced to close his places of entertainment. Before killing himself, he wrote a letter now in the hands of Police Commis you believe. You will forget me in a life of pleasure, but I will remember in the tomb." Ten days previous to Sacha's suicide, a Hollywood moving-picture actress, Claire de Lorez, tried to kill herself because the man of her choice had turned her down. For the past year this Titian-haired star of 29 had been living in Paris with M.

Tipaldo Bassia, who belongs to a wealthy Athenian family and is prominent among the members of the Greek colony in the Miss Claire de Ixrcz, Americnn Film Actress, Who SwaHowed Poison Vi lien Her "Protector" Told Her He Was Going to Leave Her. 1 'v. 7 7.S PARIS, January 22. BUT there are few millionaires strolling along the Paris boulevards now and there are no heavy players at the great gambling resorts who come back with large winnings to what was once the "capital of gaiety." Gloom has replaced gaiety. During the past few weeks several celebrities of the stage and screen have tried to put an end to their existence, and some of them have succeeded.

Thwarted love, drugs and lack of employment and lack of wealthy admirers were the principal causes of their de-spaii'ing acts. Disappointment in love led to the suicide of little Sacha Lyo, 17-year-old Russian danseuse, who has been starring this season in the "Sex Appeal" revue at the Casino de Paris. Of "chagrin d'amour," she could not laughingly say with Victor Hugo: a fine sorrow truly! Why, we all go through it; 'tis the affair of a day." Mile. Lyo began studying the chore-graphic art at the age of 12 under Mme. Helene Gontcharowa, maitresse de ballet of the Chatelet Theatre.

At 13, Sacha made her debut at the Gaite-Lyrique, and for the last four years has appeared in various music-halls with Horam, her dancing partner. Besides being a dancer, Mile. Lyo was a painter of no mean ability, and the chief attraction of her dressing-room when she wasn't in it was an exhibit of water-color studies from her brush that covered the walls. The girl was also an accomplished pianist and violin player. But Sacha, with all her gifts, found little joy in her work, and was called by her comrades "the precocious child who never smiles." Like many of her compatriots on the banks of the Volga, she was predisposed to melancholy.

Last Summer Sacha became enamoured of a young actor in the Casino troupe a newlywed yet because he seemed to slight her, she talked of committing suicide. By October, however, she had forgotten him and was head-over-heels in love with a handsome Egyptian visitor to Paris. This dark-skinned Don Juan, more than twice her age, had the manners of a cavalier and the purse of a prince. He brought beautiful bouquets to her "loge," dined with her in the most fashionable night-clubs, bought her jewels and dresses. But the affair ended abruptly when Sacha asked him one day to marry her.

Willing enough to be her companion while in Paris, he balked at the idea of going back to Egypt with a dancer for a wife. Finding it impossible to realize her dream of wedded bliss and luxury, the sensitive creature decided to die. She went to her home in the Rue Lamarck, sent her mother off to the movies, locked herself in the kitchen, and turned on the gas. When her mother returned, Sacha had been dead for sev 2 ff French capital. Claire de Lorez first gained picture fame while playing with Warner Brothers.

After being featured in the screen version of Elinor Glyn's "Three Weeks," the artiste left the States in 1927 for Paris, and acted here in a number of films, scoring a notable success in "Equipage," under the direction of Maurice Tourneur. She is a personal friend of Pearl White heroine of a hundred cinema thrillers who possesses a chateau in Gazeron, France. Mile, de Lorez met M. Bassia four years ago at a gala in the Lido cabaret, forming an "amitie" that endured till last September. Then the Greek gallant told her he must return to Athens and take over an official position.

Furthermore, he said that as his parents had arranged a marriage for him in his native country, he could not marry her, as he had promised to do. Such a declaration, of course, provoked a quarrel. It was patched up, however, and all went well till the night of September 24, when the couple entered a Champs-Elysees cafe and, after a few drinks, started disputing again. Finally, M. Bassia walked off, in a rage, vowing he would never see Claire any more, and the jilted woman, in a fit of despair, drank poison.

A few years ago there was much speculation in Paris over why Jenny Golder, young, beautiful and wealthy, had killed herself at the height of her theatrical career. There was apparently no motive in the world for self-destruction, although it turned out later that she had become obsessed by the strange notion that her success called for some sacrifice on her part, and she had decided to sacrifice her life. But today there is no mystery in why so many are trying to leave this world by their own hands. For instance, the other day the body of Mrs. Joan Rind was found in a squalid pension with a bullet through the head.

She was the widow of Captain William Rind, heroic captain of the United States Liner President Harding. Since her husband's death two years ago she had led a gay life along the boulevards and in the Montmartre night clubs, lavishly entertaining young art students. When her money became exhausted she left her hotel and took lodging in the out-of-the-way pension. The chambermaid discovered the final act in her colorful drama. A few days ago Mile.

Nicole de Rouvres, a pretty screen artiste of 26, imitated the tragic gesture of Claire de Lorez by taking veronal a powerful soporific. Stopping her auto in the Bois de Boulogne, she swallowed a number of tablets and soon became unconscious. The girl undoubtedly owes her life to the fact that her pet terrier, "Lord," began to bark in fright, attracting the attention of two guardians who were making their night rounds of the park. They hailed a passing motorist and transported the actress to the Beaujon Hospital. Questioned by Police Commissary Deforeit when she regained consciousness, Mile, de Rouvres confessed she had become despondent because of not finding work since last Spring, and for this reason had wished to die.

She promised, though, not to try again, declaring her sole desire now was to live, to make people happy. Mile, de Rouvres, whose real name is Rcnee-Nicole Le Meute, is known for her roles in "Sergeant and in Deval's "Signor Bracoli." In the days before the crisis, she had plenty of time and money to spend in vacation trips to Sainte-Maxime, on the Riviera, and to Targuit, an oasis of the Sahara. The other day the Bois de Boulogne was the scene of another attempted suicide when Mile. Colette Cherbot, a 25 -year -old dramatic artiste, determined to put an end to her troubles with a dose of a drug much in vogue here with dejected show girls. A painter, in search of inspiration, stumbled on this Sleeping Beauty of the Wood and notified the gendarmes.

Mile. Cherbot was taken to the Beaujon Hospital, and then to her home, at No. 82 Avenue de ViWiers. Discouragement, induced by enforced idleness, decided two dancers Miles. Yvonne Seyhiog, 35, and Suzanne Re-ville, 20 to stage a double suicide last week in their dingy room at No.

185 Rue Ordener. They swallowed a deadly sleeping potion, but were discovered in the nick of time by the concierge who had them transported to the Bichat 7 i -i: 4" I ft i i sary Lacroix stating he preferred death to financial ruin. What Schopenhauer called the "will to live" seems no stronger among some members of the literary and artistic world. The other day Mme. Therese Berton, "femme de lettres" and widow of Rene Berton, famous dramatist of the Theatre Francais, attempted to end her life by taking veronal.

The unfortunate woman had been lodging in a cheap hotel, Rue de Clichy, and was recently arrested for non-payment of a restaurant bill. Just a month before this, Henri Taillade, son of the well-known tragedian, blew out his brains at Colombes, a suburb of Paris. Taillade was a musical composer of remarkable merit, but reduced to misery, had been eking out a wretched existence by giving piano lessons. Mme. Carre, mother of one of his pupils, discovered the tragedy.

The Parisian painter and author, Clement-Charles Calderon, commiKed suicide about a fortnight ago by turning on the gas in his room. He gained a precarious livelihood at Nice last Summer peddling his "Venetian" tableaux in the cabarets. Like Chamfort, he railed at the injustice of men, and before dying willed to humanity his book, "Religion Nouvelle," in which are exposed his social, political and religious beliefs. Two young American writers George Louis de Nevers and John Horn Mathews killed themselves the first of October by slashing their wrists with a razor blade in their studio at No. 50 Rue Vercingetorix, Montpar-nasse.

It is surmised that the lads had received news from the States of the rejection of manuscripts on which they had placed their last hopes. The epidemic of suicides is by no means confined to theatrical, artistic and literary circles. 13 Mrs. Joan Hind, Widow of an American $ea Hero. Was Found Dead and Penniless in an Obscure Pension and the Police Called It Suicide.

stant dread of not being able to obtain employment, and that this anxiety had shattered their nervous systems. In the past, dancing girls were looked upon as divinities at Paris. Clotilde, a danseuse of the opera, dwelt in a palace on the Rue Menars, slept in a bed valued at 9,000 gold francs, received a yearly income of 2,000,000 francs. One well-known prince squandered a fortune on her caprices, and one of her admirers was willing to pay her 17,000 francs annually for the privilege of sitting next to her a few times a year when she gave a banquet. Love of narcotics cost the life of Jacques Landier, a young actor who threw himself from his fifth-story window the day after Sacha Lyo died.

His career commenced brilliantly, but he became addicted to cocaine which robbed him of health and ruined his acting. Last year ho- took the cure at a clinic in Passy, returned to the stage and endeavored to lead a normal life. Yet his craving for the white powder was too strong to resist, and he fell again under the yoke of the drug. In September, Landier tried to find a place in an actors' hospital, but there Jenny Golder. Possessed of Beauty and Wealth, Killed Herself Because She Became Obsessed With the Stranjre Notion That She Must Atone for Her Success by Sacrificing Her Life.

Hospital. The would-be suicides have now fully recovered to face the bleak future they so feared. Quizzed by the commissaire of the Grandes Carrieres Quarter, Yvonne and Suzanne declared that conditions of material existence had become more difficult than formerly, that the struggle for life was more desperate than ever. They said they had lived in con- 1933, br Weekly Inc. Grut Britain BishU Reserred..