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Mme. Lipkowska, tke Metropolitan Soprano,
OW
Escaped from the
Madame
Lipkowska
in
Her,
Native
Russian
Costumct
'.
X
'lit '
Russian Bolskeviki
Wearing Disguises
and Playing tke
Parts m Rel Life
Wkick Ske Had
Acted on
the Stage
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"The Bolshevik leader tore the jewels from her.
throat, ears and fingers, while others explored
her clothes and person. One ruffian stripped
off her fur coat and another i loosened her
corset and tucked it under his arm."
UDIENCES at the Metropolitan Opera those instances, thi
uouse before the war remember impassioned lover
well the attractive colorature bo- was a well-washed.
prano prima donna, Mme. Llpkowska. Not cleanly clothed tenor -only
did this singer possess a memorable or basso, bat her ex
Voice, but she was rather exceptional as perlence In her roles
one .of the tew prima donnas; who was stood her in good
really pretty, for nature unfortunately does stead, and with th
sot always endow a singer with a grand graceful a g i li t y
cpera voice and great personal heauty. t learned from many
The war Is over and this distinguished ; rehearsals under the
musical artist is again in America. But greatest stage man
In the time which has elapsed since the agers of the world,
grand opera lovers of America last saw and with the help of
ber she has lived through quite as remark- her maid Mme. Lip
able a series of dramatic events as any of kowska eluded' the
the characters in the. various operas whbse drunken eoldler and
Imaginary Joys and sorrows she has in- slipped from his
terpreted on the stage. And as the lead- clumsy embrace,
lng role in-every opera usually ends with jj this was the
. a happy romance, so, too, Mme. XJpkowska ay things were go
has lived through a multitude of tragic jn jn the Bolsheviki
situations and emerged from it, all as the capital 1 Mme. Lip
real life heroine of Just as charming a love fc0wska decided that
airair as any or tne various Heroines sne the time bad come ;
has impersonated on the operatic stage. to leave Petrograd. But the news of her re-
Mme, Lipkowska was in Paris filling an sistance to Lenine and Trotzky authority, as -
engagement at the Paris Opera House represented by the peasant soldier, spread,
when the world war broke out In the ana an effort was made to bunt down and
coursejrf developments it became desir- seize the singer. Her maid was found and
able for the President of France to make thntnpd And comhelled to leave herl Her
APT DA
sin official visit to the Czar of Russia in "
Petrograd for reasons of state. At the
Russian court in those days things were
done cm a magnificent scale, and the Rus
sian Government bestirred , itself to pre
pare a welcome and a series of entertain
ments in honor of the French President
which befitted the representative of Rus
sia's firm friend and ally, France.
Among other things a special gala per
romance at the Imperial Opera House in
' Petrograd was arranged, and by command
of the Czar Mme. Lipkowska, the great
" . soprano, was telegraphed to come back
from Paris and sing the title Tole of the
npera that night.
Things were unsettled in Paris and the
managers of the Imperial Opera House per
suaded her to remain in Russia. Then
came the overthrow of the Czar's Govern
ment, and this was followed by the Keren-
sny revolution, and then came the over-
former friends were watched and warned
noto help her. Her bank account was
seized and her famous collection of china
was put under guard.
Alone, with only such money as she nap
pened to have in her pocketbook. the
prima donna crept out of petrograd in the
night, wearing the rough clothes of a peas
ant girl and seeking work along the way
as a chambermaid.
But in spite of her disheveled hair and
uncomely clothes there was something
about her which did not fit her pretended
vocation. Everybody was spying on every
boy else and In terror of their lives. Hardly
did she secure employment in a. home or
little hotel before she found she was being
watched and suspected, and was soon noti
fied to move on.
Again, and again her beauty attracted
the leering familiarities of the newly made
throw of the Kerensky regime by the Bol- utmost patience and adroitness to escape
li?; JIh. v 2 ?V "f f of V16 Bofshe- from their hungry attentions. Slowly and
SS-lkS-iVV"?1?. L1P0Wiika cautiously, with nnbrushed hair and dirty
te'nl1dstGf troubles. The face and hands and ragged clothes. Mme.
. . if 1 f5i!i L, ,briecause Be Lipkowska picked her way by a tortuous
71 A.Krth?JL Kl"tertnK of Journey to Tifiis in JTrans-Caucasia.-
ilJ? lV6"? B5e1wor,e Pencil But here the ty was swarming with
v 80.lD 7lth ttnu l619; Bolshevik civil authorities, military ; offi-
'--1- J!nt dmfU Indnis e- cers and spies and undisciplined soldiers.
A rfnacingV m day a She must move on. Again taking the high-
X et?l0dJ r. .emboMened with way and traveling mostly at night and
: ? v ed uth0,"1ty. flms often through the fields, the singer finally
li ?Z V?l,. J?ranwm. e 8treet niae her way to the city of Odessa, on
and tried to kiss her through his bristling the Black Sea, which the Ukranian forces
lrV . , -T . had been able to hold against the Bol-
V Mme. Lipkowska had played romantic sheviki
lles on tho operatic stage, although in in Odessa Mme. Lipkowska at last was
Madame Lipkowska, yho Outwitted the Bolshevik Spies
. By Her Convincing Acting and Disguise.
able to draw a safe breath. . There were
French there and some Americans, and
she threw off ber chambermaid raga and
sang In concerts. Still greater was her
Joy at now being near her little thirteen-year-old
daughter Aldenna, who was living
at the singer's native city of Klcolalef, not
far from Odessa, on the Black Sea.
pavement, which he seized. At the same
time another band pulled offher waist,
and the last of the band, determined to ,
secure something at least for himself
loosened her corset and tucked it , under
his arm.
In some way word had reached Bolshe
vik headquarters i from Petrograd that
But Mme, Lipkowska was not, long to be Mme. Lipkowska was to be taken over by
left In peace. The onward sweep of the I the Government -the singer was to be
Bolshevik army. Anally enveloped Odessa, ; "nationalized." They traced the singer
and the old horrors of her Petrograd ex- to her, hiding place and explained 4hat in
periences again faced her. Suddenly con- i her case the Government desired to "oa
fronted on the street by a party of Bol- tionalize" her as an artist and not because
sheviki soldiers on her retufn from a eon- of her beauty and physical charms,
cert, the leader stripped the wrap from her The Bolshevists and the Menshevists,
shoulders, and with a grin of Joy cried: or Moderates, became involved In an argu
Ulve me those diamonds! My wife can ment over the relative merits of the ref
wear Jewels Just as well as yottl"; ngee artists in Odessa. Characteristically.
Assuming a perfectly cool air Mme. lip- they decided to have a trial of their ideas
JLS ai" . t0 reason vU1 . in public, a sort of competition much like
m- "ut i, too, am a worker." she argued. a horae 8how. with the artists soing
- n Pera gerand these Jewels through their paces before the Jury. An
are my tools of trade. I need; them quite , opera soviet was formed, the members te
as much as you need your rifles" eluding even the Janitor. The artists were .
Without any reply the leader tore' the t to receive equal pay with ushers and scene
Jewels from her throat and ears and fin- shifters. "Faust' was selected for the
gers, and while he held them to. the light first performance.
to examine his prize others of the party r Lipkowska sang Marguerite, Rushoff
took possession of her and explored her ; was the tenor, Mme. Kouznetzoff was in
clothes and person for their share in the the cast, also Kotchanovesky. Rushoff
booty. One ruffian stripped her fur coat i was so frightened he could hardly produce
off, while another slipped his knife under s a bote. The audience howled with rage,
her waistband and her skirt slipped, to the A shot rang out from the balcony. Ruse
hoff, In the costume of
Faust, Ml to- the stage.
Mephlstopheles tried to
escape, but the guards
brought him back. His
charaqter of Satan
pleased the mob; they
cheered him. He Bang
to Faust, the dead body
lying on the stage in a
pool of blood.
Lipkowska sang her
own role and that of the
dead Faust The ker
mess scene excited "the
mob and they swarmed
over the, footlights anff
raided the chorus of pret
ty girls. Then they made
LlpkowBka sing the Mar
seillaise twelve times,
without even piano ac
companiment A giant of
a man leaped on the
stage.
' "Stay here," he whis
pered; "wait until the
rest go. Then you and
Iwe shall have refresh
ments, and I will be your
protector."
Lipkowska knew what
that meant. She and
Kouznetzoff locked them
selves in a dressing room.
'Kotchanovesky- a gen
tle, much-beloved man
came to their door and
whispered, "Try to get
away. Cover your heads
with shawls and creep
out quietly."
Even as he whispered
the giant and his com
rades came up. They
ordered the door opened.
Kotchanovesky placed
himself before it and de
fled them. There was a
short struggle. The' basso fell, stabbed
and shot In a dozen places. , In the con
fusion the two girls escaped. ....
In the early morning hours Mme. Lip
kowska left Odessa In an automobile in
peasant costume. f
Mme. Lipkowska avoided the main thor
oughfares and traveled by the less-frequented
roads to Nicolaief. hoping to pick
up her little daughter and escape from
Russia.
The Bolshevik! were already in posses
sion of Nicolaief and the singer dared not
go to the house where her child, lived.
Dismissing the automobile in the suburbs
of the town the singer sought work as a
chambermaid In a house half a mile away
from her own residence. At night she
crept through the shadows of her own
home and prepared for her young daugh
ter to join her as soon as she could com
plete her plans for a safe escape for them
both. .
But the next night on reaching her home
she found the child gone and the house
empty. A v pair of drunken Bolshevik!
stopped her and were about to force their
attentions upon her when a young French
officer, hearing her cries, came to her res
cue and put her assailants to flight., Tlje
tlnger recognized that there "was not a
moment to lose.' In despair she confided
to him the desperate situation. He ex
' plained that, h was Lieutenant Pierre
Bodin, of the French Cavalry, and she af
terward found that he was a man of wealth
and a poet of considerable distinction In
France.
While the distracted singer and the gal
lant French cavalryman were pondering
what to do the two Bolshevikl ruffians re
turned with reinforcements. Lieutenant
Bodin felt equal at any time to two or
perhaps a dozen Bolshevikl, but with a
woman to protect- he did not dare risk
taking on a whole i company of Trotzky
troops single handed. Seizing the tremb
ling soiprano by the arm he rushed her to
a spot nearby where six of the French,
officer's comrades were in hiding.
With a, word of explanation he left them
to bold the oncoming Bolshevikl while he
and the singer made their way down the
street and into a rowboat which had been
hidden underneath a wharf. Rowing out
to a steamer which was Just getting under
way. Lieutenant Bodin hailed the captain
and put iis charge on board. Not satis
fied with the conduct of the captain of the
ship, Bodin decided that he would see
Mme. Lipkowska safely through to Con
stantinople lest some unforeseen disaster
should overtake her in the strange, dis
orderly, motley i assemblage , which h
found swarming the ship's decks, e
But the end was not yet. Poor HtUt)
Aldenna had been of necessity left be
hind. The mother could not rest contented
In safety in Constantinople while the little
thirteen-year-old dear one remained at the
mercy of the Bolshevikl.
Lieutenant Bodin paced the fldbr and
twisted his mustache with perplexity.
Willingly he would go back and face the
turmoil in Nicolaief, but he did not know
little Aldenna by sight and might not be
able to trace her.
Mme. Lipkowska. insisted that she her
self must return and search for the little
one. Lieutenant Bodin finally matm-ed
their plans, and enlisting the help of half
a dozen other brother officers bought a
fishing boat in ' Constantinople, and the
entire party disguised themselves as Black
Sea fishermen. ; They slipped out of the
harbor, sailed along the Black Sea, and
arrived off the port of Nicolaief, but dared
not enter -until nightfall. In the darkness
they sailed the little craft in and anchored
it, and Bodin and Lipkowska, with the
guard of ehivahoua French officers, went
swingingfup the street, carrying fish bas
kets and crying fish for sale.
The singer's house was still deserted
and the problem was to trace the where
abouts of little Aldenna without risking
ither the child or the rescue party. For
more than a week, the distracted mother
and her protectors fished by ay and
dressed their catch on the beach, and at
night Lipkowska and her protectors
walked up and ! down the streets plying1
their wares. '
Where, was the child? How was the
mother to find her?
Of all Mme. Lipkowska's many operatio
roles the Bell Song from "Lakme," that
most difficult of colorature parts, was the
- favorite bit of music of little Aldenna.
Again and again from earliest babyhood
the child had loved to hear her mother
sing to her this bit of composition.
In the opera beautiful Lakme sings the
Bell Song in the market-place to attract
the ear of her lover and briny him to her
side. Could the singer make use of the
j-ame song for the same purpose and bring
her little one to hert
It Aldenna could hear it now, with all
the feeling and expresslon'of the mother's
distracted heart she knew the child would
recognize it And so, from time to time
the prima donna would cease her cries to
buy her fish and would glide Into a bit
of the Bell Song from "Lakme." i
At last Aldenna heard it The old nurse
made her way out cautiously from a cot
tage gate and peered suspiciously Into the
darkness. Mme Lipkowska instantly rec
ognized the faithful old nurse, and in an
other moment mother and child were In
each other's arms. They crept down to
the beach, found their way to the fishing
boat' end sailed away to Constantinople
before the sun rose on Nicolaief.
It Is scarcely , surprising that the pas
senger list of an incoming ship, as it
swung into Its dock In 'New York recently,
bore the words "Lieutenant and Mrs.
Bodin." Mme. Lipkowska's first husband
she had divorced several years ago. How
could she better repay her debt of grati
tude to the chivalrous French officer thaa.
to accept his plea to become his wife?
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