A Child Killed by its Mother

In the article “Suicide of an Actress,” Mademoiselle Fryghine committed suicide with a revolver at a French residence. She was an actress her made her debut a few months earlier in the show “Babine,” where despite her excellent performance, she was met with criticism for her pronunciation, which led her nationality to be called into question. She became romantically entangled with Due de Morny, the son of a statesman, and the article reports that this connection is what lead to her tragic death because she became enamoured of him, while he wanted to break off their relationship. The article reports that Mademoiselle Fryghine had called on Due de Morny to come over, and when he suggested that they part, she allegedly stood up, faced the mirror, said “Good night,” and shot herself under her left breast with the revolver. A doctor was called but he could not remove the bullet from her body, and the Mademoiselle was conscious the entire time, and was placed in bed where she slowly bled out over a span of hours. The police asked her why she had done this, and she responded that had nothing against the duke and her actions were not a result of a disagreement with him, but that she was tired of living her life.

Mademoiselle Fryghine’s story is featured on the cover of this issue. The illustration and the article suggest that her death is noteworthy-- the article dramatizes her death, even goes so far as to record her purported last words. This article also positions her death to be around the duke, as they mention him and their relationship in a way that suggests that their relationship is the reason for her suicide. This insinuation reflects the ways in which society positions women’s actions around men, as even on her deathbed Mademoiselle Fryghine claims that it has nothing to do with him; they gloss over the idea that her career could be a factor. The way this story is dramatized reveals the ways in which society deliberately misunderstands women’s actions and thought processes, and how the paper instead chooses the salacious and scandalous route to tell the story instead of doing justice to the nuances that are important to understanding this tragic incident.