RACHAEL, THE BEAUTY WITCH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16923, 23 December 1922, Page 3

RACHAEL, THE BEAUTY WITCH.

HER TOILET SECRETS. A FORGOTTEN FRAUD. There must be many people alive today who can remember the excitement of the famous Rachel case (.says “ Pearson’s Weekly”). In the Lon*ten of the early sixties, one of the most prominent figures of “half-society” was that of Madame Rachel, the witch, or, as wo should now call her, the beauty doctor, of New Bond Street. Born plain Sarah Rachel Russell, she had the misfortune to lose her first husband. Jacob Moses, but speedilv consoled herself with a second, Philip Jjevison. In poor circumstances. Sarah resolved to make a bid for wealth, and, becoming possessed of some prescription for the hair, made her commercial how as a beauty specialist. Her success was phenomenal, probable owing to her extreme impudence. The" Bond Street beauty parlour was decorated with gorgeous hangings, crystals, and everything else that would be likely to appeal to the senses of her dupes. Alma, a pretty girl of perhaps seventeen. solemnly posed as a woman of ninety, who had kept marvellously young by the use of madame’s potions! This girl would casually remark to a hesitating customer that she had much the same manner as dear Lady Somebody, who had died perhaps seventy years before ! Rachel had a large house at Blackheath and an establishment in fashionable Maddox Street, and in her private box at the opera she queened it as a sort of priestess of high society. EXORBITANT PRICES. To pay for these trifles the most extraordma r > prices were charged in Bond Street. Her Circassian Beauty Wash, tho Magnetic Dow of Sahara, the famous Jordan Water (which madame said was specially brought across the desert on swift camels, and which she sol 1 at twenty guineas a bottle, but which afterwards appeared to be made from plain starch and fuller’s earth !). all helped to make a fortune for Rachel. Middle-aged women almost fought for admission to her salons, imploring to he made young again. Probably in most cases tiie washes had no effect at all. though in at least one reported instance a dangerous skin rash was the result. Unfortunately, madame refused to content lierseif with the ordinary profits of two pennyworth of stuff sold for twenty guineas, and ventured into deeper waters. Madame mentioned one day to a customer, a Mrs Borradaile. widow of an Indian Army officer, that she (Mrs Borradailel had captured the affections of a great lord, and after some hesitation his name was given—Lord Danelagh. PLUCKING THE PIGEON. He was n middle-nged peer, well known in society, of rather an earnest temperament—-his chiet interest was the then new volunteer movement and he was a splendid match for most busband hunting women. Mrs Borradaile, who was of a singularly simple and trusting tv n of mind, fell' into the trap, eagerly expressing her delight at her noble “suitor’s” adAnd then began the methodical plucking of the pigeon, so thorough as to seem almost incredible. For so magnificent a groom the bride must, of course, be beautified by every process known to Bond .Street, and Mrs Borradaile was accordingly dosed with evjerv hocus pocus which Rachel could invent. One speciality, for instance, was a ‘ secret” enamel, which cased the fool ish customer’s face in a simpering mask about as lifelike as a doll’s. The Venus hath was supposed to have some magical properties, and the unfortunate woman was made to taka at least a hundred. Naturally, one cannot be made voting for nothing ; all these preparations had cost thousands to make up (the fuller's earth was probably not mentioned 1). express services of galloping dromedn lie? cost money, and. in short, even tho kind madame had to lie paid. The anxious Mrs Borradaile was eas ily persuaded, when her balance ran short- to sell out stock, THE DUPED WIDOW, Even this process was not fast enough, and the great Lord Ranelnghnr. rather, a confidential shop-boy of i niftdame’s. ulio wrote lettcss that were

supposed to come from his lordship—began to borrow money.

It is true that the letters were not always spelt quite correctly, neither were they quite such as might have been expected from so eminently respectable a nobleman as Lord Rane lagh. hut they satisfied the widow, and that was the main thing. In return Mrs Borradaile wrote letter after letter to her “ Dear William,” and madame was always obliging enough to offer to carry them to her lover.

For weeks after the subsequent ex, posure this extraordinary correspondence kept London convulsed with roars of laughter. On the one hand Lord Danelagh was writing to his “Own Dear One. is it the bill which has annoyed you?” and begging her not to neglect “ our dear friend Madame Rachel.” nn.i on tho other side the almost impossibly silly widow was begging her own Y\ illiam to accept new shirts. now boots, monev for clothes. The real Lord Ranelagh was one of the best-dressed men about town, and a well-known dandy; but it had only to he suggested that “ Dear "William ” ought to have new socks and his tender-hearted little sweetheart rushed in with the money. Needless to say, “ William ” never refused a single- thing, and even someown. and most oi Mrs Borradaile*? diamonds were sold on tho plea of “helping the volunteers.” THE LAST STRAW. Finally, having got every penny of her victim’s fortune, Rachel went a htep too far: she actually said that she owed her money, swore an affidavit, and had her put in prison, only releasing her on signing over her late husband’s pension for the rest of her days. This was the very last straw ; • the widow had friends who had long thought that flic ought to ho care of, and here was definite proof. So the matter, in spite of frenzied efforts to hush it up, was taken into court. Never had there been such a sensation. One can imagine the painful position of the highly respectable Lord Ranelagh. who, by the way, had never before heard of his little sweetheart. Through no fault of his own lie became such a laughing stock that he practically had to resign every public appointment. Every music-hall comedian had something to say about him, racehorses wero named after him; the whole thing vent with a roar! Ab the two trials—the jury disagreed at the first—it turned out that madame’s early education in geography had been neglected, and that she was not quite clear where the Jordan was ; the special service of swift camels was a. brilliant stroke of imagination, but tho feelings of tho grand ladies who for years had been paying their twenty guineas for the stuff were unexpressible !

Ip the end Rachel got five years’ penal servitude, and .London thought it had finished with, the Bond Street witch. Ten years later, however, she reappeared on the scene on practically the same charge.

Another five years was the result, and the famous Rachel once more disappeared, this time for good. A painted, enamelled old woman, starting with no education and no capital except her profound impudence. Rachel so understood tho weaknesses of human nature that for years she was able to star it on an income a lord might have envied.