Above: "Rachel Dorange is seeking 25 million in damages...." Rachel and Coco.
Source: Ici Paris, February 26, 1951, p. 13. National Library of France (via Gallica).
Above: Rachel and Coco on the back cover of Qui? Detective.
Source: Qui? Detective, August 27, 1951. National Library of France (via Gallica).
Above: Rachel and Coco at the stable.
Source: Qui? Detective, August 27, 1951, p. 22-23. National Library of France (via Gallica).
Above: Rachel and Coco hit the road.
Source: Same source.
20. Scrapbook: 1949-1956 (continued)
Scrapbook: 1951 Rachel told Qui? Detective reporter Maurice Morin that her "melancholic winter trip" to Nice was actually an abortive trip to Monte Carlo, "a 'pilgrimage of remembrance' if you will, and which the PrincipalityΓÇÖs police, showing little leniency toward hearts that do not forget, did not allow me to see through to the end."
Rachel decided to return home by train, riding in a freight car with Coco and her cab.
"Coco, my carriage, and I were rear-ended near the Juvisy station by a train that had been misrouted. The impact was incredibly violent. Coco got off without much harm; but, thrown against the side of the car, I was seriously injured in the head (five stitches), in the thigh, and I fractured my coccyx. Apparently, there were people mean enough to laugh at it!"
Juvisy station is 19 kilometers southeast of Paris. Among those who found the accident amusing was Ici Paris:
"We have seen artists demand exorbitant sums simply because a part of their body has been injured. Dancers, for their feet or legs; stars, for their noses or hair damaged by a clumsy hairdresser; virtuosos, for their hands. All these injuries have been brought before the courts, but there has never been a case quite like that of Rachel Dorange, the former horsewoman turned coachwoman. She is, so to speak, 'one of a kind'.... she severely bruised her... behind."
However, for Rachel the injury was no joke.
"For a high-level show jumper, a fractured coccyx is practically a farewell to everything she loved. One could almost say 'farewell to her reason for living.' Perhaps I will still be able, in the future, to ride very gentle horses – and thatΓÇÖs not certain! But farewell to jumps and the 'Spanish walk'!"
Ici Paris went on to report that Rachel was suing the French national railway, S.N.C.F. (Société nationale des chemins de fer français) for 25 million francs.
"A brilliant lawyer for artists and Parisian celebrities, will Mr. Théodore Valensi manage to secure this sum so that his lovely client can make ends meet, whether standing or lying down?"
Eight months after the accident, in August, Rachel accepted a settlement of a little over one million francs. The franc had shrunk from 332 per U.S. dollar in 1949 to 350 per dollar in 1951, so the million francs amounted to $2,857 U.S.
Rachel told Maurice Morin that the settlement "is, believe me, a pittance. Especially since the upkeep of Coco – whom I donΓÇÖt want to sell, even though IΓÇÖve had many offers – costs approximately a thousand francs a day!"
Rachel was not able to return to work until the beginning of August. "So 'we' must work hard, without respite, at our trade, come rain or shine... and, since I am still suffering greatly, not only mentally but physically, from the aftermath of my accident, these days spent in a cab, working eight, ten, or twelve hours – from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. – often turn into torture for me.
"DonΓÇÖt be surprised, then, that the smile with which I respond to the friendly remarks of strangers or onlookers is sometimes a bit forced.
"To make matters worse, the charming old historic shed where, until recently, I used to take Coco every evening has been under the demolition crewΓÇÖs knife for the past two weeks....
"Businesspeople have just bought the property and are tearing everything down to build a concrete commercial building! YouΓÇÖll say to me: 'Too bad! That's progress!' Of course, of course. But now, hereΓÇÖs Coco forced to move to where you just found us, on Rue des Morillons in Vaugirard, right across from the slaughterhouses – which isnΓÇÖt a cheerful prospect for an aging courser!
"And IΓÇÖm stuck with an extra hourΓÇÖs commute in the morning and another in the evening, just to get there and back, with my leg dragging. Life is exhausting!" Rachel's Qui? Detective interview with Maurice Morin gives us the best portrait of her that we have, at least until a better one shows up. Here, in her own words, is the story of her life up to that point: for example, her childhood and early career (page 45) and her entry into the cab business (page 52).
Morin's interview also gives us an amusing snapshot of Rachel in action. Like other reporters he had to seek Rachel out. He met her at her stable, harnessing Coco, and quickly found himself dragooned into assisting her and then scolded for his ineptitude.
"'Come on! DonΓÇÖt be such a klutz! Help me adjust the hood. Pull that string! Pull. Oh! Never mind, here! You put it on! IΓÇÖll go faster on my own.'"
It was an example of the half teasing, half bullying manner that Rachel had devised, no doubt in self-defence, in order to deal with men and at the same time keep them at arm's length. She used the same manner on her departure from Warsaw in 1928 when giving Michel Lipcynski his marching orders (page 27).
Coco comes in for his share of scolding:
"'Turn around, Coco! Back up. Hey! DonΓÇÖt be a baby, boy! WeΓÇÖre in a hurry. The customers arenΓÇÖt waiting. You know full well we have to be at the Eiffel Tower before noon.'"
A "very young stableboy" shows up late:
"'Ah! There you are, you. Are you here to help me harness him? Too late, kid! You'll get your tip anyway, but I donΓÇÖt need you anymore.'"
Back to Morin:
"'Are you ready? What are you waiting for? Get on! Come sit next to me; weΓÇÖll chat along the way.'
"The blunt directness of that 'What are you waiting for?' and the indescribable charm of that 'Come sit next to me' – that's Rachel Dorange through and through...."