The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-06-14
poRE1axrss AnD F11RrArroNs.
Madame Bonaparte, nss "Bet'y Pat
.er,pon"-rhe story Of Her cour'ship
Told Over erAgain-How 1t Turned Out
sinilar Experiences OF the Present
eDay--Eoreign Flirts In Washington.

.''STst ,s.f.e H,.'-ii - q. '. e4
:. Among the residents Of Washington are
some charming old ladies' who could fill
column after column with the social "gossip"
Of other days. One Of these Was q sohoolmate
otMadame Bonaparte, and has much to say OF
"Betsy Pattasou'sn conquest snd this way in
which Il was accomplished.
versatiqnal powers'o OF tins woman, whose his
tory hsd go much OF tragic romance about 1t,
Eer Trend says too: much elpnot be affirmed.
She was Justly entitled to ali the admiration
sherecelyed, and:even NOW, that her beauty ID
gone, ener inseliect is perfectly clear, and her
Nis and readiness IN conversation have lost
lttiejof che FIRE Of her youth. MARY" she!
exclaimed; in an earnest address to her friend
4 few Years ago, Ito think OF . woman OF my
Ambition being so crushed1'i, She showed
most beautiful Kkeless " herself ss she vas,
tSsome ladies', with -lsrfeetly innocent and
Shdaitd, "Do you see a0w pleased and happy
IlGdkT That Vas because all the time I was
sitting. the artiat was telling me how much he
Samised dme; and how. handsome / was" She
:: :r1s tod she ought to allow the picture to be
copied, but abe Indignantly refused to do 80.
Saving II. was Tor her grandson and no one else
.HhS1sd have it. !, The captivating OF Jerome
Bonsparte WAS done OF malice, prepenSe. She
md heard q, his arrival IN Bait,more, and
when tk8 lady who tells the story went to visit
her her fatker's country seat, q few miles
from that city. On thstyork road. the conversa.
Gkid the visitor: "You must come TO see me
soop, Betsy, and meet :Eonaparte:" II shall
Gomez replied the young lady, prepared for
CONQUEST. Oh, to 60 to France as his wife,
and Dethe;sdmiration OF all Europe!" A few
days afterward she went to Baltimore. 81
heard voices in the street." says the friend,
..snd looking out the window saw Betsy
th4 beauty rods on to glory. The next day
tharetWere races, and Betty attended them,
! lvesfiDgR white wig. It was the fashion in
those days for ladies to wear wigs OK every
tnnaStnable color. A belle might appear 10
the morning with red hair, OF noon with
white and at night with brown, her own per-
hapS beng blank, as Was the case with Miss
Patteraon's, which was OF q beautiful shade OF
6lhck4not the inky- black, or yet the blue
black. Wearing her white wig and seated in
sfhe carriage with other ladies'. she WAS intro
iduced BY Commodore Barney TO Jerome Bona
-parte, who was ct once struck with admiration
s4f the it:Greoias beauty as she was called,
: Mbiless rval oelle who afterwards married one
LOT JeromA's suit, General Rubell, was known
cse the .Romsn beauty The same dav Gene
RAJ Smith, ''the hero OF Mudiort,D gave din
'herto the Frenchmen, at which Miss Patter-
aUp6hx0Q, .W6dku6 1&OI OHu 41Al3s auo COtl-
,nIatedihar conquest on the spot. Jerome told
/; iher she was 30 puch more beautiful when
adorned BY her natural tresses than she could
poosfblv be in any wig that she never again
apuned one OF those monsrostties.
hin' the course Of q few days young Bonapsrte
gave grand bull and Miss Patterson was h's
partner. In the dance he threw over her head
3 GofdFchain. TO which was attached q miniature
Ekepass Of himself, set in diamonds, and the
lady bore 1t off in triumph. Thus the engage
.ment iwas made: : Miss Patterson's father,
however, ,disapproyed, and sent her away to
rome's love penetrated even to that secluded
SPOT. and he succeeded in having letters car
red to her. When MIR. Patterson discovered
fhia 11e made NO further violent opposition, but
brought hls daughter home. and in short
time the marriage took place. When the
CPstterson, who vas merchant and ship-owner,
fitted out one OF his own vessels to convey his
daughter in regal style to that France which
she hoped to conquer by her beauty. Alas
alas she reached 1t only to find every port
closed sgainst her by reason OF the Emperor's
orders. message from Napoleon that his
brother should come at once to Paris to con-
suit with his Majesty was conveyed to the
ship, and, hoping all things, the bridegroom
DEPARTED making sure he could win his sove-
reigp,s consent to his marriage in personal
interview. He never saw his wife again. The
Emperor forbade his return to her, and she,
after awaiting him 10 vain, was taken TO Lon
don BY her brother. There her son was born
Hhe met Jerome once, years afterwards in
florence, in q picture-gallery. They Iecog-
ni1ed each other instantly; but the gentleman
who had accompanied the desert ed wife led her
AWAY at once and the next morning Jerome
:Bonaparte left the city.
iic Suoh is the outline given by Niles Patterson's
eobooimste OF this singular story, which has
been 30 long matter OF history thas 1t is news
10 many Of the present generation. To Jerome
.Bonsparte Baltimore wss indebted for the
introduction OF the waltz, which dance at once
became fayorlte with the young people, while
their parents disapproved OF 1t e1en more than
-h,Rny OF them did Of the foreigners who taught
ia The same lady tells Of slipping away from
her home after her father was in bed, for he
did not adple the Ftenchmen, and dancing
all lnight at Bonaparte's ball. Subsequently she
herself gave ball, and oponed It with this
same BJnsparte IN thst same waltz. and she
tells now. with gleam OF amusement in her
still handsome eyes, OF her daring acts OF dis
obedeoce. And, Gpropos OF this same parental
disapproval OF foreign fsscinators, manifested
ss, strongly in the early days Of our histoy as
now. when experience has taught to read, for
'.oountn no account, and for baron" barren.
one is led to inquire whence the feeling
proceeded Was it from an instinct of self
preserystlou that the parents OF the ladies
before mentioned were disposed to cover thir
young with their wings. fearihg the approach
OF the DESTROYER The history OF MISS Pat
terson has pointed moral which seemingly her
SUCCESSORS have tailed to observe to their profit.
She was. and is, foremost in the ranks OF those
whose ruined lives have been the consequence
OF too implic,t faith in foreign fidelity. An ad-
dition ia made to the list OF csses more or less
notable year by yesr, and yet the diplomatic
corps continues to pique itself upon beng the
pride and delight Of Washington, the day