Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-06-12
GOSSIP ABOUT WOMEN.
Mime. BOnaparte, nee "Betsy
Patterson - The Story of
Court ship.
Tho Female Gamblers of the
Last Century.
Waits for the Ladies'.
"DRrsY pArrrRsox's y CONQUEST


fill column after column with the 'social
gossip" of other days. One of these was
schoolmate of Nine. Bonapartc, and
has much to say OF 'sBetsy Patterson's''
conquest and the way in which It was ac-
complished. OF the brilliant beauty and
remarkable conversational powers of this
woman, whose history had so much of
tragic romance about it, her friend says
too much can not be affirmed. She was
Justly entitled TO all the admiration she
received, and even now that her beauty is
gone, her intellect is perfectly clear, and
her wit and readiness in conversation
have lost little OF the fire of her youth.
MARY" she exclaimed, in an earnest ad-
dress to her friend few years ago, ''to
think of a woman of my ambition being
80 cruelty crushedl" She showed q
most beautiful likeness of herself, as she
was, to some ladies, with perfectly in
nocent and surely not wonderful pride in its
loneliness, and said, 'tDo you see how
pleased and happy lookl That was be-
cause all the time was sitting the artist
was telling me how much he admired me,
and how handsome was.n She was told
she ought to allow the picture to bacOpied,
but she Indignantly refused to do so, say
ing it WIS for her grandson and no one
else should have il. The captivating of
Jerome Bonaparte was done OF malice
fOrepeylse. She bad heard of his arriy
in Baltimore, and when the lady who tells
the story went to visit her at her fathers
country seat, few miles from that city,
on the York road, the conversation turned
Il.
the visitor: "You must come to see me
soon, Betsey, and meet Bonaparte." 81
shall come" replied the young lady, "pre-
pared for conquest. Oh, to go to France
as his wife, and be the admiration of all
Europe " A few days afterward she
went to Baltimore 81 heard voices in
the street" says the friend, ''and looking
out of the window saw Betsey
coming on a jackass. T" In this way
1t seems the beauty rode on 10
glory. The next day there were races, and
Betsey attended them, wearing a white
wig. 1t was the fashion In those days for
ladies to wear wigs of every imaginable
color. A belle might appear in the morn
ing with red hair, at noon with white,
and at night with brown, her own per-
haps being black, as was the case with
Miss Patterson's which was of a beautiful
shade of black, not the inky black, or yet
the blue-blsck. Wearing her white wig
and seated in the carriage with other Ia
dies, she was introduced by Commodore
Barney to Jerome Bonaparte, who was at
once struck with admiration of the ''Gre-
clan beauty" as she was called, while
rival belle who afterward married one of
Jerome's suite, Gen Rubell, was known
az the 'fRemsn beauty. The same day
Gen. Smith, ''the hero of Mudfort," gave
dinner to the Frenchmen at which Miss
Patterson appeared, wearing her own
hair, and completed her conquest on the
spot. Jerome told her she was 80 much
more beautiful when adorned by her nstu-
raj tresses then she could possibly be in
any wig that she never again donned one
of those mOnstrosities.
In the course of few days young
Bonaparte gave grand ball, and Miss Pat
terson was his partner. In the dance he
threw over her head gold chain, to which
was attached miniature likeness of him
self, set in diamonds, and the lady bore 1t
off in triumph. Thus the engagement
was made. Miss Patterson's father, how
ever, disapproved, and sent her away to
what is termed the wilds of Virginia
Jerome's love penetrated even to that
secluded spot, and he succeeded in having
letters carried to her. When Mr.. Patter-
son discovered this, he made no further
violent opposition, but brought his dGugh-
ter home, and IN short time the marriage
took place. When the young people were
ready to 60 to Europe, Mr.. Patterson,
who was a merchant and shipowner, fitted
out one of his own vessels to convey his
daughter in regal style to that
France which she hoped TO con-
quer by her beauty. Alas alas! she
reached il only TO find every port closed
against her by reason of the Emperor
order. A message from Napoleon that
his brother should come at once TO Paris
to consult with his majesty was conveyed
to the ship, and, hoping all things, the
bridegroom departed, making sure he
could win his sovereign'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 in vain, was taken TO Lon
don by her brother. There her son was
born. She met Jerome once years after
ward in Florence, in a picture-gallery.
They recognized each other instantly; but
the gentleman who had accompanied the
deserted wife led her away at once, and the
next morning Jerome Bonaparte left the
city.
FEMALE GAMBLERS.
There were no gamestresses among the
Creeks; and the Roman women were
always too much occupied with their do
nestle affairs to find time for play. What
will our modern ladies think when we
state that the Emperor Augustus scarcely
wore garment which had not been
woven by his wife, his sister, OF
, Crandaughters "Veste non temere alis
Guam dOmestica usus est, alb uxore ct fila
nepotibusque cOnfecta.
In France, women who wished &c
gamble were, al first, obliged to keep the
thing secret, for f il became known they
lost caste. In the reigns of Louis XIV
and Louis Louis XIV. they became holder,
and the wives of the great engaged in the
deepest play in their mansions; but still {
gamesiress was always denounced witt
horror ''Such women, says l.;
Bruyere, "mal1e US chaste; they have
nothing of the sex but its garments.
Then, as now, the vice led to othc
crimes. The countess of Schwiechelt, q
young and beautiful lady from Hanover
was much given TO gambling, and lost
$4,000 livres at Paris. In order n repair
this great loss she planned and executed
the robbery of a fine coronet of cmerslds
the property of Nine. Demidoff. Sh'
hsd made herself acquainted with thu
place where it was kept, and at a bal
given by its owner, the Hanoverian lad!
contrived to purloin it. Her youth anC
rank in life induced many persons to so
.licit her pardon; but B onaparte left her t
the punishment TO which she was con
demncd. This occurred in 1904
OF English gamestrnsses, Goldsmith
mentions an old lady ia The country who
having been given over by her PHYSICIAN
played with the curate of the parish 4