The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-06-28

tIleIc, Wl1le jerome went forward, and
sought the presence of his brother, and
endeayored by personal entreaties to
overcome his repUgnance to the union.
Adopting this course in the face of re-
peated warnings, they landed at Lisbon,
early IN April, 1905, when they had been
married one year and four months
From Lisbon young Jerome wrote a
most atfectiOnate letter in English to his
wife's family in Baltimore.
My feelings for you, my second moth
er," he wrote, ''and all your good fam
lily, are very well known to you, and it
is easier for me to feel them than te ex-
press them. have left one of my fam
Il1es, and will soon be among another !;
but the pleasure and the satisfaction Of
being in my first, will never make me
forget my second. My dear wife has
fortunately supported the fatigues of
our voyage perfectly we'll. She has been
very sick, but you know as well as any
body that seasick never has killed no
body"
A few days after writing this letter,
Jerome BOnaparte bade farewell to his
wife, and began his journey toward the
Imperial Court, which he reached after
a mOnthsj journey. His brother at first
refused to see him.
"Let him write to me-" said the En-
peror.
Jerome wrote, accordingly, a short
note, merely announcing his arrival; to
which Napoleon sent Short, but very
clear and decided reply:
There are no faults which a true repentance
cannot Obliterate from my mind. Your union
with Miss Patterson is nHt, as well in the eyes
OF Religion as in those of the Law. Write to
Miss Patterson, and tell her to go back to Amer
| accord n Of 81 iYtI
thousand francs year, on condition that in no
circumstances she assumes my name; to which,
considering the non-eXistence OF her union, She
has no right Make her understand that you
have not been able, and will never be able, to
change the nature of things. Your marriage
thus annulled by your OWN consent, will res
tore you my friendship, and resume the affec-
tion which have had for you from your i'll
fancy"
jerome yielded on the instant. The
proof of this is contained in the tenth
volume Of the Napoleon correspondence,
recently published. On the same sixth
of May on which Napoleon wrote the
letter quoted above, he wrote one to his
sister Eliza, in which he mentioned that
he was satisfied" with JerOme's con-
duct in the matter; and on the same day
he wrote q letter to Cambaceres, request
ing him to make out the proper papers
disavOwing the marriage, for jerome to
sign. I do not doubt that the young
husband was sorry to lose his ''little
Baltimore beauty" as she was frequent
ly termed; but the damning fact re-
mains,- that he gave her up the first
hour that he stood in the presence of
atrOciOus in Jerome cOntemptible.
Jerome agreed to send his private secre-
tary to Lisbon to break the news to his
wife but before the messenger reached
her she had sailed for Holland.
When she arrived at Amsterdam, a
place wholly under the control of Ma
p0leOn, she was not permitted to go on
shore, although the ship was short of
provisions, and she was within few
days of her confinement. The Ameri-
can Consul stated the case strongly to
the Dutch government, and begged
that, if Madame Bonaparte could not
be permitted to land, she might at least
be furnished with fresh provisions, and
the ship allowed to go to London. The
provisions, it seems, were furnished,
and the departure of the ship was per
mitted !; and in London, in July, 1905,
her son was born.
Her husband, it appears, still f1attered
her with vain hopes, causing her to be
informed that, although the Emperor
was dissatisfied with the marriage, he
lived in expectation of overcoming his
objection. A letter reached her to this
effect as late as July, 1905.
We soon hear of Jerome BOnaparte
commanding feet in the MediteFra-
mean and in less than two years after
in August, 1807-he married the daugh-
ter Of the King of Wurtemburg. He
was crowned king himself soon after.
In September, 1905, the mother and
child returned to Baltimore, where the
mother is still living in good health, at
the age of eighty-eight. Her son, who
was commonly called Colonel Jerome
Napoleon Bonaparte, lived till the year
1870, and has numerous descendants.
Whether Madame BOnaparte consented
to receive the pension offered her by
Napoleon does not appear but she is
possessed of great wealth, which, it is
said, she has carefully hOarded-living
herself in the fourth story. of an ordi-
nary house in Baltimore-in the expec-
tatiOn of her grandson one day needing
it to support his rank as @ prince Of the
French empire.