The Republican journal., 1875-05-06
The Baltimore Bonapartes.

In Scribncr's for May there is an inter
estng account of The Baltimore Bona
partes,' by +. l.. Didier, accompanied by
striking portraits of jerome and Madame
Bonaparte. their son and grandson We
quote as follows
Madame Bonaparte is still living in Bal
timore, at the age of ninety years. She
SAYS she has no Intention OF dying until
she is hundred She has been to Europe
sixteen times, and contemplates another
trip this summer This old lady has more
vivacity and certainty more intelligence
than many of the leading women of fash
ion Of the present day. She expresses her
opinion upon all subjects with great free
dom, and sometimes with bitterness. She
has little or no confidence in men; and n
very poor opinion Of women; the young
ladies Of the present day, she says, all
have the ''h0n1O Dldni0.' All sentiment
she thinks a weakness. She processes that
her ambition has always been - not the
throne. 6W near the throne. Mr. Patterson,
her father, died in 1886, at an advanced
age, in possession of large fortune. In
his will which is one of the most remark
able documents that has ever been depos-
tied in the Orphans Court of Baltimore
he says: 1.-The conduct of my daughter,
Betsey, has through life, been so disobed-
lent that in no instance has she ever con-
suited my opinion of feelings; indeed, she
has caused me more anxiety and trouble
than allmy other children put together; her
folly and misconduct have occasioned me
a trail: OF experience that, first to last, has
cost me much money"-in this he means
the marriage of his daughter to jerome
Bonaparte The old gentleman left her.
out of his great wealth, only three or foCr
small houses and the wines in his cellar
worth in all about ten thousand dollars
Madame Bonaparte is very rich she
has made her money by successful spccu-
lations and by her lifelong habit of saving.
For years she has lived at a boarding house
in Baltimore, seeing very little company.
Her costume is ancient. and there is moth
ing about her appearance that suggests
the marvellous beauty that led captive the
heart of Jerome Bonaparte. Her eyes alone
retain some of the brightness of former days
For forty years Madame Bonaparte kept
a diary, in which she recorded her views
and observations of European and Ameri-
can society Some of her remarks are Sc
verely sarcastic. A We'll known Boston
publishing house, it is said, recently offer
ed ten thousands dollars for the manu-
script volumes, but Madame refused to sell
them at any price, and has committed
them to the custody OF her younger grand
son, Charles Joseph, recently law stu
dent of Harvard, now rising member of
the Baltimore bar. They will probably
be published after the writer's death.
In the Franco-P -Prussan war, Colonel Je-
rome Napoleon Bonaparte (grapdson of
Jerome Bonaparte, and Madame Patter-
son Bonaparte) distinguished himself by
his personal bravery and splendid soldier
ly qualities, After the capture of the En-
peror at Sedan, Colonel Bonaparte escort
ed the Empress through France, and re-
turned to Paris in time to take conspicu-
GUS part in the memorable siege of that
city. During the Commune he escaped
from Paris just in time to save his life
At the close of the war, Colonel Bona
parte came back to the United States and
visited Baltimore. In the summer of
1871, at Newport, r. l., he married Caro-
line LIE Roy Appleton { Mrs. Newbold
Edgar )grand-d daughter Of Daniel elWebster.
Colonel Bonaparte has all the qualities
OF successful leader; he is brave, dash
ing and fearless When we recall the
many extraordinary events that have hap
pened in France during the last ninety
years-when we remember that lieuten-
ant of artillery at Toulon became the con-
querer of Austerltz and Emperor of
the grandson of the guillotin-
ed Beauharnais became Napoleon Ill
does it seem impossible that we have
future Emperor of France among us in
Colonel Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte of
Baltimore