The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-05-11
IERnME RoSApARrEs WIDOW.
The Woman Who Welded the Brother
ofthe First Napoleon.

y ~ Il We
The Woman Who Welded the Brother |
oftbe First Napoleon.
Nine. Bonaparte, the sister-in-law of |
the first Napoleon and widow of Jerome !
Bonaparte, writes the Baltimore cor
respondent of the Washington Chroni-
Gle, is still living in Baltimore at very
advanced age. A little less than CEN
fury ago her father, Mr.. Patterson, was
wealthy and distinguished citizen
here, and about seventy-fve years ago
his daughter, the subject of this sketch,
CAV, brilliant, imperious, and a noted
beauty, made ready conquest of the
heart and hand of the French Emperor's
brother Jerome, who was then sojourn
ing here. With high hope and the bod
est ambition, the young bride set sail
for France with her royal consort in
ship presented by her father. But the
American bride was promptly disown-
ed by the Emperor. On reaching
French waters they were met by ship
commanded by French naval officer,
who presented royal order to Jerome
to report at once to the Emperor, &C
companied by his companion, the young
American lady, who was not to be
recognized as his wife. jerome, fear
ing to disobey, took leave of his wife
and boarded the French ship. The cap
tain of the American vessel was then
commanded to follow. But Nine. Bona
parte, fearing to place herself within
the power of Napoleon, commanded
the captain of her vessel to sail for Eng
land, which order was executed by a
successful ruse, and she made good her
escape. so, sir,'' said the Emperor,
coldiy, on meeting his brother, 'you have
presumed to dishonor your blood by an
alliance with a backwoods mikmaid.
You must at once consent to honor my
commands, or be forever disOwned."
The desertion of his wife by Jerome
and his subsequent royal alliance at his
brothers command are well known.
Subsequently the Emperor somewhat
relented, and for time Nine. Bona
parte received an allowance from him
of $4,000 per annum, which she has by
iudiciOus investment so multiplied that
she is now worth something over ST.
100000. But the Emperor would never
consent to meet her and she has never
seen him. Notwithstanding his I'M
gracious treatment she has ever been an
ardent admirer of his character. She
considers him the greatest man the
world has ever seen and his name the
most honorable; and for this reason
and no other she has never relinquished
it. To-day she is Nine. Bonaparte, and
her marriage has always been sustained
by the Catholic Church. She had one
child, a son, now deceased, but she has
two grandsons still living. The elder,
who was the pride of her old age, and
on whom she had set great hopes, was
gallant and spirited fellow and an Off
Ger in the French army. The madame
supplied him abundantly with money to
entertain as became one of his blood.
Although the French authorities would
not permit him to bear his rightful name
of Bonaparte, his patron had set her
hopes on his forming noble alliance.
But when the young officer married
against her wishes she transferred her
favor to his younger brother, who is to-
day modest yet honored member of
the Baltimore legal fraternity.
But to return: l am unable to trace
the course of Nine. Bonaparte chrome
logically, though have heard it from
her own lips. She has spent altogether
about twenty years at the various capt
tails of Europe, though he- principal re-
sort has been Geneva, and she has
mingled freely with the best society of
the Old World. She is something more
than the result of rare opportunities for
culture and social intercourse. On
meeting her one becomes instantly con-
scious that he is in the presence of a
superior intelligence and a royal soul.
But she is very old-mOre than 80. She
seems like the spirit of past age risen
from the graves OF the Napoleons and
Wellingtons and Byrons to utter over
again the sayings of the wits and stars
OF that early period. She is still witty,
epigrammatic, full of incidents and
memories, and of the wise sayings of
the notable persons whom she had
known. If time and space would
permit, | should like to report
some incidents concerning Vol
taire, Lamartine, Guiccioli, and
score of others, which she re-
members as if they occurred yesterday.
Nine. de Stael she refused to meet, and
when l expressed surprise, she said :
"Oh, de Stael was accustomed to pro-
nounce judgment on every one she met,
and there was no appeal from her de-
cision. If person newly introduced
did not strike de Stael's fancy, or in
vent some remarkable witticism out of
hand, her death sentence was instantly
pronounced. Nine. Bonaparte lives
in very modest and retired manner,
and occupies herself chiefly in reading
her favorite authors and in writing a
journal and autobiography which are
not to be published until after her death.
She is disinclined to converse on relig-
ious matters, bat says that her relig-
ious opinions are fully expressed in
her writings. However, one may infer
from her high appreciation of Voltaire' 8
works that her religious views are not
| mike his