Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-04-23
MADAME BONAPARTE.
A Story Of Real Life that Reads Like
Il Romance.

Romance.
Almost every one is in some measure
familiar with the main details of Eliza
beth Patterson's marriage to the brother
of the great Napoleon, and the prOmi-
nent facts of her subsequent career;
but there ale many facts touching her
life as girl and woman that do not ap-
pear in the biographies. She first met
Capt Jerome Bonaparte at the Balti-
more races in the autumn Of 1893. He
had left his ship, which was returning
from a cruise IL the West Indies, and
was on a brief visit to Capt. Barney, of
Baltimore. 1t is said that Miss Patter-
son, the most beautiful and attractive
woman of her time in Baltimore, ex-
pressed wish to go to the races,
with the hope of meeting the young
officer there. The old merchant, a
practical, plodding man Of business,
babe her put such nonsense out of her
head. He would not allow his daughter,
he said, /" to run after foreign upstarts.'
But Miss Patterson appears to have had
will of her own then, as she certainly
had in later years, and went out to the
race course in spite of her fathers Op-
position. Mr.. Patterson was at that
time living at his country seat near
BaltimOre-noW embraced within the
limits of the city-and spent the day at
his business in town, returning at night.
His daughter took advantage Of this,
mounted one of the horses on the day
set for the races, and, accompanied by
her younger brother, galloped out to the
meeting.
Jerome Bonaparte was already on
the grounds. surrounded by many dis
tinguished Americans and bevy Of
beautiful women from Washington,
New York, and Baltimore. When Miss
Patterson rode up his attention was at
once attracted to her, and as she dis
mounted, he asked one of the gentle
men near for an introduction. The
conquest begun by her beauty, was
soon completed by her wit. He seemed
IN love with her from the first, and with
in very short time asked her hand In
marriage.
Mr.. Patterson belonged to that shrewd
Scotch Irish race, which has acted so
conspicuous a part in the commerce Of
this and other countries. He was not
dazzled by the prospect Of his daughter
marrying a..frst consups brother-especi-
ally as the young man was a minor, en-
tirely dependent upon the brother who
had recently shown his displeasure to-
ward Lucien for marrying the widow Of
a merchant, when it was desired that he
should marry German princess. Mr..
Patterson knew that his daughter would
run a greatrisk in marrying Frenchman
without the consent of bis mother, and
without the consent of the government,
whose officer he was. So he opposed
the match vigorously from the first.
But in spite of her fathers entreaties
and circumstances, Miss Patterson de-
termined to marry, saying she 'wOulu
rather be the wife of Jerome onaparte
for one hour than the wife of any other
man for life" Finding all his efforts to
prevent the marriage useless, Mr.. Pat
terson at length gave a reluctant con-
sent.
The marriage was celebrated on
Christmas eve, 1903, by the Right Rev.
John Carroll, Bishop of Baltimore, who
was afterward the first Archbishop of
that see, and Primate Of the Catholic
Church III the United States. A gen.
tleman who was present on the occasion
said: call the clothes worn by the bride
might have been put In my pocket
Her dress was of muslin, richly en-
broidered, Of extremely fine texture.
Beneath her dress she wore but a single
garment"
What followed is matter of history
Young Mr.. Robert Patterson, q brother
~ +bo br;Jo o,I M ~, E,,roylo
Mr.. Robert Livingstone, American
Minister to France, and through him
met the First Consul and other mem
hers of Jerome's family, but apparent
~ without at all reconciling them to the
marriage. Nine. Letitia Bonaparte,
Jerome's mother, entered a legal pro-
test against the marriage, and Napoleon
communicated to M. Pichon, Consul
General of France, at New York, an
order instructing him to withhold Je-
rome's supplies, and prohibiting the
commanders of French vessels from re-
ceiving on board "the young person to
whom he has attached himself" Jerome
and his wife, after various attempts to
secure passage on other vessels, at last
sailed in one of Mr.. Pattersons own,
the Erin, for Lisbon. Off the port they
were met by French man-of-war,
whose commander forbade Nine. Bone
parte to land, but put no obstacle in
the way of Jeromes doing so. Jerome
decided to GO ashore, with the hope
that personal interview with his
brother might result in reconciling him
to the marriage, and his young wife
proceeded to Amsterdam, where
another man-of-war covered the Erin
with its guns, and the unhappy lady,
soon to become a mother, was landed
the next day at Dover, England being
at war with France.
She saw her husband only once again,
If ever-a story being current that he
met her for moment after IN Florence.
Her child, Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte,
was born at Camberweile, England,
July 7, 1906, and her husband. yielding