Morning journal and courier., 1880-02-02

from three to five times year, and would re- ceive from each the sum of four bits. in ex- change for which he handed over the follow ing bond: The Imperial Government of Norton l. promises to pay to the holder therereof the sum of Fifty Dents in the year
 1890, with interest at per centum per annum
 from date; principle and interest to be con-
 vertibie, at holders option, at maturity. into twenty year per eentum bonds, or payable in gold coin. Given under our Imperial hand and seal. Norton I. Emperor These bonds, like all the poor fellows manuscripts, were written in an excellent hand, and were fault less in regard both to punctuation and or biography. It was rarely indeed that he called on any business man who did not honor this periodical assessment but when re- 1 fusal did come, the Emperor turned with as polite bow and as cordial ssucces to you as though he received the money. His repu- tation for honesty was such that merchants l never scrup1ed to hand him a $2O gold piece, which he would go and get changed outside, and religiously return the $19. 50 with his imperial bond, which he con- sidered permit to trade within the limits of his realm. In this way Norton made more than enough to defray his slender expenses
 He had occupied for the past seventeen years the same room in lodging house, and had paid his room rent, fifty cents a day, regular ly every evening. The walls of the room were adorned with portraits of Queen Victo- rin, the Empress Eugenie, and others of the crowned heads of Europe. He believed him self their equal.
 ssHis death has revived the old story that he was 8 natural son of King William ". Certain it is that, born in London in 1917, he early left home for the Cape of Good Hope. From there he emigrated to Valparaiso, re- maining there till the gold fever of 1848 at tracted thousands to California. Almost i'm mediately after bis arrival there he seems to have been recognized as a shrewd, honest, enterprising business man, and to have been entrusted with important purchasing commis- sions on behalf of several firms already estab- lished in Frisco. His gains, which were con- siderable he invested in real estate and in time Joshua A. Norton became quite noted land speculator, one of the large buildings owned by him being in what up to few years ago was in the very center of the business portion of the city. Unfortunately for Norton, he became impressed with the then prevailing mania for getting mp corner in some arti- cle of daily consumption. and in 1852 he bought up all the rice warehoused in the city, beside all the floating cargoes of that staple Expecting as he did 10 obtain control of the market, he did not hesitate to satisfy the holders demands, and one firm received from Norton the round price of fifteen cents a pound for 8 cargo to arrive. As frequently happens in such cases, after Norton had spent the whole of his ready cash in buying all the cargoes expected, 9 large cargo reached San Francisco from an unlocked for source. The speculator, who had calculated on coming out of the operation millionaire. WAS unable to take it up, and. as a natural consequence, the price of rice took a terrible tumble. Norton's losses were such that he was forced to sell considerable portion of his real estate, and he became involved in long and weary litigation. After time the strain upon his mental faculties proved too great. His mind became unbalanced, and, having been prospective ruler Of the rice market, his hal!ucination assumed the shape of an impe- rial sway over California and Mexico"