Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-26
EMPEROR NORTON.

EMPER R0R NORTON.
Nathan Peiser of Vallejo, in conversa-
tion with reporter for the Vallejo Cbron-
tc(e, few days since, gave some interest
ing information concerning the late EN-
peror Norton" In 1872 said Mr.. Peiser,
| was one of the crew of the English
transport ship Waterloo. on our way from
London to Australia, with 200 persons on
board, consisting of officers, sailors, soldiers
and transports. Becoming short of water,
the ship put into Cape Town, on the
coast of Africa, on the 25th day of August
of the same year. While riding at anchor
in Table Bay, three days, later, terrific
northeaster swept over the water and
caused the anchors to drag until the ship
run upon reef of rocks and was dashed to
pieces. Several other ships lying in the
harbor met with similar. fate. The
large troop ship, Oliver Cromwell, Robin
son, containing 1000 soldiers on their way
to the hatfir war, was swept ashore but
the men were saved. The persons OH
board the Waterloo were not so fortunate,
and 1877 were drowned, and many severely
injured by being dashed against the rock
or struck by falling timbers. Some of the
men managed to save themselves by being
taken ashore in hfeboats. | was among
THE UNFORTUNATE ONES
Who received severe injuries, and was,
with the balance, taken to the English
| hospital on the outskirts of the town. In
Cape Town there were number of mer-
chants of Jewish extraction, and fearing
that some of their friends and countrymen
might be among the injured at the hospi-
tai, party called one day among the
| ba, Nv. Ep, ,li iobp
who was keeping ship chandlery store in
Cape Town. / being Jew, attracted his
attention, and we formed an acquaintance,
and, as luck would have it, CHANGED to
know his brother and several Of his friends
and relations residing in London. Mr..
Norton Immediately had me taken to his
residence, and introduced me to his wife
and children. The eldest of the children
was Joshua Norton, the late Emperor
| Norton, then young man between 25
and 80 years of age. l was two or three
years younger. At that time he talked
! freely of his birthplace as being in London.
While enjoying the hospitality of Mr..
Norton, Jewish prayers were frequently
said, which always s.was a source of amuse-
ment to Joshua. One day he provoked
the father to such an extent that, old as he
was, he received a castigation. While at
Cape Town we were both very intimate,
and Joshua assisted his father IN the ship
chandlery store as clerk, and had a keen,
business-like air, and was
MUCH ADMIRED BY THE YOUNG
As well as the old people in the settlement.
| remained at Cape Town eleven months,
and not finding anything to do l bid adieu
to my friends and shipped on board Ger
man vessel called the Pilgrim, bound for
Hamburg. We arrived in safety, and after
travelling in various parts of the coun ry,
| finally came to California in 1850, and re-
maiued until the breaking out of the re-
bellion, when | went East and enlisted in
the Independent Battalion of New York
| Volunteers and passed through the whole
conflict, and returned to California in 1866.
Happening in the Empire Lodging house,
! San Francisco, one summer afternoon, L
casually mentioned to the landlord that |
had formerly resided in Cape Town, Cape
of Good Hope. The landlord replied that
one of his old dodgers was from Cape Town,
and no doubt that he would be glad to see
me. Upon asking who the person was l
was told that the name was that of a IT,
tied parsonage, Emperor Norton.
"EMPERoR NORTON"
| exclaimed, ''The latter name Is familiar,
but not the first" In few minutes a
heavy tread was heard coming up the mar
row flight of stairs, and the thump of q
stick was echoed at every step. In a mo-
ment in walked man wearing faded
uniform, with tarnished epaulettes on the
shoulders a Kossuth hat with gold cord
and an ostrich plume was on his head, and
twisted, knotted stick under his arm. AS
soon as he entered the room he raised his
hat, and taking red silk handkerchief
from his pocket, wiped the perspiration
| from his brow. AS he raised the hat from
his head, it flashed across my mind that
the man before me was my old friend,
Joshua Norton, for there was the same
stout figure, though bent with age, and the
same striking countenance / had so often
seen in the ship chandler's store on the
African coast. He at first did not seem to
recollect me, until l called to his mind
the wreck of the Waterloo, and being at
his fathers house. All at once he said,
"Why yes, Nathan, distinctly remember
you, and the correction | received for rails
ing disturbance at Jewish prayer meet
ing. | was then invited up another flight
of stairs to his room, and we had a long
conversation about his father, mother and
sisters. | asked him, on the score of old
friendship, to tell me how it was that
HE CAME BY THE TITLE
OF Emperor, and why he wore the uniform
he then had on. For some cause or other
the demeanor of the old man changed all
of sudden, and he raised from the edge of
his single bed where he had been sitting,
and went to the door and opened it. After
looking up and down the hallway he care
fully closed it and turned the key, and
then stepped to where | was sitting in
amazement at his strange proceedings, and,
stooning down, looked me intently in the
face, and almost whispered, that before he
would tell me he would first impose
silence upon my lips never to reveal to any
one about his folks at Cape Town. l
thought it strange, but, being interested,
readily gave the promise. My old friend
then told me that he was not the son of
Mr.. Norton, of Cape Town, but that he
was Crown Prince to the throne of
France; that he had been sent to Cape
Town to save himself from being assassin
ated that heswas adoptedby Mr.. Norton,
and he had retained his name for the love
he had for him, and had taken the title of
emperor, which he was rightfully en-
titled to bear that the uniform was
PRESENTED TO HIM BY QUEEN VICTORIA,
And all the people, both here and in Mex
leo, were his subjects" l looked at the
man moment, and then told him 1
thought he was crazy to which he replied,
''And SO do good many Others" l asked
him when lie left Cape Town, and he told
me short time after | was there that his
guardian or adopted father presented him
a brig loaded with goods, which he took to
Chile and Peru and disposed of, and made
considerable money +; that he had come to
California in 1850, and after a time lost all
the money he had, when he concluded that
as he possessed such strain of noble blood,
it would not do for him to work any more,
and he should not until the day of his
death. At this time the Emperor again
spoke of his birthplace being in England,
which, to my mind, is evident that the
Emperor was of English birth, and not