The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-06-09
NAPoLEoN's PUTATIvE SON.
A SAN Francisco Matchmaker Who Looked
Like the Emperor.
New london Comm Day. |


"a son Of Louis Napoleon born in st. Hell
ena Island and buried in Lone Mountain
Cemetery is the heading of an article pub
lished in the San Francisco World that will
cause many New Londoner to open his eyes
and wonder he did not guess it before. The
article accredits Napoleon Bonapart with
being the father of the late John Gordon,
the matchmaker, who formerly resided here
and notice of whose death at San Francisco
appeared in these columns some weeks since.
The resemblance Mr.. Gordon bore to his
putative father. the Emperor, was often the
subject of comment, but regarded only as a
coincident. The story, however. is best told
by the World as follows:
THE matron of Napoleon's prisoner per
haps it would be more correct to speak of
her as the Neutrality-suspicious. by the
British Government TO attend to the COM
forts of the exiled monarch, was a comely
woman in early middle life, and doubtless
she, in common with the rest of his attend
ants could never quite forget that her charge
had once worn an imperial crown. Napo-
leon, like Jove in Dryden's immortal poem,
stamped an image of himself on the nearest
approach to a flair Olympia that the
somewhat straiteHed resources of st. Hell
enas Isle could furnish. The result was the
birth of boy, who, albeit with the bar
sinister OF the Bonapartes on his escutcheon,
could yet it is believed, claim more kindred,
blance of feature and figure to the race than
Napoleon III. ever could.
AFTER the death of the exiled emperor the
housekeeper left st. Helena and went to Lon
don, taking her boy with her. There she
married a matchmaker of the name of Cor
don, who adopted the boy and bestowed on
him his own name By and by the young
fellow grew to manhood. learned his adopted
fathers trade, and in thes course of years
wandered to New London, Conn.,, where he
soon established himsef, in large and thriv-
ing business as matchmaker and jeweler
He became a man of influence in that part
of the country, mixing much in politics.
He even took quite prominent part in
journalism, especially during the contest
which prece ded the selection of League Is
land as the site of a navy yard. New London
was the rival of that point for the possession
of the yard, and a long and animated discus
sion on the relative claims of the two points
was carried on between Gordon and
Gideon Welles, then Secretary of the Navy.
The literary contributions of the former to
this controversy, though unsuccessful in at
tanning their end were marked with great
ability and earned for him the respect and
gratitude of the people of New London. Re
chiefly contributed to the Norwich Bulletin
and the New London Star, most of his arti-
Giles on the navy-yard question appearing in
the latter paper.
''Soon afterward he came to this city, hav-
ing been probably seized with the California
fever, then epidemic in the East. He entered
into business with Mr.. Tucker, on the corner
of Geary and Kearney Streets and was en-
gagged with him for about sixteen years.
Afterward he was for time with Mr.. Dur
kin, and later set up in a small way for him
self at 231 Kearny street, where he remained
until he died. He was man of very con-
siderable business ability, but somewhat re-
served and only sociable with select circle
of friends.
"Gordon's face and figure bore a remark
ably striking resemblance to those of his i'm
perial father, and strangers who knew moth
ing of the romantic story of his birth fire.
quently noticed it. He was very reticent on
the subject himself, but, when mellowed by
the social cup, he would open his mind very
freely, and was by no means unwilling to
admit bis relationship to the 'Corsican Con-
queror' AT such moments he, apparently
unconsciously, assumed the very attitude
and expression of the picture Of his ancestor
alluded to above.
Born at st. Helena, he lies buried IN Lone
Mountain-a proof that Notwithstanding
phiIosophic aphorisms to the contrary, there
is often good deal more than span be-
tween the cradle and the grave"