The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-11-01
PRINCESS: .:MAPHILDE
AT. Her HOME.
All Paris Is. Waiting to Attend One Of
Her Receptions.
Remarkable History of the Daughter of Prince
: Jerome, Third Brother Of Napoleon l, and
:. Princess Catherine of wur.emberg. !
Special to THE SUNDAY CALL.


VIII soon return from the Chateau de Saint
Gratien to. her heme in the Rue de :Berri,
Farls, and habitues: Of her salon are looking
forward With. eagerness to the day when
her receptions will be resumed. For moth
ing is raIer than home fike that of the
Princess Mathilde-a home where every
Sunday evening one meets diplomates and
writer's. artists and musicians. Academicians
and men of leisure; where conversation is
an art and the hostess a woman Of intellt ct
and artistic tastes. u. -;
g. Princess Mathilde Is daughter Of
Jerome, third brother of Napoleon /, and
Princess Catherine Of Wurtemberg. twill
be, remem bered that Jerome Bonaparte's
first wife was Miss Patterson, and the story
of the separation is too we'll known for re-.
capitplation. q! For his obedience to his
brother. jerome received the kingdom
of " Westphalia,; eomnesed of pof-
ton OF the Grand Duchy of Hesse.
But Catherine Of Murtemberg Twas
a devoted wife,, and when came
the days. of adversely she refused 80 be
separated from. her husband. The King of
Wurtemberg ordered his daughter to leave
Jerome ut the time Of his fall. but she re-
Piled: with my: husband have shared a
misfortune" For answer the King of Wuf-
temberg Imprisoned his daughter and her
husband III the Castle of Elvangen. but
after one year they Travelled about and
finally resided at. Lausanne, where Cath
crime died in 1885, Trineess MathiEle
the only daughter ard born.in 1870; for.
twenty years her parents lived in exlie, and
had an income of $1,000, granted by the king:of
i(n hnrr ban !, ,f ba,t |,
Mathllde went to, live, with her father in
Norehce. At that: time her uncle was King
OF Murtembefe, and .Mathilde made anpari-'
tons at the court. :ln.lS36 she went to visit
QUEEN IfoRTENSE.. -
And there she met %lonis Napoleon. The
cousins fell III love" and their marriage
was subject of, consideration. Sainte-
Beuve describes Mathide when she was in
the splendor of her glGrions beauty. s.rhe.
Princess has q proud forehead, made for a
dadem.; her. blonde hair is knotted so as
TO show the Zines of a perfect neck. :: Her
features are boldly ehiseled; her light.
= brown eyes shine with affection or with the
moments thought. J. The entire face ex-,
presses nobility. dignity. and when an
mated, grace, united with force, joy that
comes from a healthy nature, frankneSs,
GOODNESS. and sometimes fire and ardor
Her cheek, in Just, anger. is capable of
blushlng; this head, so well poised. so.
wen CdEi4tu, Is SllarHtu 10 SIOuluSES WORTHY.
.nf-a sculptor. Her hands, the most beanti-
iul in the weird. are simply those Of her"
race y the Bonapartes are celebrated for.
their aristocratic bands. In the ensemble
one recognizes woman born to cGmmnDd.".
- The Princess possessed all gifts except
the one more necessary than all others
Gioney. And. for this reason she, whose
birth and beauty destined her for some
throne, was obliged TO marry q man:Without
ancestors, beGasiSe lie was the richest of his
. time - The ancestor: OF Count Anatole
Demidoff was a Muscovite serf, who had
the first mandatory of arms in Russia the
aealth Of the family increased rapidly, and
the Gar conferred upon them a: patent of
nobility. a b0al the year 1910 Anatoie Dami,
doff met the ex-kfHg of Westphalia in
Florence, and :IeTGmeha SO little money
Demdoff lent.lHm large sums. Cine day:the
King asked a;mueh Lager amount than ever
before. but Demidoif said: Il have been:
thinking how we shall arrange this ac-.
count" Jerenie replied: Marry Mathilde;
she is beautiful, 20 years old, and Ithink il
is the, simplest ISOLATION of question that
weuld otherwise be very perplexing.p The
marriage took PLACE, but was source of an
noya nce to everybody related to the Bona.
parties and Demideff,- 1t was: especially
unfortunate Tor Mathildean Anatole Dem.
iioff.s He was ordered to live out of Russia,
because lie promised to bring up his chill
dren in the Catholic faith, but happily =
: - NO CHILDREN -:
Were born. Atfrst Count Demfdoff bull
a.Inarveious tfalaee:- for his bride, and from
the Grand Duke of Tuscany bought the
princiDallty of San: DOnato. During the
honeymoon the COUPLE had their clasped
hands carved;in marble with the inscription
sFcreyer.". ~ = - --. -
The palace Of San Donate WINS dream of
beauty; everyitrea sure that could be bought
was carried thitlIer, and great houses equal
III spiendor have not been SEEN in all Eu-
rope. But the Prince Demidoff of San
Donate forgot that his wife was n Bona
parte, forgot that she was born to COM
maHd. and ,stnTm after storm traversed the:
horizon, until all Europe was in excitement
because of The elopement- of Princess
Mathilde with Count de Nieuwerkake. The
Princess packed Her dresses, household
linen, laees, etc., and was on the diligence
waiting to. carry her far, far away, when the
indignant husband 'appeafed on tie scsne.
'Fhen, Of course, her only safety was iii
flight, and she disappeared without her
dresses but with a. booty far more Yalua-
6le-ail the Demid0tf Jewels; portrait of
irer father, framed in diamonds, she tnok TO
show tfial resppet. For the rest of his life
AnaiQle suffered in mind because of the loss
Of his jewels and, when dying, his last words
were, Il leave my diamonds, to. my wife;
let her enjoy them in. peace. =" No one ever
knew why the Prince would not allow his
servants to remove: the baggage placed On
the diligence by the Princess; for twenty
years carriage aud trunks remained in the
stable Just as Mathilde left them the day Of
her flight. !: -: : :. -
The Emperor of Russia granted legal
separation to The Princess aud condemned
Demidoff to pay his wife ian Income of
$4,000. OF this. she was obliged to allow her
father $4,000 year. A last THE ak King of
Westphaia received permission from Louis
Philippe to live in France, and Prin ess
Mathilde, calling herself Nine. Den,idof,
established herself In Paris. In 1S47, her
salon was begun. The history Of the second
empire Is : j $500: l..
r. THE HISTORY OF HER SALON.
For her residence was always a formidable
rival: to the Tuilieries.. NAPOLEON Ill was
one of the habitues. but he preferred to be.
Had not THEIRS interfered. the; Emperor
would have caused himself to be named
Academieian. The Empress only made her
appearance once or twice. 1t Is said that
she never fofgaye Mathilde fQroppesing her
marriage, and: amused herself by calling.
her Cousins salon the "Jacobin Club
Often the Prince Imperial visited NIathi1ds,
and often shs gave 4 childrea's bali In his
Eonor.. A pretty: little story is told con-.
corning one of these. balls Among the
parents watching the children dance was "a
serious-faced man, with blue coat and brass
buttons. From time to; time he smiled at
the mistakes,:in the. LAM erS, aud after tile
.quadrile a young boy came and stood by
him. :.
:: ''ARE Yoty A,1UsING YouRsELF?''.
!: 'Ql, yes, Papa: but he says; | must go
away at midnight and it is now haft-past
eleven -.
;. Tie father .stroked his :mlstache and
whispered: i -: = =,
=: Get your cap: shall hide 1t in my peck
:et, and while they are locking for it you will
have time to dance other qnadrihe9
:: ''Oh, that will be- of mousse" said the boy.
'The cap trick lie knows already, and he
carries an extra one in his packet" -
,.Then, my poor Loulon, we must go away
-togsther. ! also am Obliged to retire at mid
night" ::
The man in the blue coat was the En-
peror, Lnulon was the Prince imperial and
he was General Froissard, who adored his
pupil, but was extremely severe.
Her Imperial Highness is mot only q
patron Of art but an artist, herself. For
twenty Eve years Eugene Grand was her
friend and teacher. and in the salon we're