The morning call., 1894-11-20
OFF HIS HORSE.
Napoleon Comes to Town
in UndresS.
John Bonner'S " Talk" Presented the
Unusual and Cosby That Made
the Emperor a Familiar.

the Emperor a Familiar.
Napoleon has been dead now some
seventy-three years. But last night he
came into Golden Gate Hall. up on Sutter
street, and walked up and down aud
stood around-n-ver once posing-on the
most familiar footing with a large gather
ing of people. who mad come there by
appointment. Napoleon in this end of
the century which be ushered in with
such magnificent spectacular effect has
taken a strong hold Of the popular imagin :
alton. He wears cooked bat and wears
long coat with the collar turned up and
a vest that is as fixed and unyielding as
cuirass. His arms are always folded and
he is slightly humpbacked IN ORDER TO
throw his frown into still greater relief;
when not standing guard for the sleeping
sentinel he sits astrlde a gray horse.
Lately they have taken to painting lurid
streaks of red and yellow as a background
for HIM IN order 10 help out the imagina-
ton where 1t falls In the matter OF thuu-
derbolt, aad the smoke If ba tie.
But last night for the first tim since 1904
he got down from the horse. and for the
benefit of a goodly number of San Fran
riScans consented TO be c0mpanionable.
To interest and instruct them he out on
his old clothes and iramped through the
mud of old Paris; fell in love. wrote pas
sionate love letters, was jealuus and miser-
able, Wept and pouted, acted ike a
rowdy IN the drawing groom. put on a white
dressing gown and wrapped handker-
chief around his head and dictated letters
to his >ecretarY at l o clock q the morning,
and ate his fayorite broiled bird with chloe
Olate before going 10 bed
lie did II throuph ha in a IF
John Bonner in the act of keeping his
promise 10 thoroughly entertain his audi
ence in his Talk on Napoleon"
The talk. which was al Golden Gate
Hall. began with a graphic picture Of old
Paris.
~ will ak you tonight" Mr.. Bon
ner said, ''to 60 with me to Paris
not 10 the gorgeous. splendid, impe-
rial Paris OF to-day, bur 10 the
Paris OF hundred years ago; a dingy
city with crooked, narrow, ill-payed
streets Cd which small. two-sory houses
sldied, a Paris 10 when yon would have
looked 10 vain for the Arch of Triumph, or
the Place de Ia Concorde, or the obrlisks,
OF the Madeline, or the Champs Elyspes.
or the broad boulevards, or the Column of
July; but in which you have seen the
Louvre, The gardens of the Tuilerles and
Luxembourg, the place of the Hotel de
Vile. in which the pig market was held.
dandies were carried across it for . sous
by stout Dorters, the JardIn des PlaDtes.
full then as now OF queer beasts, the
majestic front OF NOtre Dame in the CEN
ter OF a common IN which hucksters sold
gingerbread. srosaIies and monstr0sities,
and the fTowning tower from which
Quasimode, with the bats whirring around
his head. looked out into the gloom over
hanging the black rolling waters OF the
Seine.
'In Paris. just a hundred years ago,
there was starving young artillery
officer OF low stature, sallow face, narrow
chest and such thin legs that a pert girl
nieknamed him Puss IN Boots, and vet
who at % mad shown the army of The re-
public how TO take Toulon ana had de-
stroyed the sections which rendered stable
government impossible in Paris. This was
Napoleon Ranaparie. You can picture
him in shabby round hat, drawn over
MS forehead, with long, straight. ILL.,
powdered hair hanging over the collar oil
his gray coat, with yards of ueckclath
round his throat. without gloves aud with
boot: iil-made aud unblackened, trudging
home through the mud after be had spent
his day IN clerical work at the War De-
par ment. Like many others in Paris, he
was >perately noor. The revolution Lad
dest Dyed business. Assignats In which
ne was paid had lost their purchasing
power. l. cost months work 10 buy a
coat. The Urinary bread which the
woT6msn ate and when was served out to
the troops was half bran. For pocket
money BoDaparte and BIS cOmrade, Juuoi,
relied on the winnings Of the latter at
cards.
"Neverthalessth this shabby. out-at-elbow
general of % must needs fall in love. In.
deed, you will observe OF Napoleon that
there never was Ieriod during his
twenty-five years of active life that he did
not believe or pretend thsl he was in love
with some one On This occasion the lady
was Eugenle Desiree CiarS. the coQuettIsh
daughter OF a Marseilies merchant. Tie
shabby general took il much TO heart that
she would not answer his letters. Those
were days of heruics, and high tragedy,
aud hearts which broke at the least shock
Bonapar'e confessed that his heart was
broken. He wrote to his brother Joseph
that ne was now little attached to life.
niemp!atlng 1t wi bout soiicitude, feel
ing that while death Is always among Us
70 put an end 10 il all anxiety Is folly !;
everything combines 10 make ma defy
fortune aud fate; In time / shall no. get
out OF Inc way wuen carriage threatens
10 run over me-
But presently Italy ana Josephine con
s1led Dim for Eugenie's GOODNESS, and it
vas then the Iady's heart that went TO
pieces. She wrote to him: You have
ofoken my hear, but forgive you. You
are married. and | have no longer The
right @ love or think of you. / long for
death. shall never marry. In the midst
oil yoGr happiness remem Der poor Eugene
ana ply her sad fate This was just be-
lore she married General Bernadotie."
SF- Bonner then went on 10 descTioa the
marriage with loser hine and social life ip
Faris under the eoas ulats and the empire.
FROM hls coronation To his death be foI-
lowed the private life of Napoleon, omit
ting accounts OF his campaigns, his can
quests ana his policies, and merely paint
surrounded bin. The talk in fact was
series OF word pictures connected with a
thread OF narrative. The pictures ware So
graphic aud vivid that they are likely TO
leaFe permanent impression on the mem
"rs: A single scene, with sharp outline
ana orignt color. often CONVEYS more
enduring impress than page Of deserip-