The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-12-04
PARENTS OF NAPOLEON.

: strong light on Napoleon's father. His
people were proud and poor: he endured
the hardships of poverty with equanim-
ity. Strengthening what little infiu-
ance he could muster, he at first ap-
: pears ambitious, and has himself de-
i scribed in his diploma as patrician OF
, Florence, San Miniato and Aiaccio. On
, The other hand, with no apparent re-
gard for his personal advancement by
marriage, he followed his own inclina-
lion. and in 1854, at the age of eight
cen, rashly. perhaps, but gallantly
wedded lowly and beautiful child OF
, ifteen, Letitia Ramolino.
Her descent was the reverse of her
husbands, although her fortune was
quite equal, if not superior. to his.
She was of peasant nature to
the last day of her life-hardy, unsen-
timental, frugal, and sometimes un-
scrupulous. YET. the hospitality of her
little home in Ajaccio was lavish, af-
ter the manner of her kind, and conse-
luently famous. Among the many
guests who availed themselves of it
was Marbeuf, commander in Corsica of
the first army of occupation. There
was long afterward malicious tradi-
ton that the French general was Ma
poleon's father. The morals of Letitia
ii Buonaparte, like those of her con-
spicuous children, have been bitterly
sssailed but her own good name, at
least, has always been vindicated. The
evident motive of the story sufficiently
refutes such an aSperSion as it contains.
Of the brides extraordinary beauty
there never has been doubt. She was
a woman of heroic mold, like Juno in
her majesty, unmoved in prosperity,
undaunted in adversely. IT was prob
ably to his mother, whom he strongly
resembled in childhood, that the IA
nous son owed his tremendous, even
gigantic, physical endurance. If in
his mother was reproduced the type of
a Roman matron, in the son would be
recalled the virtues and vigor of an
imperator.
After their marriage the youthful
pair resided in Corte waiting until
events should permit their return to
! Ajaccio. Naturally of an indolent tenn
permanent, the husband was at first
drawn into the daring enterprises Of
Paoli. and displayed a temporary en-
| thusiaSm, but for more than a year be-
! fore the end he wearied of them. At
the head of body of men of his own
rank he finally withdrew to Monte
Rotondo, and on May %, 1869, few
weeks before Paolis flight, the band
made formal submission to the two
! lc nd
explaining through Bona parte that the
national leader had misled them by
promises of aid which never came, and
that, recognizing the impossibility of
further resistance, they were anxious
to accept the new government, to re-
turn to their homes, and to resume the
peaceful conduct of their affairs. 1t
was this precipitate naturalization of
the father as French citizen which
made his great son a Frenchman. Less
than three months afterward, on Au-
gust Is, his fourth child, Napoleone di
Buouaparte, was born in Ajaccio.
The resources Of the Buonapartes, as
they still wrote themselves, were
small, although their family and ex-
pectations were large. An only child,
Letitia, had inherited her fathers lit
tie home and his vineyards in the sub
urbs, for her mother had married a
second time. Her stepfather had been
4 Swiss mercenary.in the pay of Genoa.
In order to secure the woman of his
choice he became a Roman Catholic,
and was the father of Nine di Buona-
parties half-brother, Joseph Fesch.
Charles himself was the owner OF the
lands in the interior, but they we're
heavily mortgaged, and ne could con-
tribute but little to the support of his
family. His uncle. Il wealthy land
lord, had died childless, leaving his
domains to the Jesuits, and they had
promptly entered into possession. Ac-
cording to the terms of his GRANDPA
ther's viii, the bequest was void, for
the fortune was to fall in such a case
TO Charles mother, and on her death to
Charles himself. Joseph, his father,
had wasted mary years and most of bis
fortune in weary litigation to recover
the property. Nothing daunted, Charles
settled down to pursue the same phan-
tom. virtually depending for a liveli-
hood on his wife's small patrimonv.
He became an officer Of the highest
court as assessor. and was made in 17!2
a member, and later, deputy of the
council of Corsican mobiles.
Tho peasant mother was most pro
life. Her eldest child, born in 1865.
was son, who died in infancy: in 1907
was born daughter, Marie-Anne, des-
tined TO the same fate; in 176S a son,
known later as Joseph, but baptized as
Nabulione: in 1863 the great son. Ma
poleone Nine other children were the
fruit OF the same wedlOch, and six Of
them-three sons, Lucien, Louis and
Jerome, and three daughters, Elise,
Pauline and Caroline-survived 70
share their brothers greatness. Charles
himself. like his sho-t-lived ancestors
OF whom FIVE had died within cen
tury-reached only early middle age,
dying in MS thirty-ninth year. Letitia,
like the stout Corsican tina, she was,
lived 10 the ripe age of eighty-six IN
the full enjoyment of her faculties,
known TO the world BIZ the sobriquet OF
Madame Mere