Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-12-04
KISSED A PRINCESS
A PHILADELPHlANS FEAT IN I'll,
DAYS OF GENERAL JACKSON

He Won Wager, but Kicked Up an E,O,,
ing international Row-The Trad;,,.
That Tells How Midshipman Charles Bar.
ton Kissed Dom Pedro's Sister.
Of all the rich unwritten annals. po,i,
icai, social and moral, Of the third and
fourth decades, no tradition resting unor
memory has come down to our times mon.
replete with romantic dash, merriment
and broad fun than the incident of eth
Phfladelphian's Famous Kiss" which
evolved three great nations and nearly tbs
whole diplomatic world, some with flerco
hot anger, which threatened for awhile tbo
statd and decorous Quaker City on the
Delaware with the fate of Hector and old
Priam's doomed city Of Troy, while tbe
balance Of the world was convulsed with
uproarious laughter
Claiming the old mans privilege ~
generosity, Twill give the story of the kiss
as 1t came to me, partly through the gos
sip within the precincts of the imperia,
palace OF Brazil partly through the gossn
OF naval circles The year after the Occur
renee. This tempest of anger, hot and
fierce, and Of fun loud and boisterous, waS
created by bright, handsome, dash,n.
Philadelphia youth, scion of one of thu
oldest, most powerful and generally be.
loved Philadelphia families, who had left
his native city for the first time in 1929 to
do his devoir as a midshipman on the Bra
lillian station.
Barton was his name, and under the in
spiration Of his first naval uniform he be-
fore sailing had been doing some rather
loud Boosting. His sister and bevy Of
her young associates, rather disguised at
his airs, had questioned his ability to re-
alize his big boasts, among which was his
wild pledge to kiss a foreign princess be-
fore he revisited his native city. This ex-
trayagant pledge appeared to his sister
about on par with the promise of NJ
Paracles to recover from the enemy the
captured drum and suggested the wa
ger of a suit Of clothes made by the most
fashionable Chestnut street tailor against
the most costly silk dress in the Quaker
City.
After year or 10 months of incessant
watching for an opportunity to redeem
his pledge Barton at last found the object
of his long search. Almost within the
precincts of the palace the royal coach Of
state came rumbling along one of Rios
narrow streets, followed at short distance
by squad Of mounted hussars In the
coach were the two young princesses, the
sisters Of the late Emperor Dom Pedro
who, then about 10 years old, was under
the .atelage of a regent Barton saw the
state coach approaching and planned his
audacious scheme with cool and excellent
Judgment. He stood at a corner where the
coach would probably turn, out of sight
for moment of the lazy escort, and quick
er than thought he had, regardless of haz-
ard and peril, rashly jumped up behind,
and through the aperture behind kissed
one Of the royal occupants of the coach.
OF course the princess screamed because it
was all done in open day on one of the
most frequented thoroughfares of the city
Of Rio Janeiro. Having won his wager
with his sister, Barton quietly resumed his
position at the banquet as IL nothing had
happened The amazement of the hussars
at such daring and perilous action was
80 great as to paralyze speedy retribution,
and Barton returned unmolested by the
sunset boat from the palace stairs to his
ship.
But he was not left long in quiet on his
ship. The hot blood of the Braganzas was
up in arms, calling loudly for the death of
the plebeian miscreant who had soiled
the royal maiden's cheek with his hot pie
beian breath. The regent made demand
for the delivery Of the young offender to
be held to answer to the offended laws Of
Brazil first upon the captain of Barton's
ship, which was promptly refused, and
then upon the secretary of state at Wash
ington. The evidence of Barton's culpa-
bility left no loophole open through which
even a Philadelphia lawyer could find es-
cape, and Mr.. Forsythe, General Jackson's
secretary Of state, was at his wits ends
how to avoid making an abject apology to
the incensed Braganzas, the Portuguese
branch of that blueblooded family having
come into the quarrel to rescue the family
honor from detested plebeian' s audacious
dissertation Of the cheek of their royal
cousin of Brazil
AS q tub to the angry Braganza whale q
court martial was appointed to try Barton
for his contumacious familiarity with the
insulted Brazilian princess. The sentence
Of the court was that Barton should be
cashiered from profession he had SO sig
nally outraged. That sentence was sent
by special messenger to the Brazilian re-
gent, and our government was courteously
thanked for the prompt repatriation it had
made 1t was fact not perhaps known
to the Brazilian regent that the sentence
Of the court could only take effect after the
presidents approval, and when the SEN
tence was laid before the president for ap'
proval he secuted the idea Of stigmatizing
q young gentleman for an act rash and
perilous, but too strictly in line with hu-
man weakness to be dishonoring.
Summoning Barton to Washington DO
fore final action of the sentence OF the cour
martial, the venerable president accosted
Barton thus, Ibid you kiss that Brazilian
princess, as is charged against your
did," was the unhesitating reply. "Wnm
prompted you to such a rash impua,TT'
acts Was she SO ravishingly beautilu
mo, replied Barton; ''she had large lo sN,t
ly, almond shaped eyes and splenoM ' lev
of dark hair, which hung nearly W VOW
feet In two heavy plaits, altogether W NV
pretty girl, seemingly in bad hea,Vn, Nc Of
general, have kissed the rosy cneeh sa and
hundred prettier girls in Philadeiph pm, this
they never made half the fuss th"O mo.
tallow faced Brazilian has. IL was n,ads