Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-02-17

Ma
ifiots wers scattered. and ,hst. ~ IN
found rcfnge In England ''es'
~ was In tho Midst Of tbes. ,.,,,.,,
ciy'l and military, that M p par..s
family emerged clearly IL la ra.,e
A.. o. nouonsparte was born in Alaccio.
.h so 81 .he reNolutionary movement and
, .no iess 81 MS country's Independence, he
Was twenty-five years Of age Meanwhile.
~ ~ ,ighteenth year. no had fallen In
80 "'.n Lstltla Rnmolino. daughter of a
mei,'o'uo Corsican peasant. with her.
nasuIe hho oeen prodigal of all gifts. Shs
mas noautiiui to degree. strongly marked
" r'n.ure nnu person with the cxoelien
cles OF tho Italian race.
or tho Ramolino family not r,,oh 4.
SHOWN suffice II that Carlo di Buopo.
though noble--recklessly took
Letitih In marriage when she was but ~.
,ech years OF age. She brought him her
peanty and portion OF properties, but no
huuitionai rank. She is said to have been
sirl oil heroic qualities, queenly I'm her
bearing rather silent In manner, healthy
as TO her bodily life, aud ignorant OF sen.
tlmuht' hor face, preserved In a hundred
FORMS or art, shows Enthusiastically the
origin OF that Napoleonic vlsaga with
which tho whole world will be familiar to
tho end of human records.
The character OF Carlo di Buonaparte
though discoyerable only In fragments.
shows a mixture of courage and odyep.
tnre' He was protector OF many things
"a visionary. His education was obtained
IN Italy. He had been student at Rome.
and afterwards at Pisa, where he prepared
himself TO DO IN advocate, and obtained a
reputation for youthful eloquence. Tho
University OF Pisa conferred on him.
about the tiino Of tho birth Of Napoleon,
the degree OF Doctor Of Laws.
The collapse Of the patriot cause had In
ducod Carlo Bnonnpnrte, as a measure of
prudence, to leave Aiaocio and retire to
Corto. Tho latter, being an Inland town
and having mountainous situation, was
more deeply pervadod with the patriotic
spirit than was the lowlaud region about
Ajaccio. The coast country gave itself up
freely to tho French domination. During
the first fivo years OF tho married. llfo OF
Carlo, he oscillated with his young family
back and forth between the two towns,
ilnally-whon safety came with poace-
fixing himself at Ajnccio This was in
tho early part OF 1909
Meanwhile, before this removal, three
children had appeared, in rapid success,
sion, at the hearthstono Of Carlo Buona.
parto. All Of those were born at Corte.
The first was daughter Elise, whose
birth was in 1865. This child died in in
fancy, as did also the next, Marie Anne,
who was born about two years later
Then, on January nth, 1868, came th7 first
son, and TO him the parents gavoth namo
OF Joseph N0bulione, or, as u secondary
spelling would have 1t, Joseph Nupoluone,
or, Napoleon. Tho latter name, though
appearing in tho birth-record Of tho fam
lily, was dropped in the case Of the oldest
son, Joseph only being retained IL was
the custom of the age, in the case Of tho
death of children, TO repeat their names
for those born nftorwnrd. Nor was there
anything exact, us In tho customs Of the
nineteenth century, in the spelling en-
ploycd
Tho surname, as we'll as the given
names, in the family Of Buonaparte fluc-
tuated into many forms, and gave rise TO
somo discussion and confusion afterwards.
One story ran to the effect that Napoleon
Bonapnrto was born January 18th, 176S,
and Joseph about nineteen months after
wards, that is, August 9th, 1890 II WINS
believed at one timo that the father inter
changed the dates of the birth Of his two
eldest sons, in order to get Napoleon into
tho military academy before his tenth year
IA thing necessary under tho law. But
1t is now known that no such thing CO.
Cured. The only ground for the inven-
tion of the fiction was the fact TINT Jo-
seph's middle nHmo was originally Nabu-
Hone, and that this name, In a modified
form, was afterwards conferred on tho
younger son. True the Corsican Jacob
was destined from birth to clutch tho heel
Of Esnu, and to supplnnt him In history.
The elder was TO serve the younger; but
this was TO be effected, not by trick OF
tho father, but by the eternal law Of the
strongest
Tho estate of Carlo di Buonaparte,
though augmented by his intermarriage
with the Ramolino family, was unequal
to his tastes and desires. He possessed a
property Mt Corte, and another In a jRccio.
To the latter he came back in the early
part Of 1860, and established himself in
tho house whore Napoleon WINS born. The
homestead di Buonaparto was favorably
situated. The house is still in excellent
preservation. 1t is four stories In height.
rIon INC upper NlnuoMs one HlH9 hOo ''o
ocean. The building is succeed, is rec
tangular, and has Hat roof, with a small
cupols, from which tho flag of Franco was
flying at the time when the first emperor
OF the French came into the world.
About the birth OF great men cycles of
fiction grow Friends and enemies alike
invent significant circumstances. The
traducers of Napoleon have said that he
was illogitimate-thntb his father was the
French marshal Marbmuf. They also say
on bettor grounds, that the marriage of
Lotitla Ramolino to Carlo Buonaparte was
not solemnizod until l767-that the ilrst
two children were therefore born out of
wedlock. On the other hand, the idol
worshipers would fain have Napoleon
born as god or Titan Premature pnngs
seize the mother at church, She hurrics
home, barely reaching hor apartment when
tho heroic babe Is delivered, without an
ncoouchor, on piece OF tapestry inwroueht
with an cfiigy OF Achillesl This probably
occurred. IL was the 18th of August 1863.
AS a matter of fact, there was no omen in
heaven or earth--no sign that beautiful
peasant had been delivered of conqueror!
JONI CLARK RlDPATI.