St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-15

er. She was then nineteen years old
but was the belle of the city. The
young French captain Immediately
fell in love with the beautiful gir
and proposed. He was promptly ac-
cepted. Then came the storm.
Miss Patterson's parents objected
But Betsy was stubborn, and finally her
family gave in. The wedding was a
gorgeous affair, for Baltimore-was then
the social center of the country. The
young couple spent a few delightful
months travelling in this country Their
honeymoon trip was a series of social
triumphs for the Baltimore belle.
Then came stern message from the
emperor of the French. He command
ed his younger brother to return al
once to Paris and to leave behind the
young person whom he had attached
to himself" Napoleon wanted Jerome
to marry some one else for political
reasons.
The young captain had to obey, fol-
his income had been cut off. But Betsy
would not be left behind. She sailed in
one of her fathers ships for Lisbon
On her arrival she found every port in
Europe closed against her by French
frigate. Her husband was taken a
prisoner to Paris, and an ambassador
from Napoleon gave her this message:
"The emperor asks what he can dc
for Miss Patterson
"Tell the emperor" was her reply
that Nine. Bonaparte demands her
rights as a member of the imperial
family
But Napoleon was inexorabIe. He
had the French senate declare the mar
riage annulled, after which the weak
Jerome obediently married Princess
Catherine of Wurttemberg and was Gre
ated king of Westphalia.
For fifty years after this Betsy Pat
terson fought for recognition as the
wife Of Jerome Bonaparte. She went
to England, where a son was born to
her. She named him Jerome. An an
nual pension of $4,000 was graciously
allowed to her by Napoleon. She spent
her time in various European courts,
where she was well received on ac-
count of her extraordinary beauty and
fascinating manners. She spent the
winter of 1923 in Vienna, where she
reigned as a social queen.
Her former husband wrote her
many letters and offered her a beau
tiful residence in his kingdom with
the title Of princess. She spurned
this offer with scorn, and replied:
''There is room in Westphalia for
but one queen"
Nine. Bonaparte did not return to
Baltimore until her beauty had fad
ed and her disposition had become
soured by her disappointed ambi-
ton. For the rest of her long life
s'~a devoted herself to boarding
mo,.ey. When she died, at the age
Of niHety-siX, she was worth over
81 ,O00,00s Her last years were spent
in miserly Nenuriousness. In Balti-
more she wax known as Nine. Betsy
Bonaparte ans was a conspicuous
character. She " rs seen everywhere
and was fond of wearing the treas
ured finery Of the } tars when she
| posed as a royal persol>age.
She left her fortune % Jerome
Bonaparte, in spite of the sact that
he refused to contract an lliance
with the daughter of some ftceign
| noble, as she wished, but insiste\ on
marrying a plain American girl. Its
wife was Miss Williams, of RoXbury'
! Mass. He had two sons, Jerome
and Charles Joseph. Jerome served
with distinction in the French army
| and returned to this country a colo
mel. His widow lives today in fine
| style in Washington.