The age-herald., 1898-01-02

the envy or beauties. GOmpllmenteu Dy
 Wellington and insulted by Napoleon-who
 afterwards learned to admire her. Platter
 ed by Talleyrand and loved by Chauteau-
 breand. The cause of a never-healed
 schism between emporer and pope, and the
 first of a great American family it may be
 truly said that she was of the most remarkable women this country ever pro-
 duced, and the life story of no women of
 equal interest is less known in her native land. At the age of IS Elizabeth Patterson was the reigning belle of Baltimore, city
 famed for 200 years for the ravshng beau-
 ty of it's women and the gallantry of its men. She was witty, graceful beautiful
 her hand the desire of every Maryazd
 man and her home the social Mecca for
 the fashionable south.
 Napoleon was then in the very zenith of
 his martial glory. His deeds were on every
 tongue and the lustre of the very name
 of Bonaparte .dazzled every one. Is 1t to
 be wondered at that the eyes of this proud
 Baltimore coquette, scarce IS, were blinded
 to the faults and coudad to the shallow
 ness of this showy Frenchman boariug
 such talsmanic name. and the brother or
 Napoleon as well? Jerome was then the
 very lion of the hour in Baltimore. Falls,
 fetes and dinners were given in his honor,
 and he was treated as though he were the emperor himself. It was a case of
 Love at First sight
 Between him and Betsey. They saw one
 another for the first time at the races.
 When she learned at the eleventh hour
 that he was to be there she hastily ordered
 horses, and, accompanied by her younger
 brother, Robert. galloped to the course.
 This youth. Robert married the beautiful
 Betsey Caton, and at his death she mar
 red a brother of the Duke of Wellington,
 so sisters married the brothers of the chief
 actors of Waterloo. When Prince. Jerome
 saw this careless beauty at the track he
 was greatly struck by her good looks and
 asked her name. few days later he was
 introduced to her at the home of the Hon.
 Samuel Chase, one of Marylands signers of the declaration, and fell madly in love
 with her. He determined instanter to
 make her his wife. France, fame and the
 forthcoming wroth of the emperor were
 alike forgotten, and they were soon De. trothed. Betsey Patterson was the envy Of every girl in Baltimore. and their engage
 ment was the signal for another round of brilliant social events. When the French consul at Washington heard of what Jerome had done he was
 Beside Himself witr Rage and terror What would Napoleon say?
 He paled at the thought, and alternately
 tore his hair and said naughty wicked words in choice PariSian. He ordered Ills carriage straightway and drove to Baiti-
 more to try the effect of French eloquence on the erring one. Jerome received nm coldy and the consul ragged and lmplored, threatened and went down on his knees
  Mr. Patterson's residence, and the cere-
 mony was solemnized by Archbishop John Carroll, the head of the Roman Catholic church in America, was witnessed by the mayor of the city and nearly all Of It's prominent residents. The French consul
 making a virtue of necessity, graced the occasion with his presence and heartily congratulated the handsome pair and
 thanked the good Lord it was Jerome. and not himself, who had to face the Napo- leonic music in Paris.
 An eyewitness says that the brides clothes were so scarce that they could be 1 slowed away in ones vest pocket. They i consisted of an embroidered flowing silk robe and beneath that a single garment.
 Scant costume for winter weather, but
 Madame Bonaparte was as original in her
 ways as the present head of the family
 today is in his. She once said that if she
 SAW a woman enter a ball room, dressed
 as the Goddess Minerva and walking on
 her head, she would not think it remark
 able, as she would assume the woman had
 a good reason for doing so
 | When Naro con Heard e: the Marriage l he was beside himself with fury. He inn l mediately issued an order to the consul at | Washington forbidding him to advance l Jerome any funds and another to the cap- l tains of all Frerch vessels warning ther1 l not to take on board. under heavy pen | atty, "Cillzen Bonaparte and .-.e yoaAg | person to whom he had attached him. | SCH. JeTOIDe anu HIS young Wile Stdytu 1 in this country nearly a year after their | marriage, and finally, in order to reach Europe, they were compelled to cross the i ocean on one of MT Pattersons vessels 1 They arrived at Lisbon on the 2d day of | April, 1865, and at once met proof of Ma l poleons despotic power. A French guard l was placed around the ship and Madame | Bonaparte not allowed to land. An ambassador from Napoleon waited on her 1 and asked what he could do for Miss Pat tarS hn at ho n l the face and replied
 | "Tell your master that Madame Bona | parte is ambitious and demands her rights as a member of the royal family!' Jerome hastened to Paris. hoping to win | over Napoleon, but could not gain an in- | terview with him. He was told to address l the emperor by letter. When he was final l ly admitted to Napoleons presence, the | emperor thus addressed him.
 ''So, sir you are the first of the family l to shamefuly abandon his post. I will re- i auire many splendid actions to wipe off | that stain from your reputation. As to your love affair with your little girl, T do not regard it."
 Jerome plead with the emperor with tears in his eyes on behalf of the little girl.' but Napoleon was adamant. The erring one must give up his wife suffer Napoeonc ostraeism. He would not even let her enter a European country much less see her. Jerome was in despair, and at first was true to his beautiful wife He wrote from Paris as follows:
 My Dear My Beloved Wife-Life is nothing to me without thee and my son. Be tranquil, thy husband will not abandon thee"
 few months later he wrote her as fol- lows:
 Relieve me, my Elise, my first thought in awakening and my last in falling asleep, is always of thee, and if I were not sure of the happiness of rejoicing my well be- loved wife, should cease to live.' He wrote her the following, evidently in answer to a question concerning his faithfulness to her and even then he had consented to divorce:
 '"ro leave thee my good wife have never had tFat fatal thought I act | man of honor, as brave and loyal soldier. I love my country, l love glory; but love them a man who, accustomed to fear nothing never forgets that he is the | father of Jerome Napoleon and the hus-' band of Elise. embrace you as I love thee and I love thee as my life'' In the meantime how fared thee well haln xuifo ctr in, Ia,