The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-09-23
Prince and Priest
Successfully Occupants
of Historic Bonaparte Park.

| The World says: News comes from
| Bordentown, n. j, that its central fea-
| ture Bonaparte's park, as it is generally
known-the American St Helena, as its
erstwhile owner. Joseph Bonaparte, for
mer King Of Naples and Of Spain, would
faIn have called it's to become a
training school for Catholic priests I'M
der the tutelage of the Lazarist Fathers
who are its present owners.
On August 30 last articles OF incorpor-
alton were filed in the Burlington Coun-
! ~ clerks office. The object Of the cor
poration is to conduct an institution for
| the education of young men for the
! Catholic priesthood. the maintenance Of
missions and the holding of religious re-
yival services, as well as to afford a
home for clergymen of the missions OF
| ST. Vincent de Paul.
The incorporators and trustees are the
Rev. James McGilI, the Rev. Thomas NJ.
| Donohue and the Rev. John W. Moon,
| all of Philadelphia, and the Rev. VIII
| liam E. Likely and the Rev. David W.
! Maloy.; both Of -Bortentown, and Peter
| Backes Of Trenton.
And so the black robe of the monk eff
faces the last vestige of that patch of
/ imperial purple which the Bonapartes
| flung upon the sober drab of the little
Quaker village in New Jersey. But the
memory of that purple patch will ever
remain, for it is the chief link that con-
meets the New World with the Old, that
Napoleonic epos which is the most spec
tacular episode in all modern history.
It was on August 20, 1915, month and
a half after the battle of Waterloo had
crushed the Napoleonic dynasty forever,
that an American bark, the Commerce,
homeward bound from Bordeaux, arrived
at New York with two passengers. regis
tered as NJ Bouchard and his secretary.
1t did not take long for the news TO
spread that NJ. Bouchard was not what
he pretended to be. Conjecture finally
decided that the mysterious stranger was
no less a person than General Carnot,
one of Napoleon's greatest civic and mil
itary advisers in the days that preceded
and followed the final castrophe.
But when the mayor of New York with
a picked body of citizens. waited upon
the distinguished refugee and hailed him
as General Carnot, he replied. after
moment of surprise and hesitation:
mo, am not General Carnot. In
America I believe I may safely utter
the truth, am Joseph Bonaparte."
This was better than the mayor and his
committee had expected. Not an angel
but an archangel had New York enter
tanned unaware. General Carnot was no
body compared with the eldest brother of
the great Napoleon, himself monarch
tn
royal guest.
Joseph, however, declined all public
honors. He wished to remain as in
conspicuous as possible. He knew not
what his enemies in Europe might be
plotting against him. All he desired was
to find some quiet retirement in America
where he might end his days in the
peaceful security of a private citizen.
So this man proposed. But Providence
of the American legislatures-not in those
day so wide remove from Providence
as they are today-seemed at first deter
mined to decide otherwise. Every state
had It's lawsSagainst the holding of real
ty by aliens State after state refsued tqh
make an exception in favor of Joseph I'M
til at last he appealed to New Jersey.
And because the legislature of New Jer-
sey on January % 1917. passed an act
enabling the former king of Spain to
purchase and hold lands within its bor-
ders that state has ever since been
known to the funny man as Spain
Joseph Bonapartes choice fell upon a
tract of three hundred acres known as
Point Breeze and lying within the town
ship Of Bordentown. He could not have
chosen more wisely. Bordentown is sit
uated on high bluff, overlooking the
Delaware, just where that river-else-
where commonplace and uninteresting-
takes a sudden curve and redeems itself
for a glorious interval Moreover. Bor-
dentown at that time had a social life
which added piquancy to the local pic
turesqueness 1t was the home of
Commodore Stewart. the naval hero of
the war of 1872, now remembered also as
the grandfather of Charles Stewart Par
nell. 1t was the summer home Of the
Hopkinsons, one of whom was a signer
Of the Declaration of independence, and
another the author of Hail, Columbia"
The Hopkinsons had intermarried with
the A)rdens, after whom the town was
named-a family of revolutionary fame.
Stewards, Hopkinsons and Bordens gath
cred around them in the vacation months
all that was most notable in the society
Of Philadelphia, then the social center Of
the United States.
Joseph Bonaparte at once set himself
to transform what had been the lovely
wilderness Of Point Breeze into a garden.
He intersected the forests with walks and
drives, he cleared away open spaces for
lawns. he turned marsh into an artii-
cial lake. And just where Crosswick's
Creek meets the Delaware river he erect
ed what in his eyes was probably a mod
est enough brick mansion. but in the eyes
Of his neghbors was little short Of a
fairy palace People hocked FROM miles
around TO gaze at IT, and on t%ir re-
turn told with bated breath of its broad
columned doorways, Of its grand stair
case. f1anked by great reception and din
ing rooms. Of the paintings that hung
upon its walls OF the sculptures that
adorned the interior and the exterior
Four years passed before this marvel
Of architecture and landscape gardening
was completed. Hardly had the last
touches been put upon the house than
a mysterious fire broke out and burned IL
n the ground There were whispers
that some Of Joseph's European enemies /
had hired an incendiary. Joseph him
self had no such suspicious. He simply
expanded what had originally been in
tended Tor his stable into q new dwell I
ling place. less magnificent. indeed than
the first. but still commodious ard even (
luxurious.
Here for many years he lived the life !
OF plain country gentleman Here he I
invited his family 20 Join him HIS I
wife's physician forbade her 10 brave the /
hardships Of a sea voyage But his /