Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-07-26

DduueL hlnSS III Exile one would eX-
pect could hardly be collected else
| where than in Paris. where dethroned
| royalty usually gathers. Yet the little
| New Jersey village BordentCwn on
the Delaware, IN the vicinity of Tren-
ton, was years ago the refdge of a
banished king.
Napoleon l. is reputed to nave said
on certain occasion that if he ever
were forced to leave France he would
make his home in America, somewhere
between Philadelphia and New York,
where news from across the sea would
reach him quickest. After the battle
| Of Waterloo Napoleon and his eldest
| brother, Joseph, the ex-king of Naples
and of Spain, had a meeting on the
island Of AK, a small, rocky dot in the
Bay of Biscay, north of the Gironde
river. They parted, never to meet
again, and while Napoleon surrendered
| to the English, to close his career at
st. Helena Joseph, under the name of
NJ. Bouchard boarded the brig Com
merce for the American shore. Three
lish naval officers, but she arrived
with IN. Bouchard" aboard, July Is,
1915, safely at New York The fugitive
king travelled for while and finally
he settled in the vicinity Of Trenton
under the name of Count De Ler-
villiers.
1t was an ideal, beautiful spot
which Joseph Bonaparte purchased
near Bordentown. The northern line
of the estate is formed by a meander-
ing creek and upon a steep hill over
looking the Delaware, known as Point
Breeze, the eXiled king built his mag
nif1cent home, which soon became
known to those who passed up and
down the river. The rocky ground, cut
up by numerous ravines, was changed
to an attractive park; the ravines
were bridged, pretty little arbors and
pavillions were built and an extensive
swamp was deepened to a miniature
lake. On one end of this lake a cozy
white villa was erected for Charles
Lucien Bonaparte, prince of Musignano
and Canine, a nephew of Joseph Bon
aparte, who had married the Iatter's
daughter, Zenaide.
Village gossip was very busy with
the Count De Lervilliers, whose iden-
tity with the banished king of Naples
and Spain did not remain a secret very
long. 1t was said that he was in
constant fear of abduction by British
and Spanish emissaries, and that for
such an emergency a labyrinth of sub
terranean passages had been con-
structed with view to successful es-
cape. Inasmuch as Joseph had taken
most of the Spanish crown Jewels along
with him the possibility of an attempt
to regain this treasure was by no
means far-fetched, though it is not
likely that either the NeapOlitans or
the Spaniards cared very much for the
person of Joseph. A fact is that
much treasure and many documents
were hidden in secret vaults, because
it became known at a fire which de-
stroyed the house three years after
Joseph moved into it. The building
was doomed despite the efforts of the
village people to save it and but little
of the treasure was recovered in the
ruins. The new building Immediately
erected after the fire was connected
by a tunnel with the villa on the lake,
SO that the inmates of both could visit
each other in all kinds OF weather.
His H0SDita1jtU TTp1irnitnd
The hospitality of Joseph's Ameri-
can home was unlimited The gates
Of the park were open throughout the
year and no visitors of decent appear
ance were denied admission by the
keepers. Even the house itself was
open to visitors, and it's appointments
appeared to the New Jersey farmers
the height of royal splendor. Servants
were always ready to show visitors
through the apartments, which con-
tanned many costly articles of value
from the Luxembourg. Of prominence
was a well-stocked library. 1t is said
that Joseph himself was an author and
that he wrote a novel, Moina His
circles as translator of Schillers
dramatic works. His nephew and SON.
| in-laW was real scientific character,
who had Travelled much and made
natural science a speciality. During
| his sojOurn near BordentoWn, Charles
| Lucien BOnaparte continued Wilson's
| ORTHODOXY, which had been left in
! complete by the death Of the author
| Other geological works made the
| kings nephew famous all over the
world.
| Art had a liberal home in the Bon
aparte house. In its picture gallery
such masters as Rubens, Snyders,
Rembrandt, Joseph Vernet, Teniers
and other masters were well repre-
| sented, and the art treasures were open
| to all corners. These visitors were
numerous and included not only all
the prominent French exiles, but many
| famous Americans Of the period Web
ster, Adams, Clay, Commodore Stewart
and General Scott visited the royal
exile.
In the domestic circle of the Bona
parte mansion the wife of Joseph,
Julie Marie, was missing. She had
| remained in Europe on account of her
| health. The other members Of the
family were beside Charles Lucian and
Zenaide, Charlotte, the younger daugh-
| ter Of Joseph, subsequently married
to Napoleon Louis, the brother of Ma
poleon Ill; Prince Lucien Murat,
Francois Lacoske, subsequently consul