The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-25

eign princess ana Wuutu hos ~ =. ance a marriage through wnicn .ne.e Stern with himself. he was equally hard hearted in the case of his proln- CTS and no amount of persuasion SUI f,ced to induce him to permit Jerome to bring his wife to Paris: The iasts. sought to gain only so much, TOT ne Iels sure that by virtue Of her beauty ..e. anu accomplishments his wiIes personnss would carry the day.
 On March 3, 1905, Napoleon secured from his council of state the enactment of d special decree by virtue of which all civil officers of the empire were Tor bidden to receive upon their registers a transcript of the act of celebration of the wedding of Jerome, Bonaparte in a foreign country. This virtually null lified the marriage under the terms oI the French law. as the civil, code or that country provided that within three months after a French subject married abroad returned to his native country he must have the ceremony recorded in the public records.
 Several months later he went even further, writing long letter to the Pope, in which he asked for bill ari- nulling the marriage. The letter Is so characteristic of the Corsican that part of it Is worth reproducing. Ma poleon says: 'T have frequently spoken to your Holiness of young brother. 1s years of age, whom sent in frigate to America. and who. after a. soJourn of month, although min or, married a Protestant, Q daughter of a merchant of the United States. He has just returned. He is fully con scious of his fault. have sent back to America Miss Patterson, who calls herself his wife. By our laws the mar riage is null A Spanish priest so Tar forgot his duties as to pronounce the benediction. I desire from your Holi- ness bull. annulling the marriage l send your Holiness several papers from one of which by Cardinal Casselle, your Holiness will receive much light could easily have this marriage broken in Paris, since the Gallican Church pronounces such matrimonies null. But 1t appears to me better to have it done in Rome on account of the example to sovereign families marry ing Protestants. I beg your Holiness to do this quietly, and as soon as know that you are willing to do 1t, will have it broken here, civilly. IL is important for France that there should, not be Protestant young wo- man so near my person. It Is danger ous that a minor and distinguished youth should be exposed to such seduc- tion against the Civil Laws ana all sorts of propriety.'
 So much for Napoleon's side of the case. That he was not entirely straight as to the facts Is evident from what has preceded. have been glad to comply with the re- quest of so powerful a potentate. found that he could not. as an honest man. accede to the demand. In his answer to the French emperor he says: Tn whatever light we have considered it the result of our examination has been that of all the motives that have been proposed which we can imagine, there is not one which allows us to gratify your majesty as we should be glad to do by declaring the nullity of the mar riage. The proposed impedi- ments are four in number. On exam ming them separately, however, 1t has not been found possible to find one. which, in the present case, and accord ing to the principles of the church, can authorize us to declare the nullity of the marriage contracted and already consummated. The difference of re- ligion, considered by the church as an absolute impeachment. does not obtain between two persons who have been baptized, even when one of them is not in the Catholic communion. This impeachment obtains only in marriage contracted between a Christian and an infldel. These marriages between Pro- testants and Catholics, although disap-
 proved by the church, are nevertheless acknowledged as valid"
 This answer once more imbued Je- rome and his young wife with hope. Napoleon sent him on various missions in all of which he acquitted himself with honor and distinction but never permitted him to mention the name of his wife The two corresponded reg ularly after Mme. Bonaparte had re- l. year having relinquished himself as soldier Jerome made up his mind % forget his young wife in the New World and to live for his ambition. T have decided to immolate myself upon the altar of the Napoleon dynas- ty," he says in letter. telling of his decision.
 On August 12. 1907. he was married to the Princess Frederick Catherina, daughter of the King of Wuertemburg and few days later was proclaimed King of Westphalia. It was a bitter day that brought this news to the Bal timore belle. who was hoping against hope that all would yet be well and that she would be reunited to her hus- band. She did not despair, but nerved herself for that vain though magnifi- cent struggle for recognition that she kept up for more than half a century. She brought up her only child with scrupulous care. She sent him, while still young, to Harvard University. 1 After his graduation he undertook the study of law and was admitted to the bar of Maryland. IHis marriage with Mary Williams of Baltimore was in opposition to the wishes of his mother, who hoped to secure for him an al- Iiance with some royal house of Eu- rope. Miss Williams was wealthy in | her own right and after his marriage l the first American Bonaparte decided
 to spend his time in travel and study
 instead of taking up the practice of the law. In 1882, he had a son, Napol- con Jerome Bonaparte, who displayed
 taste for military life and was sent
 to West Point. He afterward distin- guished himself in the Civil War and | died in 1893. Charles J. Bonaparte was born in 1852, and many times has heard the story of her unhappy mar riage from his grandmother's own Hips.
 Madame Bonaparte was most anxious
 to preserve the legitimacy of her son and did all in her power to maintain the l legality of her marriage with the grandfather of the new Secretary of the Navy.
 | shortly after Napoleon III mounted
 the throne of France she secured for nal trial The proud King of West phalia appeared at the trial and op- posed his wife's attempt. He appealed l to the council of state to forbid Jerome Patterson" the privilege of as- ] suming the name Bonaparte.
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