Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-20

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from green cover or the birds that had
become so tame tAat they did not fly at
the approach of man.
I'VE are at peace with nature" he.
would exclaim. and a smile would light
up his face.
The persons who got look into the
kings private library and private rooms
had treat indeed for nowhere in Amer
lea were there such works of art to be
seen. The king had fair share of the
loot OF the palaces of Europe. There
were Murillos. Titians, Rembrandts.
Velasquezes. Raphaels and Paul Var
oneses. Joseph was a connoisseur and lie
picked out the best that came his way.
In 1892 when he had hurry call for
money To finance the Napoleonic cause. he
culled out a few of his masterpieces and
sent them to London for sale. They
brought 772.OOO francs. In 1880 he had
another sale, and in 1889 there was
third
When news came OF the death OF Ma
poleon there was intense grief in Bona
parte House. and some months later there
came letter to the exiled king that he
never was able to read without weeping.
1t was from Bertrand, one of the faith
full, who shared with the emperor the
dreary routine of st. Helena.
There was one paragraph in this letter
that was blotted with tears. the tears of
Bertrand and the tears Of Joseph.
For the last two hours" il read, .'he
neither spoke nor moved. The only sound
was his difficult breathing. which gradu-
ally but regularly decreased. His pulse
ceased, and SO died. surrounded only by
few servants. the man who had dictated
laws to the world, and whose life should
have been preserved for the sake of the
happiness and glory OF our sorrowlng
country. Forgive, prince: a hurried let
ter. which tells you SO little when you
wish to know SO much, but should never
end II attempted to tell ALL
Kind and gentle was Joseph onaparte
but at times he showed the sternness and
obStinacy of his great brother. One OF the
members of his household was his
nephew, Prince Francis Lucien Charles
Murat. son of Marshal Murat. King OF
the Two Sicilies. and Caroline Bonaparte.
Throughout the Bordentown country the
youth was known as Prince Reckless"
He had all his fathers DASH all his
handsome looks and all his charm. In
addition he was as wild as q March hare.
Before long he had Bordentown scandal
ized He loved to gamble and he loved
to drink. and he was not particular who
he gambled or who he drank with. He
spent his nights at the White Horse Tay-
ern or the American House. In vain did
his uncle command him to mend his
ways.
Then one day he caused a real sensa.
ton. He eloped with Miss Caroline Fra
Ser, one of the bellies Of New Jersey. DEM
ocrat though Joseph Bonaparte was at
heart, he declared this was mesalliance.
and he announced that the bride might
have the pleasure of supporting her hus-
band, for surely nothing would be granted
from the Bonaparte purse And nothing
ever was. The prince squandered the
money of the Frasers. He squandered
what he could get from such relatives s
would help him. And when he had no
more money to enliven his nights at the
taverns, he was not above consorting
with the stable hands and the shopmen. if
by SO doing he could negotiate a loan.
When not a penny was left the princess,
In order to save her home, Linden Hall,
from the sheriff decided to open a board
ing school With her sisters as assist
ants she did From far and near she
got pupils, for with a princess as in
structress the school needed no further
recommendation to the newly rich. There
was less of the classics than of fine man
ners in the curriculum Of Linden Hall,
and 1t prOspered so well that the prince
was able occasionally to jingle gold coins
neur again at the White Horse Tavern
and the American House. But he never
was permitted within the confines OF
Bonaparte House and never was recos-
nfzed by his Uncle Joseph
Rordentown accustomed to the sight Of
princes, marshals and statesmen was
startled one day In 1892 to learn that the
King was going away. The long-eN-
pected turn in the affairs OF the Bona
parties was believed to be at hand and
Joseph was en- route for Europe to helm
seat Napoleon's son, the Due de Reich
stadt. on the throne of France. But alas
for the hopes of the Bonapartes! On the
very day the king left Bordentown the
Due de Reichstadt died. All the hopes,
all the plans of the Bonapartes were
wrecked. and the Bourbons were saved,
for a time at least,
1t was not until 1887 that Bordentown
saw King Joseph again. Then he re-
turned to close up his affairs. He was
broken in health and spirits, and permits
sion had been granted to him to make
his home in Italy. There he was to toin
his wife. who had been an invalid for
many years and whom he had not seen
since 1916.
Hardly a friend had he in Bordentown
or it's neighborhood to whom he did not
give a souvenir of Napoleon before he
babe them farewell, and never did the
HlStOrlc OLD tOWn sorrow more over the
loss Of one OF its people than when
Joseph Bonaparte went away.
He planned to keep Bonaparte House
and Bonaparte Park In the Bonaparte
family forever. but he died in 1874, and
three years later the estate was sold. 1t
passed through one or two hands and
then began to decay.
But with the passing OF Joseph Bona.
parte Bordentown did not end its keen
interest in the family OF the great Cor
Sican.
In 1S4S, when the French revolution
hurled the Bourbons from power, Prince
Reckless" saw the door of opportunity
open to him. Somehow he borrowed
money enough to get to Paris. The
French, full of the glory of Napoleon, re-
ceived him with open arms. The prince
had one virtue at least. He loved his
wife and he begged her to join him.
When the news reached Bordentown that
fortune at last was going to smile on
Prince Reckless all the fashionable wom-
en- I'm the old town joined in making up
a trousseau fit for the princess i'm her
new station. And she sadly needed a
trousseau indeed. for the boarding school
had fallen upon evil days, its fame and
attractiveness having long since passed
So the good women of Bordentown not
only cut and sewed. fitted anu furnished.
hut they got together purse. and when
the Princess Murat and her children sail
cd away TO France little at least Of the
debt Ror6eutowu owed n the Bona par teS