The New York herald., 1921-05-15
]. Bonaparte As
a Jersey Resident

To TIE NEW YORK HERALD: / notice
Rare Napoleonic Works on Sale" this
being the caption OF an article on your
editorial page OF May 5. ] have one 10
offer myself. 1t is a writing In an
ancient day book kept by my old grand
father and 1t reads thus:
Mansfield. Jany 2, 1924.
"Sett'ld all accounts this day with Jo-
seph Bonaparte and Charles Lucien
Murat, and there remains owing to John
Brown Six Hundred and forty-seven DOL
lars and Twelve Cents (s6i7.1g).
Joseph Bonaparte.
"Lucien Murat.
John Brown"
And the settling account remains un-
settled 10 this day. l am sure of this.
for / distinctly recall the grandfather
talk to mo about these Princes OF
Splurge and the fact that while they
were able to pull off great feats OF
splendor for the aristocrats or Phfla-
delphia and their own little community
at Bordentown, ". j., they were not
able to get the six forty-seven together
to pay him.
Tho day book In question Is one OF
the legacies managed, as youngster.
to get my hands on when John Brown
died In 1890 at the age OF %. il is a
wonderful piece of work, containing
every business transaction in which he
engaged from 1890 to 1858, showing his
advancement in writing and spelling,
his progress from a brick mason to
fish merchant, to q storekeeper. to the
owner of the only threshing machine In
his neighborhood and finally to a farmer
and into retirement; starting with him
as a poor youth, the only support OF
widowed mother and six brothers and
sisters, into days of affluence, leaving
as he did blame near all OF one section
OF Burlington county In New Jersey.
He was a great old man and naturally
I am proud OF him. But his talks with
me as q child, augmenting as they did
the day book, then but little priced bu'
| now invaluable, were OF much historical
interest Take tho Bonaparte place al
Bordentown. to which Joseph fed after
the Waterloo mess.
| On the shores OF the Delaware II still
stands, n ruin to be sure. but living
evidence OF tho time OF princes and
counts. From II ran series Of tunnels
TO tho river. As a kid / romped through
these underground passages. AS q
youth the aged rrandparent told or the
part no played In their construction and
how Bonaparte laid them out IN the
thought that Napoleon might escape
some time from ~. Helena and hnd MS
ingress from ship made easy for him.
And then the day book. Note this
Item: "Lucien Murat 20 cutting ono
hole and piercing on iron door, 800
And this one, Joseph Bonaparte 70 my
horse, days 10 go TO Wrightstown
$3.50" And this ono. 'Iucien Murat
TO my dearborn TO get to Burlington
$50" Or this one. "Lucien Murat, (
money l let him have, $40"
| Or another--and this time the olo
gentleman is getting suspicious" Lu'
Glen Murat, to Six Dollars / let hin
have In the presence OF stephen Blay'
lock-" Scores of such items MI th'
faded ledger, ending with tho Settle
ment" record first mentioned.
Hero were these two high flyers, on'
a former King and the other always
Prince. touching a brick mason foi
small loans and running up a total in
debtedness OF 5000. And the papers
AZ this period are full OF tho splendoi
or their stay at Bordentown, OF th'
vast sums they dispensed. OF the gals
entertainments they gave. Yet ole
John Brown. recording nightly the 81
cent Items OF his work, went through
life az John Brown with an unsettled
account of S6f7 due him. 1f they were
kings and princes John Brown was
god HARVEY THOMAS.
NEWARK, N. j., Mays.