Show A Lovely Exile Thrilled and I Scandalized U. U. U S. S Years Ago She Claimed Clamed to Be a Descendant of the Man for Whom America W Was s Named She Set Statesmen's Hearts Flutter A and She Almost Succeeded in n Obtaining American Citizenship and a Grant of Land Before Gossips Gossips' Tongues Began to Wag Then 0 I IC IC Ie C e Western N Newspaper r Union Dy By ELMO SCOTT WATSON VATSON T N THE city of Ogdensburg N. N Y Y stands a stately old I IN three-storied three brick house embowered in a grove of the trees which give Ogdensburg the name of the Maple Mople City They call it the Parrish Mansion and from its wide verandas you look out over the blue waters of the St. St T Lawrence Lawreice river A surprise awaits you as you enter the louse house The walls of its rooms are covered cov coy ered with paintings stirring paintings stirring colorful scenes of the Old West Indians chasing buffalo buffa lo 10 or attacking stage-coaches stage and wagon trains fur traders traders traders trad trad- ers their boats up the Missouri galloping cavalrymen cay cay- charging across the plains or through an Indian village cowboys roping longhorn longhorn longhorn long- long horn steers busting broncos broncos broncos bron bron- cos or shooting up a one- one street frontier cow town Here and there stand bronze statues of men and horses vibrant with action In cases along the 3 Martin Van Buren walls hang Indian scalp shirts feathered war bonnets bows arrows arrows ar ar- ar- ar rows shields frontiersmen's fringed buckskin shirts and leggings leggings leggings leg leg- gings army uniforms carbines revolvers sabers Its It's an amazIng amazing amazing ing bit of the Wild West trans trans- plated to this peaceful little city in upstate New York but you understand understand understand un un- un- un why when they tell you that this is the Frederic Remington fleming fleming- tori ton Memorial museum This article however Is no not about this greatest of all painters of Western life It will tell the story of a woman one of the most romantic characters ii in American history who once lived in this house and the memory o of whom still lingers there in an upstairs upstairs upstairs up up- stairs room For if you enter ente this room you will see her portable portable porta porta- ble writing desk exquisite with its delicate inlay work some o othe of the dainty toilet articles which she used and miniatures of he her herand herand and of the man whose name i is perpetuated in the Parrish Man Mart sion A Gossipy Chronicler A decided sensation was o e at Washington during the theVan theVan theVan Van Buren administration by the appearance there of a handsome and well educated Italian lady who called herself America Vespucci Vespucci Ves Ves- and claimed descent from the navigator who gave his name to this continent So writes Ben Perley a gossipy journalist journal journal- 1st whose volume two-volume work called Reminiscence of Sixty Years in the National Metropolis was published half a century ago In calling it a decided decided de de- sensation this historian was writing somewhat less than accurately as he was when he called her a lady Also he omitted certain details concerning her in deference to the Victorian mid morality of the period period pe pe- nod in which he wrote Later historians however have not been hampered by such inhibitions inhibitions and from the evidence which they have collected the story of the lovely America or Ameriga Vespucci can be toldas told toldas as follows It begins with a meets boy girl incident in the Italian city of Florence some time in the early The boy was Ferdinand Due Duc dOrleans son of King Louis Philippe of France The girl was America Vespucci They immediately immediately immediately imme imme- fell in love lo and of course America said yes when Ferdinand Ferdinand Ferdinand Ferdi Ferdi- nand proposed But the king of France had other plans for hisson hisson his hisson son and forbade the marriage But their love was not to be denied and when Ferdinand returned returned returned re re- re- re turned to Paris America accompanied accompanied accompanied him and lived with him without benefit of clergy Within a short time however the love of the Due Duc dOrleans waned and America Amera a too proud to return to her disapproving family in Florence Florence Flor Flor- ence set out for the country which bore the name of her il illustrious illustrious il- il explorer I In saying that her arrival in Washington caused a decided sensation was guilty of understatement S Social cial life ife under the previous administration administration adminis- adminis ration of Old Hickory Jackon Jackson Jackson Jack- Jack son on had been inexpressibly crude It t was becoming more refined under under un- un der ier the administration of the Duke of Kinderhook Martin Van Tan Buren The coming of a foreigner and and one so beautiful beautiful- who had been the toast of princes In n Paris would lend it So Society In Washington welcomed America with open arms President Ex-President John Quincy Adams Adams Ad Ad- ams became a special friend of the beautiful Italian and even the like god Daniel Webster was not immune to her charms charm President President Pres- Pres ident dent Van Buren was so attentive to her that the gossips speculated ed upon the possibility of the wid wid- President ower-President making her the First Lady of the Land It soon became apparent that America wanted something else besides resides social position She needed needed needed need need- ed an income So she drew up a petition to congress asking first to a be admitted to the rights of citizenship and second to be given a corner of land out put of the public domain on which to live Senator Benton presented the petition to the senate and it was immediately referred to the committee on public lands The committees committee's reply eulogized eulogized eulo cub the petitioner as a young dignified and graceful lady with witha a mind of the highest intellectual culture and a heart beating with all of our own enthusiasm in the cause of America and human liberty lib lib- erty Then it went on to give the reasons why the petition could not be granted and commended the lovely to the generosity gen gen- of the American people people- I The name of America our America our country's name should name should be honored honored hon hon- ored respected and cherished Inthe in inthe inthe the person of the interesting exile from whose ancestor we derive the great and glorious title All of which was very flattering flattering flatter flatter- ing indeed but it didn't pay Americas America's bills She needed money money money mon mon- ey and she resorted to tears t to get it Thereupon so ley Icy tells us a s subscription was wa immediately opened by Mr Haight the sergeant arms o othe of the senate and judges con congressmen congress congress- gressmen gress- gress men and citizens vied with one on another in their contributions America Returns America accepted the subscription tion gratefully and departed with it for Paris where she went to live with her sister the Washington society heard nothing more of her for two years It was busy with its own affairs under changing adminis adminis- But some of her friends did not neglect to write to her that under a new administration her petition might now have a better chance of being granted So she immediately sailed again for the Land of Promise When she arrived in Boston she found that city preparing to give a magnificent ball in celebration celebration celebration cele cele- bration of the visit of Prince de deJoinville deJoinville Joinville a younger brother of her lover the Due dOrleans Accounts Accounts Accounts Ac Ac- counts differ as to what followed w itt t t John Quincy Adams with his characteristic tic delicacy says that it was whispered that Madame Vespucci had borne an unenviable reputation reputation tion at Florence and Paris and had been induced by a pecuniary consideration to break off an Intimacy in intimacy In In- with the Duke of Orleans and because of this the Prince de Joinville refused to recognize her which virtually excluded her from reputable society Later historians however tell tella a different story For Instance Carl Carmer in his book Lis 4 Jf t. t America Vespucci ten for a Lonesome Drum says Ameriga Vespucci entered the room ball-room at Faneuil hall hail on the arm of the prince himself Boston Boston Bos Bbs ton saw and worshiped and all might have gone wen well with her herand herand herand and her plans had not a guest recognized her as the former fanner mistress mistress mistress mis mis- tress of the princes prince's brother At any rate it meant the end of her social ambitions All AU of her snobbish American friends deserted her her all all except one That was John Van Buren the son of President Ex-President Van Buren a hard-drinking hard gambling spendthrift spendthrift spendthrift spend spend- thrift who was known as Prince John Evidently America decided decided decided ed that an American prince was better than nothing So she went to live with him him again again without without without with with- out benefit of clergy She Comes to Ogdensburg It was through her association with John Van Duren Buren that she came at last to Ogdensburg According According According Ac Ac- cording to local tradition Van VanBuren VanBuren VanBuren Buren and America met George Parrish a rich merchant of Ogdensburg Ogdensburg Og Og- at a hotel in Evans Mills Van Buren luren challenged Parish to a poker game When he lost all his money he put up as a final stake his last possession pos pos- session session and and lost her her too So when George Parrish returned to Ogdensburg America Vespucci accompanied him One account says that Parrish was a Belgian another that he was an Austrian Whichever Wl he was he had carried to this country country country coun coun- try regal Ideas The house to which he brought America was a veritable castle compared to the humbler Ogdensburg homes Of course there was talk among the Puritanical residents of Ogdensburg They called her hera a fancy lady or the Floren I 11 w tine Fancy But she didn't care All her social ambitions were in inthe inthe inthe the past now George Parrish gave her every luxury she desired de do- desired sired and she was happier than she had ever been before So for 20 years the interesting exile enjoyed an idyllic l life e in her American castle with her merchant merchant mer mer- chant prince But Dut as Carmer records it ended with merciful suddenness One day George Parrish told her he must return to his lands in Europe He lIe waS waS' giving up his holdings in America and America and her She met his decision bravely thanked him for his settlement of a year told him she would go again to live with her sister the So back to Paris again went America Vespucci and there she remained until her death a few years later She has hs become something of a legend in Ogdensburg burt burg albeit one of the most Interesting interesting inter Inter- esting in that interesting little city The relics of this exotic foreigner foreigner for for- eigner strike a strange note in an anart anart anart art museum which perpetuates the memory of an artist so thoroughly thoroughly thoroughly thor thor- and distinctly American as Frederic Remington was However as Carl Carmer says If U in some ghostly state she has found a way to return across the ocean to her American home I know she must be puzzled by all the rearing bronze and the paintings of cowboys galloping galloping galloping gal gal- loping over the endless yellow desert But I am quite sure she is not afraid The paradox of the Ogdensburg museum housing relics of two such widely different characters as the American painter and the Italian adventuress is no stranger stranger stranger stran stran- ger however than the paradox which gave the name of her ancestor ancestor ancestor an an- to a continent which he did not discover For while history history his his- tory gives credit to Christopher Columbus for discovering the two continents in the New world neither neither nei nei- tie tie- ther thor of them bears the appropriate ate of Columbia Instead Instead Instead In In- stead both are named for an ItalIan Italian Italian Ital Ital- ian explorer who never set foot on the soil of North America and did not visit South America until several years after Columbus had He lie was Amerigo or Americus Americus Amer Amer- icus Vespucci born in Florence Italy in March 1452 who grew up to become a merchant engaged engaged engaged en en- in trade for the Florentine house of the Medici When Columbus in Ira 1498 made his third voyage across the At lantic and reached the mainland of South America he sent back to Spain five l ships laden with pearls and with them a chart of the new discoveries of this mainland mainland mainland main main- land and its rich pearl fisheries Bishop Fonseca who was in charge of all matters relating to the new discoveries showed Columbus Columbus' Golumbus' Golumbus Co Go- lumbus' lumbus chart to a certain Alonso de do and gave him a li 11 li license cense to go to South America to exploit its riches With Hojeda sailed the merchant Vespucci who Incidentally had supplied provisions for Columbus Columbus' two previous previous pre pro voyages The HoJeda Vespucci expedition tion lion left Cadiz Spain In May day 1499 and landed on the coast o of South America leagues south BOUth of the Gulf of Paria the center of the pearl fishing industry Towards the close of 1500 Vespucci Vespucci Ves Ves- was induced to transfer his hia Vespucci services to the king of Portugal who in 1501 sent him to explore farther this new southern conti nent Vespucci's three ships crossing from Cape Verde reached Cape St. St Roque Rogue August 17 and proceeding southward arrived arrived arrived ar ar- ar- ar rived at Bahia on November 1 and at Rio de Janeiro January 1 1 1502 They appear to have advanced advanced ad ad- as far south as latitude 32 degrees although Vespucci maintains that they actually proceeded proceeded proceeded pro pro- a good deal farther Two accounts of these voyages were shortly afterwards issued by Vespucci In the first he gave an account to his fellow country man Lorenzo Pietro de Medici of these new regions he had visIted visIted vis- vis ted which we may rightly call a anew anew anew new world His Ills second account sent to the same person he entitled entitled entitled en en- titled Mundus Novus In it he describes how in these southern parts they had found a continent continent continent conti conti- nent more densely peopled than Europe Asia or Africa We knew that land to be a continent and not an island both both because of its l ng extension of coast and because because because be be- cause of its many inhabitants In 1504 Amerigo published a second account in the form of an Italian addressed to Pi- Pi eri eel of Florence Florence Florence Flor Flor- ence who had been a schoolfellow low of his wherein his two voyages voyages voy voy- ages are expanded into four It has not been difficult however to note the many discrepancies in this account and to bring the details back to the two voyages These booklets had a tremendous tremendous tremendous dous vogue and when compared with the labored attempt of Columbus Columbus Co Co- lumbus to describe the site of the Garden of Eden and the Earthly Paradise showed a much greater sense of what the public understood It is not at atall atall atall all surprising therefore to understand understand un un- un what took place in 1507 It so happened that at St. St Die in the mountains of France there was a little collegiate collegiate colle colic institution which was both a center of geographical learning and the owner of a new printing press which was then something of a novelty in France Two of its faculty members Mathias and Martin ler let were busy with a new edition of Ptolemy's |