| OCR Text |
Show Recalling "Glorious lefsy Patterson" By ELMO SCOTT WATSON rl HEN Father Time closes his books for 1936, whom 93 tJw e wr'te down as "the man of the year" and "the (gjj woman of the year"? rSsn Opinions as to the former may differ but it's not xgsZQ likely that there'll be any disagreement on the latter. For the woman whose name has been on every tongue, not only in America, but all over the world, is Mrs. Wallis ("Wally") Simpson of Baltimore, Md. Whether, during the coming year, King Edward VIII of England marries her or doesn't marry her she probably will be, in 1937, as she was in 1936, the most talked-about, most written-about and most pictured pic-tured woman in the world. And thus does "history repeat itself" once more. One hundred hun-dred and thirty-odd years ago another Baltimore woman was also a topic for international discussion because she was the central figure in a royal romance. Whatever may be the future of "Wally" Simpson, hers will have to be a remarkable career indeed if it matches that of "Glorious Betsy" Patterson. Elizabeth Patterson was the daughter of William Patterson of Baltimore, where she was born February 6, 1785. William Wil-liam Patterson was not only, next to Charles Carroll of Car-rollton, Car-rollton, the wealthiest man in Maryland, but he was also one of its "leading citizens." When his daughter had reached the age of eighteen, she was no longer just Elizabeth Patterson she was "Glorious Betsy" Patterson, WILLIAM PATTERSON the belle of Baltimore and one of the most beautiful girls in the history of that city. A "Fairy Prince" Coming. In the autumn of 1803 Baltimore Balti-more society was a-titter with the news that Jerome Bonaparte, youngest brother of Napoleon, was coming to visit his old comrade-in-arms of the West Indian campaigns, Commodore Joshua Barney of the United States navy. Jerome did not distinguish himself in that campaign and was glad enough to return to France as a bearer of dispatches dis-patches to his brother. After becoming be-coming involved in sundry escapades, es-capades, he was sent to sea again, this time as the commander com-mander of a ship which cruised about in the West Indies during the hostilities between England and France without, however, seeing any action. One of his boon companions was General Rewbell who had married Harriet Har-riet Pascault, a French girl living liv-ing in Baltimore and from young Madame Rewbell Jerome heard of the charms of "Glorious Bet-sy." Bet-sy." Life in Martinique, where he was stationed, was dull for this gay young blade who was irresistibly ir-resistibly attracted to a pretty face. Commodore Barney had invited him to visit Baltimore. So to Baltimore he would go and see his old friend and also the charming Mademoiselle Patterson Patter-son even though it meant the displeasure of the First Consul for him to leave his post of duty in the West Indies. Jerome went first to New York and Philadelphia where society made much of him. But the real magnet was in Baltimore and there Betsy Patterson awaited with impatience the arrival of this "fairy prince." Betsy first met him at a ball given at the house of Samuel Chase, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Independ-ence, and father-in-law of Commodore Com-modore Barney. Both of them were apparently fascinated with each other from the start. The Talk of the Town. Jerome, with the full knowledge knowl-edge that he would incur the displeasure dis-pleasure of Napoleon if he mar-lied mar-lied an American girl instead of some European princess whom the First Consul would select, began an ardent courtship at once. Whether Betsy's equally ardent response was dictated by real love for the handsome young Frenchman or by her ambition is uncertain. William Patterson, foreseeing Napoleon's refusal to acknowledge acknowl-edge the legality of any such marriage, tried in vain to halt the courtship. To his protests Betsy replied that she "would rather be the wife of Jerome Bonaparte for an hour than that of any other man for a lifetime." So he gave his consent to the marriage on the condition that they wait until after Jerome had reached the age of nineteen. ! So the marriage was postponed until December 24, 1303. All legal formalities were carefully complied with. The marriage contract was drawn up by Alexander Alex-ander Dallas, later secretary of the treasury and vice-president of the United States. The Most Rev. John Carroll, bishop of Baltimore Bal-timore and founder of Georgetown George-town college, performed the ceremony cer-emony with many dignitaries, present. After the marriage, Jerome and his bride went on a honeymoon honey-moon tour which took them to Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston where brilliant entertainments were given in their honor. But their happiness in their love was short-lived. Four months later Jerome had his first word from Napoleon. It was an order for him to return to France forthwith but without his bride. Furthermore, the French consul - general in New York was directed to prohibit all captains of French vessels from receiving on board "the young person to whom Citizen Jerome has connected himself". That was the answer of Napoleon Napo-leon to Jerome's confidence that his brother would approve of the marriage and to Betsy's confidence confi-dence that her beauty would win the emperor over when he saw her. But, despite this evidence of Napoleon's hostility, the young couple sailed in March, 1805 in one of William Patterson's fast clipper ships for Lisbon, Spain. There they found a French frigate waiting to prevent Betsy's landing. land-ing. Still believing that Napoleon could be persuaded to acknowledge acknowl-edge the marriage, Jerome pre- JEROME BONAPARTE vailed upon Betsy to go on to Amsterdam while he went t o Paris to plead her cause with the emperor. Napoleon Shows His Power. But even at Amsterdam she found herself thwarted by the power of Napoleon in the form of two French warships which prevented her ship entering the harbor. All that was left her was to seek refuge in England, which she did. So great was the throng which gathered to see her land at Dover that William Pitt sent a regiment of soldiers to keep the crowd in order and prevent any disturbance. Soon after she settled at Camberwell in Surrey, a son, to whom she gave the name of Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, Bon-aparte, was born. Betsy remained in England for three months, constantly receiving receiv-ing messages from Jerome protesting pro-testing his fidelity and affection. In the meantime Napoleon was bringing a constant pressure to bear upon his brother to get him to repudiate his marriage. The emperor addressed a letter to Pope Pius VII requesting him to declare the marriage void. With the request he sent a costly golden tiara for the pope. But Pius could not be bribed and he returned the tiara to Napoleon Na-poleon with the reply that careful care-ful research revealed he had no authority to grant the emperor's wish. Napoleon, it is said, never forgave Pius for. this refusal. He found, however, that the subservient sub-servient imperial council of state in Paris would do what the pope had refused to do and by this time, Jerome's resistance having been broken down, that body issued is-sued a decree annulling the marriage. mar-riage. Betsy probably was not greatly great-ly surprised at this, "for she had realized for some time how weak - willed was her husband and after the first ardor of their marriage had cooled, it was probably her ambition rather than her love for Jerome which made her persist in trying to win Napoleon over. Despite the fact that the emperor had balked that ambition, she seems to have had a great admiration for him and without giving up her claim that she was the legitimate wife of Jerome, she accepted a pension of 60,000 francs a year from Napoleon. But she refused a pension pen-sion of 200,000 francs from Jerome, Je-rome, declaring "I prefer to be sheltered under the wing of an eagle rather than to be suspended suspend-ed from the bill of a goose." Not Room for Two Queens. As a reward for deserting his wife, Jerome was made successor succes-sor to the imperial throne in case Napoleon died leaving no heir and in 1807 he was made King of Westphalia. In the same year he married Princess Fred-rica Fred-rica Catherine, daughter of the King of Wurtemburg, and offered offer-ed his American wife a residence in Westphalia. To that offer she replied, "It is, indeed, a large kingdom but not large enough to hold two queens." Napoleon's star which had risen so swiftly and so brilliantly began to descend in 1813 and the French were expelled from Germany. Jerome was now a king without a kingdom but after Napoleon's return from Elba, he rejoined his brother and commanded com-manded a division in his army during the historic 100 days while the emperor's star flamed again in the skies. Then it descended for all time at Waterloo and St. Helena ended his dream of empire. em-pire. Gone now was Betsy Patterson's Patter-son's hope of ever reigning as a queen. In 1815, by a special act of the Maryland legislature, she divorced Jerome to prevent his claiming any share of her fortune. for-tune. In that year she returned to Europe. A new ambition was stirring in her. She had reconciled recon-ciled herself to never becoming the wife of a ruler but she might be the mother of one. If ever the Bonaparte dynasty were restored, re-stored, her son, Jerome Napoleon Napo-leon Bonaparte, might be called to the throne. So she dedicated her life to bringing about that event. Meanwhile the Bourbon dynasty dy-nasty had been restored in France and Louis XVIII had begun be-gun his short-lived reign. But despite this fact, "Glorious Betsy" Bet-sy" (for she was still a beautiful and charming woman) still dreamed of -seeing her son become be-come emperor of the French. Young Jerome did not share his mother's ambition for him. He wanted to be an American citizen citi-zen and live a normal American life. So, during a visit to America, Ameri-ca, unknown to his mother (but with the hearty approval of old William Patterson, his grandfather) grand-father) he wooed and won Susan Williams, a Baltimore girl. Betsy Patterson Bonaparte screamed with rage when she heard the news of her son's marriage. mar-riage. For a long time she continued con-tinued unreconciled to the match. She refused to send any message of congratulation when a son was born to Jerome Napoleon Napo-leon Bonaparte and Susan Williams Wil-liams Bonaparte on November 5, 1S30. But eventually she forgave for-gave her son and her heart ' warmed to her grandson, who also bore the name of Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte. Into the Third Generation. As he grew older she began to dream her dream again. If her son could not become emperor of the French, perhaps her grandson might. So she watched his career with pride graduation gradua-tion from West Point, a short term of service in the United States army, then, at her suggestion, sug-gestion, he resigned to enter a French regiment. He won distinction dis-tinction in the Franco-Prussian war and after the fall of the second empire, when Napoleon III lost his throne, her hopes soared high. Then her castles in the air came crashing dowD about her ears once more. For her grandson, instead ol remaining in Europe to take advantage ad-vantage of any opportunity whicll might come to him in the swirl of French politics, came back to America and married an American Amer-ican woman! She was Mrs. New-bolt New-bolt Edgar, a rich young American Ameri-can widow whom he had met in Paris. Again "Glorious Betsy" raged but eventually forgave him for after the deposed Napoleon III had died there was revival of talk of a restoration of the empire. em-pire. There was still the possibility possibi-lity that her grandson might be called to the throne. But that possibility was never realized for on April 4, 1879 death came at last for "Glorious Betsy" Bet-sy" Patterson. Her amazing career ca-reer had covered the span of nearly a century. She had wanted to be the wife of the king, then the mother of an emperor, then the grandmother grandmoth-er of an emperor. And in all of these she failed. One wonders if there would have been some recompense rec-ompense for her if she had lived to see one of her grandsons rise to a high position in the land of her birth. For one of her grandsons, grand-sons, Charles Joseph Bonaparte, the younger son of Jerome Napoleon Na-poleon Bonaparte, became first the secretary of the navy and later attorney-general in the cabinet cab-inet of President Theodore Roosevelt. Roos-evelt. But it is doubtful if even this distinction for one of her blood would have been any satisfaction satisfac-tion to her. For three-quarters I - - If " - " i II y- - 1 r J, ' - e i Charles Joseph Bonaparte of a century the golden bees of Napoleon had buzzed in her ears j their deceptive promises of a ! false hope. She was determined j that the world should look upon her as royalty. Anything less I than that she could not accept i if she were true to the ideal she I had set for herself in her j dreams. That was her tragedy not without its comic aspects ' the tragedy of "Giorious Bet- sy" Patterson. Yt'.ern NcwFP2?cr Lnion. j |
