Emperor Norton

You've probably seen old photographs of the waterfront filled with ships whose sailors had simply walked away.

And Emperor Norton allowed this?

Emperor Norton.

That was your topic at the San Francisco show.

That's

All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico Joshua A. Norton, 1819-1880 Quote Every age has its peculiar folly, some scheme, project, or fantasy into which it plunges, spurred on either by the love of gain, the necessity of excitement, or the mere force of imitation.

End quote Thus has a gifted writer laid down a human law as universal as the human race itself.

itself.All cities have had that singular class of eccentric individuals commonly and generally known as characters.

Here were George Washington Combs, known also as the great matrimonial candidate, Old Rosie, Money King, Robert McCair, the Guttersnipe, Old Crisis, and others, all of whom long since have passed into oblivion.

And in this motley throng, though never of it, appeared Emperor Norton.

Joshua A. Norton was his real name.

He was of Hebrew parentage, born February 14, 1819, probably in Scotland.

End of Of Fossil Shells and Other Extraneous Fossils by Oliver Goldsmith

Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico by Robert Ernest Cowan This is a LibriVox recording.

All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, Joshua A. Norton, 1819-1880 Quote, Every age has its peculiar folly, some scheme, project, or fantasy into which it plunges, spurred on either by the love of gain, the necessity of excitement, or the mere force of imitation.

End quote.

Thus has a gifted writer laid down a human law as universal as the human race itself.

The earliest printed proclamation of the self-created emperor appeared in 1859.

Quote, At the peremptory request and desire of a large majority of the citizens of these United States, I, Joshua Norton, formerly of Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, and now for the last nine years and ten months past of San Francisco, California, declare and proclaim myself emperor of these United States, and in virtue of the authority thereby in me vested, do hereby order and direct the representatives of the different states of the Union to assemble in musical hall of this city on the first day of February next, then and there to make such alterations in the existing laws of the Union as may ameliorate the evils under which the country is laboring, and thereby cause confidence to exist both at home and abroad in our stability and integrity.

First things first.

100% a reference to Emperor Norton, right? I thought about that.

That makes sense.

Yeah, yeah,

But that's the first thing I thought about.

Yeah, I never made the connection.

I was kind of like Emperor Norton.

I had known of

Fairy Tales from Gold Lands by May Wentworth.

Emperor Norton.

Once upon a time there lived near a small village on the shore of the Atlantic an honest farmer named Norton who had three sons.

the two elder were smart active lads but the youngest was quiet and so much given to dreaming that his brothers ridiculed and often slighted him he is so stupid they would say he will be a disgrace to the family but what annoyed him most they gave him the unpleasant sobriquet of dumpy on account of his fat rosy cheeks as the boys grew up the eldest took the farm and was to take care of the father and mother The second became clerk to a merchant in a neighboring city.

the old man pointed out the way and dumpy trudged wearily on for though he was no bigger than a child of eight years old he seemed quite heavy to dumpy after working all day with a pick and shovel and finding nothing his heart was heavy with hope deferred if i had found gold to-day thought he a light heart would have made a light burden but thank god i am well and this poor man suffers fearfully poor dumpy he went on down the canyon then up the mountain it seemed to him for miles at last the little man pointed to a crevice in the rock through which dumpy managed with some difficulty to creep but as he went on it widened and suddenly opened into a large cavern go on said the old man sharply as dumpy stopped and gazed around with astonishment so he went on till they came to a large hall sparkling with crystal and glowing with precious stones a large chandelier hung from the roof and cast a flood of softened light through the whole cavern and dumping its sea in the stone floor large masses of pure yellow gold he saw in the huge irregular pillars that rose to the dome of the cavern great veins of the precious ore and everywhere it was scattered about with the most lavish profusion curious golden figures carved with strange devices stood in the niches and there were couches with golden frames and tables of gold so that the light reflected from the clear crystal dome glittering with shining pendants by the softening yellow tinge was mellow and pleasant poor dumpy had been so long in the twilight and darkness that he was dazzled by the brilliant scene and for a few moments was obliged to close his eyes and when he opened them he saw that he was surrounded by a large crowd of the little people who were full of anxious fears about the old man he held in his arms but he assured them he was suffering only from a sprain which though very painful was not dangerous they gathered anxiously around the little man as he laid him upon a couch he soon discovered that the man he had assisted was king over the little people who guard the mountain treasures covering the rich places with unpromising stones and earth and often misleading the honest miner by scattering grains of the precious metal in waste places thus it is we hear so often of disappointed hopes and abandoned minds after they had in some measure relieved the suffering of their chief they turned to dumpy who stood in the most profound astonishment drinking in all he saw or heard you have done me a great kindness said the chief and though it is our business to mislead miners we can be grateful and you may now claim any rewards you desire i have saved your ruler said dumby looking in the crowd of little people and trying to think of something great to ask as a reward our chief our king cried all the little people together ask what you will and it shall be granted I would be great as well as rich, thought Dumpy, so he said aloud, Make me emperor of all the mines, and let all the miners pay tribute to me.

It shall be so, said the king.

Then he called one of his servants to bring the golden crown and scepter, and bidding Dumpy kneel before him, he placed the scepter in his hand and the crown upon his head, and striking him a sharp blow upon his shoulder, he said, Arise, Emperor Norton.

As long as you preserve this crown and scepter from moth or rust, dew or fog, You shall be the true emperor of all the mines in California and Nevada, and all the miners shall pay you yearly tribute.