Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-17


Bellevue Hospital Monday night, appa-
rently under the influence of laudanum,
and who persistently refused to give either
her name or her history to the public, told
a remarkable story to lady who visited
her at her bedside. She said that when
she was an infant but three months old a
ship in which her parents, with herself
and two brothers, had taken passage
was wrecked in a violent storm
of the coast Of Spain. She has
since been told that she was picked
W on the beach by some fishermen and
taken care of in their cottage. Her pa
rents. suppOsing her to be drowned, con-
tinued their journey without her. Some
DAYS afterward the fishermen were in
formed that lady in a neighbOring vii
lage was looking for a baby which she
haC lost on the ship. When the lady saw
the infant found by the fishermen she de-
clared that it was not her own, but never
thelsss she desired to adopt it and bring
it up in the place of her lost little one.
The husband Of this lady was compelled
to travel a great deal in government EN-
plOy, and was withal an enthusiastic
geOlOgist. He took his adopted child with
him great deal on his jOurneyings, and
in her early days she saw considerable of
the world. She was educated in Germany
and in England. Her adopted father died,
and sOOl afterward her adopted mother
went to South America for her health.
All this time the girl never knew but
what the people who had brought her up
so kindly were her real parents. In South
America she met a rich young tea mer-
chant, and the two fell in love. After a
proper cOUrtship they were married, and
went TO live on one of his plantations.
The girl wac then but little over Is years
old. From her youth she had been ac-
eustOmed to luxury, and her husband
humOred her every wish.
The first Christmas after their marriage
there was a party at the house. The
husbands mother was there. During the
evening, while taking with her new
daughter, she noticed a peculiar mark on
the palm Of the right hand. 1t looked as
though a needle or something similar had
been run clean through the centre Of the
hand and the skin cut away on both sides
to eXtricate it. When the mother saw
the mark she became greatly agitated and
asked her sons wife in tone which
attracted the attention of nearly all in
the room:
is that lady vita you your real
mOtherY'
The young wife answered that she had
always been brought up 20 suppose that
she lived with her real parents, but she
had recently been told that she was only
adopted. Inquiries and explanations re-
vealed that the baby who was picked up
on the Spanish shore by fishermen IS
years before had, after years Of wander
ing, uukn5wingly fallen in love with her
own brother and married him. The young
couple were very much devoted TO each
other, and the terrible revelation came
with cruel effect to both of them. II the
story told by the young woman is true,
she was not long in making up her mind
what 10 do. She resolved not to pass an
och MD 4
brothers root. She had but little money.
but she took all her jewels and engaged
passage on an outgoing steamer for the
United States. Her maid came 10 the
wharf with her, aud saw the vessel sail
down the harbOr at early dawn. From
that time TO this she had not written a
line TO her relatives nor had she heard
from them.
Though the young woman absolutely
to s' ,nf flT NM tBe I96T 10
the hospital, she - 80 sb9+ ' 81 80
whom She told this -, SUI arrived
Pauline Esperanza BOlOnda. 49, rbaf
in this city July Z last, and learning
some friends whom she had met in MeXi- I
CO were going to Europe on an early
steamer, she wrote to them, asking per- |
mission to 20 with them. In response to /
her letter she got this telegram, which !
was found pinned inside her bodice when I
she was Undressed in the hospital on
Monday night:
Go to the Fifth Avenue Hotel Immediately
and tell Mr.. Hayes TO wait for me.
julius SKILTON.
She said that her friends had been stop
ping at No. 112 Frankfort street, Trenton,
but they were by this time far out at sea. |
She claimed, furthermore, that for the
past month she had been living as COM
paniOn with a young married lady in
street, whom she had met in
Mexico. She told the name Of the ladV'e
husband, specified his business and said
how long she had bee',, living in the house.
In iurtner confirmation of her story she
$40 :, ed her under linen, which was mark
ed with the name Of the lady she gave.
The person to whom the young woman
told this sad story hardly credited 1t at
first. and vet the narratOr's manner was
so earnest and simple, there was SO much
in her appearance to confirm what she
said, that il seemed to have at least an
element of truth. The young woman was
not pretty, but she had an intelligent, at
tractiye face and winning manner. She
spoke English very we'll, Spanish f1uently,
and French and German so as to be easily
understood in conversation. Her clothes
were not such as a companion to lady
would wear in the street. Still, she had
on costly bracelet and nice pair Of kid
gloves. She was evidently well read, and
talked about music to the little daughter
OF the matron In a way which showed that
she was familiar with at least the prlncl-
pies Of it.
The saddest part of her sad story she
told reluctantly and with tears. She SAID
that while she was in her friends house
gentleman in the family (she would not
saw wbOm1 took unfair advantage of her.
- 81, 4 hnr int no zfr
She said she did not intend to commit sui
eide. She wandered around the streets
all the afternoon, faint and tired, and
toward night found herself in Fifth ave-
nue.. in front of the Windsor Hotel. She
tainted away and remembered nothing
more until she was taken to Bellevue
Hospital. She was determined not to eX-
pose her name, disgrace her family, and
bring the man who had wrOnged her to
ruin. As soon as she could she meant to
20 to France, where a small income from
her adopted fathers property awaited her.
When the girl was taken to the hospital
she was put in the basement cells usually
occupied by women suffering from alco-
hOlism. 1t was feared that she might at
tempt suicide again if placed in one OF the
wards too high above ground. Tuesday
morning she remained in bed, but did not
appear TO be suffering from any ailment-
certainly not like a person who had taken
poison. She claimed at the hospital that
she was widow.
A Times reporter asked Mrs. MOrrissey,
the matrOu IN charge OF the cells for fe-
males, if Mrs. BolOnda had intimated to
her any Of the story related above. "Yes,"
said Mrs. MOrrissey, ''she did tell me
something Of her past history, and if her
story is true q as ! believe now it is her
life is a very pitiful one. She was GER
tainly a very lady-like person. She was
taken away from here soon after break
fast 70 some police court, but she came
back again this afternoon and told me
that the Judge discharged her at once. L
gave her money TO 90 and get her trunk,
which she said was in the station checked
for Trenton, and enough to get her a
nights lodging. She said that she was
going TO pawn her bracelet, and endeayOr
to get enough to pay Storage passage to
Europe. l do not know where she has
gone. l was surprised to hear when L
came on duty Tuesday morning that she
had attempted to commit suicide. She
did not look so to me, and she told me
that she never had any intention of doing
So"
A policeman called at the hospital for
the young woman yesterday morning.
She was surprised TO learn that she had
committed a penal Offense, and was at
first reluctant to 90 with him. "Well,"