Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-03-07
HELD BELLA IN CHECK.
The Adventures Threatened to
 Mar the Gould Wedding.
WAS sHADoWED BY DETECTIVES.
Her Scheme Was to wreak Vengeance For Her Alleged Wrongs by Apprising tho CastelIanes of the Scandal She Claims 60 Hold Affecting the Gould Family.

Her Alleged Wrongs by Apprising tho
 CastelIancs of the Scandal She Claims 60
 Hold Affecting the Gould Family.
 NEW YORK, March 7-Now that tho brilliant Gould Castellane festivities arc ended, it has become known that they came near to being marred by a sensa- tional and decidedly unpleasant episode
 Zella Nicolaus. the archadventuress with many aliases, is in the city, and if it had not been for careful espionage on the part of the police she would have hurled the dreadful scandal she claims to possess concerning certain members of the Gould family into the face of the noble Castel- lanes in order to secure revenge for her al- legged i'll treatment by the Goulds
 The hostile attitude of Zella Nicolaus, 1t is said, grew out of the suit which she brought through Howe & Hummel against George J. Gould in November, 1893, to recover $40, GOO which she alleges he kept from her. Zella at that time was under age, and she sued in the name of Albert Ruhman, as guardian, who had a reputa- tion in the west as a crooked gambler She alleges that George J. Gould made a check for $40, 900 which came lawfully into her possession in March, 1893, in Chi cago; that she took the check to Mr. Gould's office and demanded payment of it from him; that MT. Gould unlawfully obtained possession of the check from her and appropriated it to his own use with out her consent. The suit was brought to recover its face value. It is said that Mrs. Zella Nicolaus got the alleged check from Howard Gould while he was on a ruby tinted tour in the west.
 Suit Was Never Pressed.
 The suit has never been pressed to trial, but Is still upon the records, and so far as appearances go can be called up at any time. It is said that there was such a great scandal behind this check that the Goulds were anxious to have n settlement made, and it is alleged that the represent atives of George Gould and Howe Ss Hummel arranged a settlement upon the basis of the payment of SEQ, 900 to Mrs Nicolaus in consideration of her leaving the country. Whether this sum was paid to her or not does not appear, but it is certain that she was penniless and had been put out of the Sturtevant House for nonpayment of board shortly before she began the suit, and soon after she went to Europe loaded down with diamonds, with Guardian Ruhman as her intimate com panion.
 Whatever the terms of the settlement were, it is said Mrs. Nicolaus was not sat isfied with the portion she received as her share, broke her promise to remain away from this country and returned from Eu- rope in three months.
 She took trip through tho country i; had a row with Robinson in Fort Wayne and returned to this city with only her good looks and well stocked wardrobe as her capital.
 She had theatrical aspirations and tried for long time to arrange for her appear ance in Roster x Bial's but without sue cess, as she did not exhibit any histrionic talent. It was announced that she would appear as one of the stars in Rob Der Roy, now running at the Imperial Mu- sic hall but Manager Kraus dropped her name from the roll at the last moment. The last failure of Miss Nicolaus to get on the stage came about the time the talk be- came general about the then approaching Gould -Castellane wedding.
 Byrnes Kept an Eye on Her.
 It is said Superintendent Byrnes detail ed several central office detectives to keep a constant watch upon Mrs. Nicolaus; to attend her wherever sho went, but to do nothing and say nothing to her unless it appeared that she intended to annoy any member of the Gould or the CaStellan0 family.
 E Mrs. Nicolaus. it isasaid, upon one oc- easion went to the house of Mir Gould at Fifth avenue and Sixty-seventh street and stood in front of the door for several mo ments. One of tho detectives approached her and suggested that it would be we'll for her to keep moving. Mrs. Nicolaus then became aware that she was being fol- lowed and called upon her friends to help her, but the detectives could not be call ed of.
 As last resort she went to Dr. Park hurst's house at 133 East Thirty-fifth street and had a consultation with him. It is said she disclosed all the details of the alleged Gould scandal, remaining with the doctor for moro than an hour. She re- fused to make statement to any one since that time as to what the consultation was about. Dr. Parkhurst also refuses to dis cuss the subject, but it is said that what the fighting parson learned from Mrs NicolauS will be of service to him i'll giy- ing an exposition of a new phase of police work.
 She Claims Innocence.
 Mrs. Nicolaus, it is said, claims she has not done anything wrong and does not intend to violate any law, and that it is an outrage that she should be followed in the streets like a criminal What action Dr. Parkhurst will take. if any. cannot Do Ao<ahhoNAs Sts hcltncr It lOF any Otner or the persons concerned will discuss the subject.
 Tho greatest precautions were taken that Mrs. Nicolaus should be kept away from the Gould mansion on the day of the wedding, and several of the detectives who were stationed outside of the house were more interested in looking out for the adventures than they were for thieves Mrs NicolGAls was unable to carry out her scheme to make trouble for the Goulds oyor the old scandal, and the police es- pionage was not taken off until after the sailing of the steamer which took the count and his bride away. Today Mrs Nicolaus is free to go where she pleases without police escort; but it Is said, sho will not say or do anything cha hns