The Elk Mountain pilot., 1899-10-17
R.EPENTS HER DEEDS.
zELLA NICOLAUS SORRY FOR
HER LIFE.
Goes Rack to Her Indiana Home After
Basking In the Sunlight of Notoriety
for Several Years Her III-gotten
Money L. All Gone.

1t would be easy for a clergyman of
any denomination TO preach sermon
On the brief ,meteoric career of young
woman. who. after acquiring lasting
md unenviable notoriety in New York,
after going the limit Of the swifrest
pace the metropolis can afford, has at
last turned back to her mother. whom
for many years she had neglected, and
In the quiet of a little western town
has sought to blot out the memory of
all that has happened since first she
left the homestead. This young wom-
an, Zella Nicolaus, was not so beauti-
full as she was brilliant. Her charms
we're as subtle as they were manifold.
There was more in the intensity of her
eyes than in the arching of her eye
brows, more in the winning expressive
ness of her mouth than in the curving
lines of her lips. There were no dim
es in her cheeks, and her brow was
low and unattractive. but when her
intense spirit lighted up her counte-
nance there we're men that went to her
more surely than If she had been brill
liantly beautiful. Her career before the
through crowded room-all eyes were
upon her for the time. Never heard of
before, the papers gave many pages to
her doings, and her name became
hy-word in many households. :ier first
Rention came with a breath OF scandal
S4t involved the name OF one of the
sons OF Jay Gould. For time 1t was
impossible to discover which OF them
It was that had become involved with
the clever young woman, and, in fact,
the general public was never quite sat-
isfied which one she had ensnared. The
Goulds had always had great influence
at police headquarters, Jay Gould HIM
self having befriended and enriched
Superintendent Byrnes. The most des-
perate methods were employed to hush
UP the details Of the affair. but gradu-
ally they came to light. and in the end
George Gould. as the head OF the fam
lily, took the matter in hand. A sue
cessful fnancier, he found 1t no easy
matter to handle the young woman
who opposed her wits to his. She had
in her possession a check for $4,000,
signed by a Gould name. 1t was his
desire to get hold OF 1t. She had been
unable to cash 1t, and as last resort
went to George Gould's office. After
some mansuvering Mr.. Gould said to
her: II do not want so large a check
to go through the banks In your name"
and in a business-like manner he held
out his hand for the little slip OF paper
Itch meant 30 much money to the
owner. "Give 1t to me and will give
you the money. See! Here Is $500 as
an evidence Of good faith"
For once Zella was outwitted. "Here
II is," she said. producing 1t from her
handbag, land of course, you will give
NE the money"
when you can get IT," remarked
Mr.. Gould. as his hand closed over the
check and it passed to his pocket.
Then. rising and opening the door, he
said "Good-day."
But that was far from being the end
Of the Incident. II Mr.. Gould depend
ed upon the police to protect him from
further annoyance by the young wom-
an, he was disappointed. The depart
ment was powerless. The determined
Zella was not to be bluffed out Of what
she considered to be her rights in the
matter, and she persisted until the
Goulds were glad to make settlement
in order to have her shut up and
stop being a nuisance"
The money. whatever the amount
may have been, for 1t was never made
public, was soon spent, and the bril-
liancy of Zella's career was at an end.
There was a man-Al Ruhman-who
figured as her husband for time. but
he soon left her, and she Travelled the
broad road OF pleasure with no re-
straining hand. Inevitably came an
appearance on the stage. which was n
nat failure, and soon the public lost
all Interest in her. No one cared to
know of the limits to which she was
NO She was hidden from view.