The Washington times., 1904-08-21
LEWIS ALEXANDER
TELLS LIFE STORY
Mystery Of His Infancy Is
Cleared Up.
DOLL SERVES AT A FUNERAL
Foster Son of Negro Woman Possessed
Of Papers to Prove His
Identity.
DOLL SERVES AT A FUNERAL

Born Of rich and distinguished parents
in the State Of Kentucky twenty-seven
years ago; spirited away TO Washington
I'm his infancy; reported dead in his first
year by his mother in order to safeguard
her own and her husbands good name
from scandal and TO protect the infant
from threatened physical violence on the
part Of its fathers family: wrapped os-
tensibly in the cerements of death and
apparently laid away I'm the grave. with
n tombstone erected to his memory and
the records declaring him legally dead
and buried, Lewis Alexander the white
ward Of a reputedly rich negress. is to-
day a living. breathing human being.
with a secret locked in his breast, the
intimation of which has already deeply
Interested social and political circles
throughout the country.
The full knowledge Of it viii. when
his life is made public in the courts.
furnish national and international sem
station.
His Life of Mystery.
AS stated exclusively in The Times Of
last Thursday. the miseries and myster-
les that have Swallowed the life Of Lewis
Alexander have been known to a few
persons in Washington for twenty-five
years. The young man, though he now
knows all, is not inclined to discuss the
details of his parentage or the roman
tic phases of his life. He has been 81
lent for what seemed to him to be rea-
sons Of might. and he even now stu
diously deprecates saying or doing any
thing that would stir up a sensation or
create a scandal. He is firmly resolved
that so long possible, and to the linn
It of his power. ne will remain silent
and protect his parents family from
the unhappy gossip that would follow
disclosures.
In spite Of his desertion. however. the
details of his life are known to not a
few persons I'm Washington.
Parents Marry Suddenly.
About thirty years ago a handsome.
dashing Southerner. a member Of one %
the most distinguished Kentucky
families. came TO Washington. where he
vas interested in large financial ard
real estate transactions. In 1875 he was
suddenly married 10 a beautiful
woman no less socially distinguished
than was he. Eight months after the
marriage a child was born in the State
Of Kentucky. The somewhat premature
birth Of the child angered the father
intensely. He was socially prominent.
and he felt that the unhappy incident
would wreck his career and ruin his
family name. He communicated his
feelings 10 his wife, and she. partly TO
protect her husbands and her own
honor, but more especially TO defend her
child from physical harm. conceived the
idea Of reporting that the child was
dead and buried
Plot to Save Scandal
While the father was temporarily alb
sent from Washington, the mother sue
ceeded in circulating such a report The
house fl which she lived IN was in
mourning, the newspapers printed the
announcement Of the child's death the
health authorities issued a certificate.
the undertaken was summoned. and a
tiny coffin was purchased. Inside the
little coffin was placed what was sup
posedly the dead child. but what was
really a doll. fashioned to perfect imita-
ton OF a dead baby.
The funeral followed; the hearse
bore the little coffin from the house TO
the cemetery, and Dust 10 dust, ashes
TO ashes" were spoken over the grave.
n deCenter or a cOstlier burial has sell
dom been given an infant IN Washing
ton.