The Washington times., 1906-07-15
MRS. ZELAYA TELLS HER
STORY TO THE TIMES

ing taken care Of by people who were
kindness itself, ! had no thought 9th +T
than that 1 really and truly belonged To
them 1 cannot begin to describe Jh~
shock and pain that went through my
heart WREN I found that after all they
were not only not my parents, but abso-
lutely no relation in the world From
the sunlight and happiness Of home /
found myself standing alone in the
world. mothcrless fatherless. and with
out the sight of a sisters or brother
face Not one OF all the good people
who had been my happiness before We're
there as anything but friends. and al
though il was through a child's mind
saw myself suddenly transformed. /
knew that ! was alone. / know what
that must mean even 10 a man who has
the strength and equipment to fight il
out, udt nobody can ever realize what
30 means 20 a girl. little more than
child. to have TO square her shoulders
and look life right straight in the face
Ii came TO me then, and has thou
sand times since. that somewhere there
were those who were once my own.
began 10 want 10 know just what and
who I was. began to feel the desire
10 dig way down TO the bottom OF II
all and ind out everything about my
self that / could possibly learn.
Learned of Her PaIentage.
felt that l should not leave a stone
unturned until I unraveIed the whole
tangled skein, and did not
l questioned those who knew, and in
every way sought light, and now nave
learned IL all. Most girls do not really
begin TO live until they are my age.
but it seems 70 me ] have lived a thou-
sand lives. There has been so much
romance mixed up in this one little life
story of mine that IL seems hard even
10 put all the ends together. Ny two
sisters. who were also at the orphan
asylum with me. are now married and
are living somewhere near Rich
mOnd. Va.
Ny brother, who was there, too, is
somewhere out West. but l do not know
where. 1 never hear from any OF them
Ia fact. l was left 10 others when 1 was
so small that l could not understand
and at the very time when l needed
care and devotion II was denied me. ex-
cept by strangers. and the yearning for
il now has been crushed. / must con
fess that I have no feeling now in that
regard.
About a wear ago I made up my mind
that 1 wanted TO go to work I felt
that the time had come when should
get OUT and take care OF myself. knew
SUCH a time must come. II II had not
then. and I left Dr. Bakers home with
the intention of making my own way in
The world.
Meeting With Zelaya.
I became i'll and was taken TO the
Homeopathic Hospital, where I had a
spell of fever. After / recovered from
that and while 1 was convalesCing in
the hospital, I thought perhaps I might
study nursing and support myself in
that way so when recovered entirely
from the fever I returned 70 the hos
pital and entered the training school
II was during one OF the busiest seasons
at the hospital, and after two months
service my health gave way and l was
compelled 10 give up my idea OF being
a nurse. 1t was just a little while after
this that AlphOnso Zelaya came into
my life.
After living a life. short as it was.
crowded with romance and great deal
OF mystery, il would seem thaS I had
about exhausted my share But the
same influences which worked so many
changes IN my earlier years seemeI TO
again combine to color other chapters
and I am not quite sure that when the
incidents surrounding my marriage ere
disposed Of and forgotten there ~'u be
others lowering near by. and only wait
ing for q chance TO develop.
I had taken rooms in a boarding house
IN X street northwest and was much
Ike any other young girl I loved a
good time. and always liked TO be with
lively, cOngenial people. Il was during
the time Of President ROosevelt's inaug-
uration, when thousands Of strangers
were in the city 10 attend the cere-
monies and a number of them had rooms
in the house where I was living.
Then a Military Student.
Among these people was Alfonso
Zelaya. He was presented % me, and
/ soon learned that he was the son OF
the President OF Nicaragua and highly
connected IN his native country. He
was then a student at the Montclair
Military Academy at Montclair. y. J.,
where he was taking a course prepara-
tory TO entering West Point His father
had sent him TO America to obtain a
good military schooling, and he had
gone through the session at Moatclair.
However, at the final examinations he
failed in English. and Mr.. COrea, Nicar-
aguan minister to the United States. took
him away and placed him in the Mary
land Agricultural College.
II was while he was here from Mont
clair that we met. and after he went to
the Maryland Agricultural College he
visited me frequently. and We CORE
sponded, Our correspondence, however.
was only that which might be carried
on between two good friends until he be
gan to dislike the college. and refused
to study His visits TO Washington be-
came more frequent. and finally we be-
came engsV-d- We were afraid 10 say
anything TO anyone about our plans TO
get married. and we thought we had
considered the matter very thoroughly.
However we decided TO take into our
confidence Chester c. Mercury. an
American. who married the daughter OF
a former President Of Nicaragua. but
man of whom we later had reason to
change our opinion.
Her Lover Kidnapped.