North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1868-02-19
The Female-Man Ellen Burnham Pow
ell VS.. Mr.. Edgar Burnham.


ell VS.. Mr.. Edgar Burnham.
The story of a lady of Brodhead, Wis,
becoming wife, afterwards developing a
decided male organism and assuming the
duties of husband. has been told variously
Below is a straight account of it from Mr.
Mack, editor of the Brodhead Independent
Our readers can rely on every word of it.
There are three gentlemen in the Office oi
the North Iowa TINES who know the gen
eral correctness of this statement. As the
thing is great natural as we'll as social
curiosity. we print this home account of Il
in full. Our readers have seen statements
OF this freak of nature. The following
they can rely upon, with the additional
statement that the services Of surgeon
assisted in developing the virile appear.
ance a....
About the year 1856. there moved to
| this village IL family by the name of Burn.
ham, consisting of DR.. NJ l.. Burnham.
his wife, and two children, dauchte
| aged l6, and son three or four years
younger. DR.. Burnham was man of
some property and of the highest respec-
liability. The family soon became active
members of our village society, the doctor
being an active member and one of the
deacons of the Congregational church,
DIR. Burnham was well-read physician,
and did some practise in addition to keep
ing a drug store, in which his daughter
Ellen, assisted him as Il clerk for the two
first years OF the doctors residence here.
Miss Ellen Burnham was by no means a
beautiful girl. Her hair and eyes were
dark features regular, but rather coarse
and masculine form tall, square Shoul-
dered and wanting in that grace of out
line that inspires admiration. If stranger
was tempted to look at her the second time
it would be from surprise at the strong
masculine appearance unnatural to a wo.
man. especially one so young. Miss Burn
ham was not favorite with our young
men, nor did she seem anxious to be. Her
time, outside her domestic duties, was de-
voted to instrumental music and to horse
back riding, in both Of which she was de-
cidediy accomplished. Her life for the
four years subsequent to 1856 was not un
like that Of other young ladies of the place
She had large class, mostly Of young
| girls. whom she instructed in instrumeu.
tai music. In the fall of 1858, young
man by the name of Powell came here
and was employed as principal of our vii
Iage school in the spring of 1859, and
started the Reporter, the first paper pub
lished in our village. During that summer
he became intimate with the family of Dr.
Burnham, and became engaged to Miss
Burnham in the fall of 1859. The en-
gagement soon became known outside ol
the family. The only surprise excited on
account OF it was surprise at the taste Of
Mr.. Powell in selecting a girl of such mas
culine appearance. Miss Rurnham's pa
rents seemed particularly pleased at the
prospective marriage of their daughter
whom they believed well qualified to make
a good wife for an editor. In February
1860, l.. W. Powell and Miss Ellen Burn
ham were married by Rev. Mr.. Cochran
the congregational minister.
The happy couple took a short bridal
tour, preparatory to settling down in life
After an absence of week, they returned
to the residence Of the brides parents.
who, in honor of their dau ghter's mar
riage, sent out invitations to large num-
|
bride and groom. We We're present at the
wedding party, and could not but think
that both bride and groom appeared re.
markably solemn. We did not kiss the
| bride. although that was the fashion. Our
| objection to the kissing part Of the pro-
gramme was dislike to come in contact
with an unusually heavy moustache which
marred the upper lip of the bride.
Mrs. Powell became more and more
masculine in her appearance as she grew
older. She took n case in the Reporter
office, and learned the printers art ra pidly
And in short time she proved to be the
best jour. in the Office. She also took to
smoking, in the cultivation of which habit
she proved herself printer.
In the spring of 1861, when Powell had
been married about a year and half, the
Tth Wis. Reg't was organized. Powells
wife not having presented him with an
heir to make home doubIy pleasant, he re-
solved to go to the wars. He sought and,
through the influence Of friends, obtained
the appointment of state agent, or ''wet
nurse for the gallant 7th, then ordered
to Washington. Mrs. Powell, being Of a
tough and hard y make, resolved to accom-
pany her husband to the front No obiec-
ton being raised, she fitted herself out
and went to Washington. The regiment
was for time detained at Washington,
and Mrs. Powell made herself happy by
working up that moral town. A few weeks
after her arrival there, while she was rid
ing on horseback, one day, her masculine
appearance attracted the attention OF a
government detective, who made up his
mind that Mrs. Powell was rebel spy.
The detective followed her about the city
anu to her quarters. He dogged her steps
for several days, until just before the reg
ment was ordered off, Mrs. Powell took 1t
into her head to return to Brodhead. She
packed up her RIG, took leave of her hus-
band and the regiment and started for
home. The detective accompanied her to
Chicago on the same train, and at the
Briggs House, where the lady booked her
name, he placed her under arrest as reb-
el in disguise. In vain she claimed to be
a woman and the wife OF member of the
7th regiment She called in the landlady,
who asserted that she had seen Mrs. Pow
ell at the house before. Mrs Powell finally
induced the detect We to telegraph to Gov.
Randall, of this state, and to her husband
at Washington. Gov. Randall! telegraph
ed back that thele was such lady. And
inilar telegram arrived from Washing
ton, and the detective released her and re-
turned to Washington. In few days MIR.
Powell reached Chicago, and the unhappy
couple made their way home to this VII
lage.
Language cannot describe the feelings
of this unhappy pair. Hardly over the
first flush Of connubial felicity, and the
wife had become an object of suspicion to
being arrested as u man. They remained
here few days, when Mrs Powell inform
ed her parents that she was going to visit
snnna ralntinna COST Iha fond naranfs