The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1868-02-07
4 .Nost !Stranue CAapfe,..

\
loo, Iowa, asking if we know Of one Ed
gar Burnham, and of his history.
We do, and ii is a strange, true one,
known to hundreds, we give it i'm the
Democrat Eight years since, when We
were engaged n city editor of Milwau-
kie paper, there lived in this State an
editor named Powell, now connected
with a Chicago paper, we think. He Is,
unloa- he ha- quit it lately.
In 1862, Powell was married to a Miss
Ellen Burnham, or Br0adhead Wiscon-
sin. after a courtship of some months
Miss Burnham's parents We're old resi-
dents Of Broadhead. and of high res
probability. The daughter taughtm
had large number of pupils, and was
very attractive. Powell lived with her
rs d husband two years, she being all
that time a good wife in all respects,
presenting him with one child. At the
expiration of two years, when about
twenty-one years Of age Mrs POwells
voice changed, she grew light whiskers,
and gradually changed her sex, develop
ing into a man in all respects.
The husband and wife separated when
the wife became man. and Mrs. Ellen
Powell took the name OF Edgar Burn
ham, donned male attire, sought and
obtaind employment a. a clerk in Chiea-
90 and lived . single yorng man for one
year.
During this time he fell in love with
niece of Senator Morgan, of New York,
but did not marry her, for reasons not
pertinent to this article But about the
end of the year he did marry young
lady of Broadhead, Wis, Il Miss Gerta
Everett, who was music pupil of his
when he was Miss Ellen Burnham
over three years previous to the mar
riage. This second marriage was about
two years ago. Soon after this mar
riage Edgar" Burnham and wife re-
moved to Waterloo, Iowa, where they
now reside, or did not long since.
The former girl is now man; the for
mer wife is now husband, the former
mother is now the father, the former
young lady teacher of young lady is
now that young lady's husband! Truth
is indeed stranger than fiction, and the
above simple statement of facts borders
SO upon the marvellous we could not be-
Heve it did not We know nearly all the
parties.
Any one can be convinced, by writing
10 the parties in either of the places we
have named of the full and entire truth
of this most wonderful transformation.
which puzzled not only the medi-
cal but the entire scientific world, and
which fact appears now for the first
time in print, though the particulars
have long been known to us and to
many other newspaper men and prOmi-
nent citizens of this State, as to nearly
all the citizens of BrOadhead, where the
parties so long resided.-LocrOsSe Dem.
The above strange story is Endorsed by
correspondent of the Woodstock ,StdSl-
ddrd, as follows:
SOUTH WOODSTOCK, VI. Jan. %, 1868.
Mr.. Editor There is more truth
than fiction in the statement concerning
Edgar Bburnham of Waterloo, Iowa, for
merly Ellen Burnham, of Broadhead,
Wis, and afterwards Mrs. Powell.
can vouch for the truth of it, also his
second marriage, as Miss Gerta Everett
was a pupil of mine three years ago this
winter and was married to said Edgar
Burnham the following May, before l
left Wisconsin. A few months after
Mr.. PowelPs marriage he enlisted in
the army and after time Mrs. Powell
did as other wives had done in WiscOn-
sin, started to go to see her husband
She arrived at Chicago and was about to
take the cars to go South, when she was
taken lowing to her masculine appear
"hSCj spy toAC tcil tiitlh SiiC tCl-
tainly had husband in the army, but
they would not believe her. She tele-
to her father CDR. Burnham) |
who immediately came to her assistance, |
the distance from Broadhead to Chicago |
being only ITO miles. The result was in
time separation. never heard she
presented her husband with child |
while she was Mrs. Powell and I think
that statement incorrect. Miss Ellen
and Miss Gerta Everett were
strong friends when girls together in
and when she came to
change her wardrobe, her best clothes
she gave to Miss Everett. After that,
it appears (she) he thought best to take
her for a wife. Further than this and
which makes it still more exciting, Ed
gar's parents were once residents of
VT, some % years ago, per-
haps little more, Mr.. Burnham came
from Burlington Il think and attended
medical lectures in your village, became
acquainted with Miss Ellen Blisb. 1
laughter of Mr.. Blish, who was tin
man there, (since deceased) and in course
u time they were married and went
West. DR.. Burlham is druggist in
Broadhead, Wis, where he has resided
many years arespected citizep. &. +. b.