The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1871-10-19
a WOsaaan-MaR.
EXTRAORDINARY CAREER OF IRENE
ROBINSON.

daughters. The son and all but one
Of the daughters were married. The
youngest daughter, Irene, a pretty
girl Of II, was sought by John Stiger,
a school-master in Peoria. Stiger's
suit was favored by the old folks,
who wishedt to compel Irene to marry
him. Irene's dislike Of the man was
undisguised. lie was 10 years of
age, tall, stumbling and uncouth.
Notwithstanding, a day was named
for the marriage.
One night in November, 1869, the
wedding day being near at hand,
Irene dressed herself in her brothers
clothes, and at two o'clock in the
morning stole down stairs, unbarrei
the door and struck eff fer Haynes,
vile. She took & train for Chicago,
and then sought employment from a
lumber dealer as a driver. The man
was 10th to give her work. He
looked at her white face and delicate
hands, and told her she wouldn't do
for him.
GLOW DO you keep your hands SO
white 2" asked the lumberman.
"Oh, I've been working for a tail
OF" was the reply.
The man was otherwise favorably
impressed with young William Frank
THAT was the name the girl took, }
and finally hired her at one dollar
day. William drove q team, hand
led lumber, and did q mans work,
though, as she said to n Sun re-
porter:
"Is was mighty tough for while.
used to get spiinters in my hands
and have lots Of trouble, but [ final
ly got used 70 it..
William worked for the lumber
man about two weeks, and thea went
to driving cart for a contractor who
vas filling up the streets. Her soft
hands we're growing brown and hard,
and excited less comment. She got
along better; but after q stay Of
three weeks with the sand contractor,
HER SEX WAS SUSPECTED,
And she went TO work in the suburbs,
making fence>posts. Here her sex
was again discovered, and one night
she quietly made off to Toledo, pay
ing her fare with the money she had
saved from her labor. In Toledo she
worked for one Halves, building a
board fence. She received one dol.
lar and quarter a day, and stayed
two months; then her sex was sus-
pected by one Of her fellow-work-
men, and she was again compelled to
move on.
This time she reached Sandusky,
where she drove team for one Bot
field, who was filing up roads, She
had been one month quietly at work,
when a girl who boarded in the same
house suspected that young William
Frank was not what his name i'm
piled. William guilty slipped away,
and made for Jew country. This
time she stopped at Buffalo. Here
for two months she drove two horse
team for Mr.. Eytcr, hauling wood.
He paid her one dollar and a quarter
q day, from which she saved money.
She did her work satisfactorily, and
everything was going on pleasantly,
when, as usual, a woman
MADE THE OLD DISCOVERY.
As usual the woman told her hus-
band. William began to be the OBJ
ject of unpleasant attention, and
again moved on, this time to Roches
ter, where she worked in Mr.. Brew
er's livery stable. She took to the
horses, and things went on agreeably
for three months; but she was again
discovered by woman.
"phese women" said Irene to the
Sun reporter, care quicker'n Light
ming, and all there was to do was to
go. l used to keep away from them
all l could. l would get my n .als
ana get out Of the house as soon as l
could, but it was Of 10 use, they
would see through it. And then the
women would tell their husbands, the
husbands would tell others, and
whenever folks began to look at me
sharp, l used to quietly set away and
20 somewhere else"
From Rochester William went to
Clyde, where she was employed by
railroad contractor named Looks.
For three months she worked with a
gang of men, laying railroad ties. 1t
was the old story; her sex was sus-
pected, and she again pulled up
stakes and hired out to Tom johnson,
in Savannah, splitting wood. This
was late in the fall Of 1870.
SIZE SWUNG AN AK
al the following winter. For four
months, until the spring of the pres
ent year, she escaped detection.
Then Tom Johnson's wife began to
be inquisitiye, and William made up
her bundles again, and went back to
Rochester, where she remained bat q
short time. She next started for
Syracuse where she worked in one
of the salt, works. From Syracuse
she went to Troy, and thence to
Mount Vernon, where she arrived in
April.
There she went to work for William
Thompson, hauling wood. The other
hands suspected her, and she soon
went to work for Samuel johnson.
The same fate followed her, and she
engaged herselfto William Brewer,
gardener, for whom she worked some
time, digging potatoes, picking Gu
cumbers for pickles, and was getting
along finely until the wife Of her en-
ployer suspected that
THE YOUNG CUCUMBER PICKER