The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-02-13
4 ROMANCE OF THE SEA.
Tho Strange Story Of Female Sailor
rro.,a- IN rho New York Tr,bune.i

Line, Wnlcn arTlVeu at INC" Aoin Wv" AAN
Glasgow, brought back to her native shores
Maggie alias Billy Armstrong. She had served
before the mast In several British ships. Her
sex having been at last discovered, she founo
herself at Glasgow, and in pettIcoats again,
about the time the Victoria was to sail. As
an old sailor she had gone to the shipping
master of the port, and he brought her case
before the managers OF the Anchor Line
who gave her q free passage home. 'DnrlDg
the passage have had many conversations
with our romantic fellow-traveller, and sub
ioip an account OF her story as nearly as posi-
BILE In her own word She Ia nineteen years
old, of medium size, with play of humol
about her eyes that partially redeems the
plainness OF her determined, somewhat mas
cullne face. So high has she held her female
virtue through all her vlclssitudes that when
steerage passenger of the Victoria insulted
woman in her presence, two or three days
ago, che very calmly struck out from The
shoulder and knocked him down.
.tNy name," she says, ''ls Maggie Arm
strong. though / called myself Billy when I
pus on pantaloons. I was born In the State
of New Jersey, America. My father is a
farmer five miles from Trenton, and be has
told me hundreds Of times that could do
more work than any man. was always OF a
Wild, passionate nature. used 10 nate men
when was at home. I thought they ought
not to get more wages than women, and |
often Wished was man. My mother died
eight years ago, and left another little sister
aud me. Father kepta housekeeper until
was able to do his work, which I did till the
first of last April, when he took notion TO
get married. This new wife be got In New
York. She came to our house and thought
to rnle me and everythingi but soon taught
her her mistake. Ilett the house and went
and hired out at neigh5orlng farmers. My
father came after me and took me home, and
STAYED eight days leading cat-and-dog life
with my sLepmother. / thought I could not
endure that long, so took strange notion
into my head. I was upstairs one day
along with one of my schoolmates.
fathers clothes, and l said TO her
that II I was to dress myself in his clothes
he would have q job to find me. She laughed,
and said he would. There was silence be-
tween us Tor few minutes, and without say
Ing anything more about 1t 10 her I secretly
determined to try 1t. At two o'clock that
night, or the next morning mean, went up
clothes. took tina scissors and cut my hair
as short as could, and then went down stairs
again and took twenty-five dollars outof one OF
the bureau-drawere, for knew 1t was DO use
going away without money. Then l went 10
the station and took the 4.20 train for New
York. wandered about the city good deal,
stopping at small hotel 10 Warren street. |
think, I hadn't begun to make up my mind
what to do, for ! had never been IN New
York before, when one Of those runners
hailed me and wanted me to ship on freight
steamer, which he said was going to Londoa
and back to New York In month. That
seemed TO suit me, as / was curious to see
London. He shipped me as engineer steward.
I Dsver was sea sick once-in TACT, never
was so we'll beforein my life as have been at
sea. always used to have Jersey head
aches In the summertime at home. No more
feyerishness now. All the engineers were
very we'll pleased with my work. But they
Informed me that the ship was not going back
10 New York, but TO China, when she left
London. 80 was discharged at my own re-
quest In London, the head engineer present.
lug me with ten shillings for being good,
clean lad. With this and my wages, fifteen
shllllugs, and what was lett of my twenty
| five dollars, / was enabled TO live In London
three weeks. / went all over the great city,
and saw no end OF things. AS soon as /
learned that the steamer was going to China,
made up my mind that | had got TO get back
to America as sailor, If ever got back at
all. SO used, during my spare hours on the
steamer, 10 practice going aloft; or, II they
| were slowing sails or doing anything of the
kind, WIS sure to be on hand. / used to 60
into the wheel-house, too, and learn to steer,
and, before we got to the Banks OF Newfound-
land, I knew all the compass. When,
Princess, bound lor Middlesboro', It
was not as an apprentice, but as an
ordinary seaman, for two pounds five
shilliDgs month. had bought sailors
chest and recruited my sailor wardrobe With
q set of oil skins. These had taken from the
Sailors Home clearinghouse to the FORE
castle Of the Princess, and my life as COM
mon tar began. There were only eight of us
In the forecaslle, and &C was always first TO
rect the topsails and furl the small sails In q
gale Of wind, we got along very we'll. I was
discharged. finally, with the rest at Mlddles-
boro' alter three weeks run. Then
thought should like to see Shields, which Is
only six miles distant. went there and
tried to ship again; but here arose great diff
fculty. Unfortunately, had lost my dis
charge. The captain Of bark, the Eskdale of
Whitby. bound for Italy, would take me es an
apprentice. but not as an ordinary seaman--that
Is, not at first, for he did take me when he
We left Shields loaded with coal for Genoa
We had head winds and bad weather In the
English Channel, but the Mediterranean was
talr enough to make up for It, We were In
Genoa nine weeks In all, and 1t was after
we had been there six weeks that was found
out not 10 be q man. 1t happened In this
way: There was a brute of sailor In the
forecastle, who was always imposing on me;
when we were shoveliDg coal In the hold, he
made me fill two baskets to his one; was
telling this to the rest of the crew alter
We were done work; he gave me the lie, and
the result was knock-down fight between
us; he was the bigger, and he got the better
of me, aud began crying. This led to sus..
plclons of my SEA. stoully maintained that
l was mao, but 1t was no use. The affair
got to the captains ears. Now the captains
wife was on board, and to him and her was
at last forced to confess my whole story. l
was soon habited as woman again, and en-
gagged as stewardees In the cabin tor the
homeward run. Stopping some weeks at
Malaga for cargo, the bark landed finally at
aberdeen, whence I came by train to
Glasgow
During the passage from Glasgow to New
YORK the hero and heroine of the foregoing
story has conducted herself In a quiet. mod.
est way, except IN the matter OF knockinp
down the steerage passenger TOR Insulting n
woman; and as for that you never saw a
quieter or modester knock-down In your life.
Maggie starts at once for New jersey and her
father. RALPH KELLER,