Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-02-26
Whole No. 2943
A ROMANCE OF THE SEA

D
LTtOuiae, brought back to her native
snores Maggie, alias Billy, Armstrong.
ohe mas served before the mast in
several British ships. Her sex having
oeen az last discovered, she found her
sell IN GlasgOw, and in pettieoats
again, about the time the Victoria
was TO sail. As an cid sailor she had
gone 70 the shipping master of the
port, and ne brought her case before
the managers of the Anchor Line.
who gave her free passage home
During the passage have had many
conversations with our romantic fel-
| iloI-traveler, and / subjoin an accOuat
OF her story as nearly as possible in
her own words. She is nineteen years
Old, OF medium size, with a play of
humor about her eyes that partially
redeems the plainness Of her deter
mined. somewhat masculine face. So
high has she held female virtue thro'
all her vieissitudes that when a steer
age passenger of the Victoria insulted
a woman in her presence, two or three
days ago, she very calmly struck out
from the shoulder and Knocked him
down.
My name, /" she says. sis Maggie
Armstrong, though I called myself
Billy when I put on pantaIoons. I
was born in the State Of New Jersey,
America My father is a farmer, five
miles from Trenton, and he has told
me hundreds of times that could do
more work than any man. I was al
ways of wild, passionate nature. [
used to hate men when was at home.
thought they ought not to get more
wages than women, and often wish
ed was a man. My mother died
eight years ago, and left another little
sister and me. Father kent a house
keeper until was able to do the work,
which I did till the first of last April,
when he took notion to get married.
This new wife he got in New York
She came to our house and thought to
rule me and everything; but soon
| taught her her mistake. 1 left the
house and hired out at c neighboriBg
| farmers. My father came after me
and took me home, and stayed eight
days, leading a eat-and dog life with
my stepmOther. I thought could
not endure that long, so I took a
/ strange notion into my head. / was
up stairs one day along with one Of
my schoOlmates. [ was engaged
cleaning and folding my fathers
clothes, and said to her that If was
to dress myselfin his cItOhes he would
have a job to find me. She laughed,
and said he would. There was a si-
lence between Us for few minutes,
and without saying anything more
about it to her, 1 secretly determined
to try it.
At two o'clock that night, or the
next morning l mean, I went UP stairs
and dressed myself in my fathers
cloths. / took the scissors and cut
my hair as short as could, and then
went down stairs again and
took twenty-five dollars out of one
the bureau drawers, for / knew there
was no use going away without mon
ey. Then 1 went to the Station and
took the 4:20 train for New York. I
wandered about the city good deal,
stopping at a small hotel in Warren
street, | think / hadn't begun to
make up my mind what to do, for /
had never been in New York befor e,
when one of those runners hailed me
and wanted me 70 ship on freight
steamer. which he said was going to
London and back again in a month,
That seemed to suit me, as was Curl
Gus to see London. He shipped me
as engineers steward. 1 never was
sea-siek Once-in fact, ]. never was 80
well before in my life as l, have been
at sea- always used to have jersey
headaches in the summer time at
home. No more sfeverishness now
ALI the engineers were very well pleas
ed with my work But they inform
ed me that the ship was not going
back to New York, but TO China when
she left London. 50 was diseharg-
ed at my own Request in London, the
head engineer presenting me with ten
shillings for being q good, clean lad.
With this aad my wages, fifteen
shillings, and what was left of my
S25, was enabled to live in London
three weeks. l went all over the great
city and saw no end of things. As
soon as 1 learned that the steamer was
going to China, made uD my mind
that had got to get back 70 America
as a sailor, if ever got back at all.
So used, during my spare hours on
tie steamer, to practice going alOft:
or, If they were slowing sails, or doing
anything of the kind, was sure to
be on hand. used to 60 into the
wheel-hOuse, too, and Learn to steer,
aAd before we got to the banks OfNew-
fOuudland L knew all the compass.
when, therefore, shipped on board
the bark Princess, bound for Middles-
borO' 1t was not as an apprentice but
as an ordinary seaman, for two pounds
five shilling a month / had bought
a sailors chest and recruited my sail
or's wardrobe with 8 set of oil.skins.
These had taken from the sailors
Home bOarding-hOuse to the iOTecas-
tie of the Princess. and my life as q
common tar began. .ffrr
There were only eight of Us in the
fjTe-castle, and was always first 10
reef the tOpsails aud fuFl the small
sails in a gale of wind, We got along
very WE'LL / was discharged finally
with the rest at AliddlesbOTo' after g
weeks run. Thea thought
should ike to see Shields, which. is
only six miles distant. went there
and tried to ship again, but here arose
a great difficulty. Unfortunately
had lost my discharge. The Captain
of bark, the Eskdale of Whitby
hound for Italy, would take me as an
but not as an ordinary
seaman that is, not at first, for be
did take me when he found that he
could not get any apprentices. We
left Shields loaded with coal for Genoa
We had head winds and bad weather
in the English Channel, but the Med
iterranean was fair enough to make
nm for it. We were in Genoa nine
weeks in all, and il was after we had
been there ak weeks that was found
out not to be man, ...-.....
1t happened in this way; There was
a brute of a sailor IN the forecastle,
who was always imposing on me;
when we were shOveling coal in the
hold he made me I'LL two baskets to his
one. / was telling this to the rest Of
the crew after We were done work.
He gave me the lie. and the result
was a knock down fight between us.
He was the bigger, and he got the bet.
ter of me, and i began crying. This
led to suspicious of my sex. 1 stout
ly maintained that i was man, but
lt was OF no use. The affair go. to the
captains ears. Now, the captains
wife was on bosrd, and to him and
her was at last forced to confess my
whole story was soon habited as
4 woman again, and engaged as stew.
ardess in the cabin for tine hOmeward
run. Stopping some weeks at Mafa-
ga for cargo, the bark landed finally
1t Aberdeen, whence CAME by train
N~nm