The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-02-20
A Romance Of the Sea---The Strange Story
of q Female Sailor.

The new steamer Victoria, of the Anchor
line. which arrived at New York to-day from
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 found
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 free passage home. During the
passage have had many conversations with
our romantic fellow-traveller. subJoin an
accouny of her story as nearly as possible IN
her owa words. She is nineteen years old, OF
medium size, with play of humor about her
ewes that partially redeems the plainness OF
her determined, somewhat masculine lace.
So high has she held her female virtue through
all her yicissitudes that when steerage pas
seneer of the Victoria ipsulted a woman in
hefTpresence two or. three days ago, she very
calmly struck out from the shoulder and
knocked him down.
"My name" she says, els Maggie Armstrong,
though called myself Billy when put on
pantloons. was born in the State OF New
Jersey, America. My father is farmer hve
miles from Trenton, and ne has told me num-
dreds Of times that could do more work than
any man. I was always of wild, passionate
nature l used to hate men when l. was at
home. 1 thought they ought not to get more
wages shan women, and often wished was 2
man. My mother died eight years ago, and
left another little sister and me- Father kept
a bousekeeper until was able to do his work,
which / did till the first of last April, when he
took g.. notion to get married. This new wife
he got insNew York. She came to our house
and thought to rule me and everything; but
soon taught her her mistake. left the house
and went and hired out at neighboring farm
er's NV father came after me and took me
home, and I stayed eight days, leading cat
and-dog life with my stepmother. ! thought
could not endure that long, so took a strange
notion into my head. 1 was upstairs one day
along with one of my school-mates. was
engaged in cleaning and folding my fathers
clothes. and I said to her that if was to dress
myself in his clothes he would have q job to
find me. She laughed, and said he would.
There was silence between US for few min
utes snd without saying anything more about
it to her, secretly determined TO try 1t. AT
two o'.lock that night, or the next morning l
mean, 1 went up stairs and dressed myself IN
my fsther's clothes. / took the scissors and
cut nv hair as short as I could, and then went
down stairs again and took twenty-five dollars
out of one of the bureau-drawers, for knew
it wal no use going away without money;
Then 1 went to the station and took the 4.zV
train Cor New York. wandered about the
city good deal, stopping at small hotel IN
Warren street, think. hadn't begun 10
make I'D nv mind what to do, for had never
been 10 New York before, when one of those
runners hailed me and wanted me to ship on
freight steamer, which he said was going to
London and baclst to New York in a month.
That seemed to suit me, as was curious to
see Lendon. He shipped me as engineer stew
ard. I never was sea sick once-in fact, new
er was so we'll before in my life as have been
at sea, 1 always used to have jersey head
aches in the summertime at home. No more
feyerishness now., All the engineers were very
well PLEASED with my work. But they informed
me that the ship was not going back to New
York, but to China, when she left London. so
was discharged at my own request in London,
the lead engineer presenting me with Ten
shillings for being a good, clean lad. With
this and my wages, fifteen shillings, and what
was left of my twenty-five dollars, l was ena-
bled 10 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 l
had cot to get back to America as q sailor, II
I ever got back at all. So Used, during my
spare hours on the steamer, to practice going
aloft or, if they were slowing sails or dong
anything of the kind, l was sure to be on hand;
I used to 90 into the wheel-house,. too, and
learn to steer, and before we got to the Banks
of Newfoundland, knew all the compass.
When, therefore, shipped on board the bark
Princess, bound for Middesboro', 1t was not
rs an apprentice buta an ordinary seaman,
for tiro pounds five shillings month. had
bought q sailors chest and recruited my sailor
wardrobe with set of oil skins. These had
taken from the Sailors Home boarding house
to the forecastle of the Princess, and my life as
common tar began. There were only eight
of ms in the forecastle, and as was always first
to reef the topsails and furl the small sails in
a gale of wind, we got along very we'll. was
discharged, finally, with the rest at Middles-
boro' after three weeks run. Then / thought
/ should like,toy see Shields, which is only six
miles distant went there and tried 10 ship
agaia; but here arose great difficulty. I'm
fortunately, 1 had lost my discharge. The
captain of bark, the Eskdale of Whitby,
bound for Italy, would take me as an appren-
tice, but not as an ordinary seaman-that is,
| not at first, for he did take me when he
found that he could not get any apprentices
We left Shields loaded with coal Tor Genoa
We had head winds and bad weather in the
English Channel but the Mediterranean was
fair enough to make up for it: We were in in
Genoa nine weeks in all, and it was after we
had been there six weeks that was found out
! not to be man. 1t happened in this way:
.grhere was brute of sailor in the torecas-
tie who was always imposing on me; when we
wers shoveling coal in the hold, he made me
fill swo 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
| knock down fight between US; he was the big
ger and he got the better of me, and I began
Crying. This led to suspicious of my sex. !
stoutly maintained that l was man, but it
was no use. The affair got to the captains
ear,. Now the captains wife was on board,
anG to him and her was at last forced to con-
fess my whole story. I was soon habited as
woman again, and engaged as stewardess in the
..L:, c. tbo bonoauyord rim StODDinp some