Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-05-08

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4 On the I'D Of October, 1877, William
lteoman M sentenced 70 the Efie
County Penitentiary for one yesr and
six months, the prisoner having pleaded
guilty 70 = charge Of burglary and lar.
eency. Freeman was duly received in.
20 ne penitentiary, was put to work in
tho shop 1t polishing buckles, and con-
tinued quietly aud with uniform good
behavior TO pursue the dreary routine
Of prison-liie until yesterday morning.
when surprising discovery was made.
Il bocame known TO the prison author
ities, and later to the police officials
and few others, that tho supposed
William Freeman was woman. It
seems that some parties, probably her
friends in Allegany county, had ap.
piled to Gov. Robinson for pardon for
Che supposed William Freeman. In
such cases it il usual for the governor
or his authorized agent to write 70 the
keeper of the prison in which the per
son for whom the pardon is asked is
confined, for = statement Of the con-
dition of the prisoners health. To as
certain the physical condition of the
convict, medical examination was re-
quisite. DR.. p. Sonnick, tile physician
to the penitentiary, was accordingly re-
quested to investigate the case, and at
8 o'clock yesterday morning proceeded
to perform that duty. 1t was not very
long before he hurried to Deputy-Super-
intendent Wander with the startling in
formation, THAT'S q woman" The
prisoner who, for the past six months,
had toiled in the shops with as hard a
lot of male humanity as could easily
be got together, was indeed q woman in
male habiliments and the astonish-
ment Of the keepers was increased by
her statement that she had worn the
clothes first OF boy, then of man,
from the time she was II years old.
As soon as the startling discovery
OF her ser was made, Mary Ann Schafer,
a. she confessed her true name to be,
was removed to another and secluded
part of the prison, provided with the
costume prescribed for female state
prisoners, and by superintendent Bak-
crs orders was made Us comfortable as
the rules would permit. The woman
had utterly broken down from her
usual firm bearing. She begged the
Superintendent to keep her there for
life rather than to allow her secret
and her name to be published. This,
however, could hardly be prevented, as
several persons necessarily became
possessed of a knowledge Of the facts,
and the news once out naturally soon
spread. And indeed the statement of
her history will be more likely to enlist
the sympathy Of the public for her
than, to do her injury.
Mary is 70 years of age, about 5 feet
7 or inches in height, with dark eyes
but pale complexion. She is a pretty
good sized woman, weighing probably
14O pounds. Her wrists and ankles are
small, but her hands and feet, from the
toughest kind of labor, are large and
coarse, and her waist has never known
the grip of corset. AS William Free
man, she was about as good looking as
the average man; Us Mary Schafer, she
is not homely woman. Her story,
told with M abundance Of tears and
with much apparent feeling, was to this
effect: She was born in New York city,
or on shipboard. Her early home was
in Allegany county, with her mother
and stepfather, whom she left when she
was III years Of age. Tomake living
was at best a hard task for one Of her
age, and believing that as boy she
could do best and earn most, she dressed
herself in boys clothes and hired out
TO do farm work. This she has done
all her life since,-ploughing, chopping
wood, taking care of horses, and all the
rough work of farm, and although
all the time in the vicinity of her home,
she AYERS that not soul except her
mother until yesterday knew her or
knew the secret so carefully preserved.
She has brother and IA sister, 10 and IL
years Of age, who probably to this mo-
ment do not know that they have
sister. She worked for various farmers
in Allegany county, at Niles Hill,
Knights Creek, and other towns. For
n farmer named Pendleton she worked
seven years. Through all the long
years of her disguise she protests that
she preserved II character of strict
honor and honesty, which will be at
tested by those by whom she has been
employed. The crime for which she
was sentenced she declares she did not
commit. she had rented farm about
five miles from her family's home,
which is at Wellsville, and hired a