The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1878-05-09
A PENYYENTIARY ROMANCE.
A Convict Turns Out to Be a WOman-In
Male Attire from Childhood-A Strange

"A
Male Attire from Childhood-A Strange
Career.
TFrom the Buffalo Express.l
On the 23d of October, 1877, William
Freeman was sentenced to the Erie
county penitentiary for one year and six
months, the prisoner having pleaded
guilty to charge Of burglary and lar
ceny. Freeman was duly received in
the penitentiary, was put to work IN the
shop at polishing buckles, and contln-
ued quietly and with uniform good be-
havior to pursue the dreary routine Of
prison life until surprising discovery
was made. It became known to the
prison authorities, and, later, to the po-
lice officials and few others, that the
supposed William Freeman was a woman.
As soon as the startling discovery Of
her sex was made, Mary Ann Schafer,
as she confessed her true name to be,
was removed to another and secluded
part of the prison, and provided with the
costume prescribed for female State
prisoners. The woman had utterly bro
ken down from her usual firm bearing.
She begged the Superintendent to keep
her there for life rather than allow her
secret and her name to be published.
This, however, could hardly be prevent
ed, as several persons necessarily be-
came possessed of the knowledge of the
facts, and the news, once out, naturally
spread.
Her story, told with an 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 Allegheny county,
with her mother and astep-father, whom
she left when she was liz years OF age.
To make living was at best a hard task
for one of her age, and, believing that
as a 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
blowing, chopping wood, taking care Of
horses, and all the rough work of farm
and, although all the time in the Vi
cinity of her home, she AYERS that not q
soul except her mother, until yesterday,
knew her or knew the secret 80 careful
ly preserved. She has brother and a
sister, Is and II years of age, who
probably to this moment do not know
that they have sister. She worked
for various farmers in Allegheny county.
at Niles Hill, Knights Creek, and other
towns. For farmer named Pendleton
she worked seven years. Through all
the long years of her disguise she pro-
tests that she has preserved character
OF strict honor and honesty, which will
be attested 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 home.
which is at Wellsville, and hired a wom-
an to act as housekeeper. This woman s
nephew committed burglary by which
he secured quantity Of dry goods,
which he concealed in her barn. The
pror erty was found, and she was one of
the number arrested. Being committed
to jail, she was employed by the Sheriff
to take care of his horses, and, taking
advantage Of the opportunity for liberty
which this service offered, she escaped
and fed to Canada. In some manner
she was induced to return. The man
who committed the crime threatened her
life if she betrayed his guilt, and, she
SAYS, Under intimidation she made the
plea of guilty. No.
During the time of her imprisonment,
Mary says, she was in constant terror of
discovery of her sex, and, indeed, it
is remarkable that she succeeded so
long in following prison rules and hab-
it's without detection. Several times
she has been on the point of confessing
that she was not what her clothing indi-
Gated, but shame, she says, kept her
mouth closed. She had fully deter
nined that, once out Of the prison, she
would wear male attire no longer.
So long has this young woman fol-
lowed the ways of man that to see
her in feminine raiment would be anus
ing if the spectacle did not excite pity.
The simplest bit of woman's work she
does with all the awkwardness g. rough
man would show. She has, in fact, be-
come native to the pantaloons, and
skirts are garments which will require
considerable time for her to become ac-
customed to. What action will now be
taken in regard to her pardon it is i'm
possible to foretell. She has certainly
been brave woman while not repre-
senting q woman. hard worker, and
the feeling toward her should be that of
charity. We trust her story of limo
cence of the crime for which she was
sentenced as State prisoner to the pen
ltny1ffo1 W trT1Q