Smyrna times., 1882-04-26
The Story of a Wo derful Meta
morphosis in Erie.


An Erie special to the Buffalo Courier
says the following remarkable story is
Iouched for by eight reliable citizens of
Erie: William p Baxter is a farmer, and
h IS for many years owned large farm
situated between North East, Pa, and
Ripley, \. Y. He is frequently in this
'ity, where he is we'll known. Near to +
he Baxter farm there lives a family by
the name of Fear, highly respected by
their ne ghbors. About twenty-five years
ag there was bora in this family girl, a
sweet little cherub, that became the pet of
the neighborhOod. They named her Rosa,
and she grew up lovely child, and in |
'lue ime was sent to school. Here she |
distinguished herself by most extraOrdi- |
nary precocity. Her aptitude exceeded |
that of scholars ten years older than her
Salf, and in less than two years she had
passed every other pupil and stood at the
h 'ad Of her classes, the holder of all the
honors competed for AT the age Of four
teen she entered the service of Mrs.
Baxter, the first wife fthe farmer referred
to. Rosa proved te be as good girl for
farm house duties as she had been
student, and the Baxter family liked her
so well that she was treated in every
respect as though she was one of the
ia nily. She continued to live there, and
wAen she had attained to the age of
eli ghteeu her hand was
| SOUGHT IN MARRIAGE
by young farmer from a neighboring
Village. For some reason, unaccountable
u. that time to her friends. Miss Fear de-
LINED the honorable offer, allegiag that
she had no desire to quit the roof of her
k nd friends. About this time it began to
be noticed that Rosas features were losing
their feminine softness, and that the
eHeminate contour Of her hitherto symet-
real form was vanishing, and giving place
to masculine angularity. Her hands.
that were once SO we'll shaped, began to
grow large and coarse, and down ap-
peared on her upper lip. The presence of
the latter greatly distressed her, and as
it continued to grow in spite of all her
effort to prevent it, she became so ashamed
that she refused to accompany the BaxterS
to the family pew i'll the village church,
or to mingle in any Of the socials or
parties in which she had once been a
; cOurted belle. The family, while deeply
regretting the loss of R)sA's Personal
attractions, tried to laugh her out of her
sensitiveness. But the girl appeared to
be
CONSUMED WITH A SECRET.
About six months after this, Rosa did
, not appear as usual one morning. NJ
> answer came from her room, and when il
was broken open it was found to have
! been unocUupied that night. All Rosa
r clothes were hanging up, even to those
n she was accustomed to wear about the
house. Mr. Baxter sent his son Charlie.
J to look in the barn, dreading to enter i
q himself for dreadful suspicion Of suicid,
: was uppermOst in his thoughts. But Ros;
: was not in the barn, neither was she il
p any part of the farm. At last the search
y ers found two letters in her trunk, on,
; addressed to Mrs. Baxter, the other to he
4 parents. The contents of Mrs. Baxter.
:, letter created the utmost CONSERVATION
1t said that the writer had gone away
that it would be- useless to follow her
that her life had become unbearable be
cause within a year nature had worked
A COMPLETE METAMoRPHosIs,
: unsexing her and making it necessary t.
. change her home and raiment. Th
| astOnished Baxters discovered that sh
i. had left all her female clothing down I
J, minutest article, and that she attired hel
4 self in suit of clothes belonging to DIR.
A. Freeman, now an alderman from tn
first ward i'll this city. DIR. Freeman wa
y Il yearly visitor at the Baxter farm, an
$ he frequently spends day or two ther
s. still. He had been visiting there wee
IS before the girl disappeared, and had left
K, suit of clothes behind him by mistak,
OF Two months passed and letter came i
e Rosa's fine handwriting. 1t informed tn
|
working as a farm hand in Ohio, but tha
" the stamp on the letter would give no clu
= to her address. Two years elasped, an
! one morning
T FINE LOOKING YOUNG MAN,
ye with sun-burned face, magnificent bear
F. and heavy dark mustache, stood at til
u gate of the Fear homestead "D0 yo
b. know me, Mary?" he said to the youn
ce lady who came out to ascertain his bus
Mt ness. The tones were deep and mani
ne but there was familiar ring in ii
Il. strangers voice. g 1t is Rosa" said ii
n girl, and the next moment the spectato
~ were regaled with sight of Mss Maj
in Fear clasped in the arms ofa young fello
re. giving back as many kisses On his mu
n tache as he sh0wered upon her upliftG
face. Not Rosa, but Charles Fear now
said the whilom housemaid, and then
W told them how, after that wOnderf
= change, he had hired out as male hell
'o that he had made a little money and hs
come home to work the farm. NJ
H Charles Fear runs that farm to day, al
!" Ripley has no citizen held in higher es
"' nation than he. Since his return he h
n twice been appointed teacher in the pu
n'' lie schools, and he can be seen ont
'pe Fear farm every day in the week.
C., -------..-----