Daily Republican., 1884-01-29
AWOMAN AND NOW A MAN.
Miss Elizabeth lIebeccs Payne, .
Dnshing Virginia Girl, Turns Out
10 be Man.

Miss Elizabeth Iebecca Payne, |
Dashing Virginia Girl, Turns Ou
10 be q Man.
A despatch from Winchester, W. V.
to the New York World under date o
January 25th, tells the following re-
markable story:
One of the best known ladies Of Shen
andoah Valley has turned out to be a
man. Miss Elizabeth Rebecca Payne
daughter of the late Joseph Payne, who
for thirty.eight years has appeared az 9
woman, suddenly avowed herself 6
few days ago to be man, and startled
James p. Riley, Clerk of the County
Court here, by applying for license to
marry Miss Hinton. who had resided
In the Payne family rs q domestic.
The lady who fred the heart of Miss
Payne with such passion as to compel
him to throw ofthe habit of q lifetim me
and declare his sex IL forty years old
and prepossessng
The strange affair has caused de
cided sensation in the Shenandoah Val
Icy, and nothing else IL talked about.
Payne is said to have appeared In this
world al a female, and was brought up
as such. No one ever questioned his
sex, and his'Own avowal Of masculinity
astonished the community. Elizabeth
febecca Payne was ahe 0fa family OF
five or six daughters. He was brought
up AZ woman and was admitted into
the best society in company with the
other members Of the family. He was
always regarded as q somewhat IDascu-
line girl, but no one ever suspected he
was man. He was a most graceful
and dashing horse rider, and always
challenged general'admiratioE as he fre-
quently rode into Winchester with his
habit and somewhat long hair trailing
in the wind.
In addition to good birth and inherit
ed acres he developed remarkable bust.
ness talent for woman. Reverses in
the family fortune rendered it peces-
sary for some one to put shoulder to
the wheel. His sisters were distinguish
ed for their culture and personal
charms, aud several Of them married
prominent gentlemen. Miss Rebecca
Payne devoted himself to the manage
ment of "a farm and to the supervision of
a store, which he had established at
Rest, where he also held the appoint
ment of Postmistress. He also dealt in
cattle and horses and became an expert
in that way. All his enterprises pros
pered and he has acquired considerable
wealth.
Determining to marry, he threw off
his dresses and applied for IL license
from the court at Winchester, but the
astbnished clerk, who like everybody
else knew him as . woman, declined to
issue o license for q woman TO marry a
woman. When Payne proved his rea!
sex by producing the certificate OF DR..
7. w. McGuire of Winchester, lice nse
was still refused on the ground that
Virginia law coupels man to have
given names which show his sex before
he can act as n man In the eye of the
law.
Payne then determined to have his
name changed at the March term of the
Circuit CourI, which will meet on the
LIST prox.
In the explanation furnished Miss
Payne said she had never had any oc-
casion to doubt femininity until about
a fortnight since, when, being led to
visit DR.. Mcclure and DR.. Love,a at Win
chester, these gentlemen performed q
simple and painless operation and an
to their. fS.tient that there
could be no doubt as TO perfect mascu-
Unity.
DR.. McGuire is widely known as a
skilful surgeon, and DR.. Love, the other
practitioner, is son.in-law of Charles
James Faulkner, and highly esteemed
physician and gentleman.
Miss Payne and Miss Hinton have |
not only been associated together in
business but have lived together for
years In the closet social intimacy,
eating and sleeping together
the slightest suspicion that
they belonged TO opposite sexes Some
Indignation was Mt first expressed
.moag their nsighbors over the pre-.
sent discovery One preacher in the
who recently invited
Miss Payne to sleep with his wife dur
ug "a visit today raved considerably
because his invitation was accepted,
out on a further understanding of the
matter became pacitied.
A despatch from Winchester, dated
January Goth, says:
:" Miss Payne and Miss Hinton were
married. in the Southern Methodist Con-
Church Of this quaint old
own" The minister who Performed
he ceremony was a former chaplain Of
i"n. 'Jeb' Stuart's Confederate cav
Try regiment.
A gentleman formerly resident of
Winchester, West Virginia, but now a
esident of this city (Wilmington) |
tates that he was well acquainted
With the family to which Miss Payne
and with Miss Payne herself,
nd stated that there was always a sus-
'icion as to The real sex of two mem bers