Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-28
MAsQUERADtNG FOR YEARS.

A Strange Story OF Man-woman from
Virginia-Miss Elizabeth Rebecca
Payne at Thirty Eigh Years Old An
nOunces Herelf as Mal-Determined
to Marry and Settle Down.
A special from Winchester, Va. Janu-
airy 25, to the New York World says: One
of the best known ladies of the Saenan-
doah Valley has turned out to be man.
Miss Elizabeth Rebecca Payne, daughter
of the late Joseph Payne, who lived seen
miles from here, and who for thirty-eig,t
years has appeared as a woman, suddenl.
avowed herself few days ago to be a
man, and startled James p. Riley, Clerk
of the County Court here, by applying for
a license to marry Miss Hinton, who had
resided in the Payne family as a domestic.
The lady who fired the heart of Miss
Payne with such passion as TO compel him
to throw off the habit of a lifetime and
declare his sex is forty years old and pre-
possessing.
The strange affair has caused decided
sensation in the Shenandoah Valley. and
nothing else is talked about. PAYNE is
said to have appeared in this world as a
female, and was brought up as such. Nc
/ one ever questioned his sex, and his own
!
community. Elizabeth Rebecca Payne
was one Of family OF five or six daugh
tiers. He was brought up as a woman and
was admitted into the best society in com
pany withthe other membersof the family
He was always regarded as a somewhat
masculine girl, but no one ever suspected
he was a man. He was a most graceful
and dashing horse rider, and always
challenged general admiration as he fire.
I ounntiV rOda into IWipobocfo,. with I,
habit and somewhat long hair trailing in
the wind.
In addition to good birth and inherited
acres he developed remarkable business
talent for a woman. Reverses in the fam.
lily fortune rendered it necessary for some
one to put shoulder to the wheel. His
sisters were distinguished for their cul-
ture and personal charms, and several of
them married prominent gentlemen. Miss
Rebeeca Payne devoted himself to the
management of farm and to the super
vision of a store, which he had estab.
| lished at Rest, where he also held the ap-
pointment of postmistress. He also
dealt in cattle and horses and became an
expert in that way. All his enterprises
prospered and he has acquired consider
able wealth.
Determining to marry, he threw off his
dresses and applied for a license from the
COuAl db w AhOutSJCls DuJ JDt dSLOHlbuctt
clerk, who like everybody else knew him
as woman, declined to issue license
for woman to marry a woman. When
Payne proved his real sex by producing
the certificate of Dr. p. w. Mcguire, OF
Winchester, a license was still refused
on the ground tb at Virginia law compels
a man to have given names which show
his sex before he can act as man in the
| eye of the law.
!
name changed at the MarOh term of the
/ Circuit Court, which will meet on the 1st
| proX.
In the explanation furnished, Miss
| Payne said that there had never been any
occasion to doubt fermininity until about
fortnight since, when, being led to visit
! DR.. Mcguire and DR.. Love, at Winches
! ter, these gentlemen performed a simple
and painless operation, and announced
to their patient there could be no doubt
as to perfect masculinity.
DR.. Mcclure is widely known asia skill
| full surgeon, and DR.. Love, the Other
practitioner, is sOn-in-law of Charles
James Faulkner, and a highly esteemed
physician and gentleman.
Miss Payne and Miss Hinton. have noi
only been associated together in business
but have lived together for years in the
closest social intimacy, working, eating
and sleeping together without the slight
est suspicion that they belonged to opDo
site sexes. Some indignation was at frs
expressed among their neighbors over the
present discovery. One preacher in the
neighborhood who recently invited Miss
Payne to sleep with his wife during {
visit scolded to-day considerably because
his invitation was accepted, but on {
further understanding Of the matter ht
became pacifed.
MARTINsBURG, W. VA, Jan. 25.-Misi
Payne and Miss Hinton were married il
the Southern Methodist Congregations
Church of this quaint old town. Th,
minister who performed the ceremonl
was a former chaplain of Gen. "Jeb. !;
Stuart's Confederate cavalry regiment.