Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1884-02-02
AwonderfaI Chanye-Ope Of the

oech e"iiea oPoh W ShIoHicie, anu one
which has kept an immense number of
tongues wagging in this entire section
for the past week, is the strange tale
which we now give for the benefit of our
readers. The principal person of the
narrative is well known to several resi-
dents Of this town, and the facts we now
state are as follows:
The family named Payne, living just
about the dividing line between Frederick
County, Va, and Berkeley County, w.
| Va, is one Of the best known in that Sec
one. One Of the members of the family,
Lydia Rebccca Payne, since birth has
passed as female, aad as young lady
was educated ut female seminary in
Winchester. For the past few years she
has been keeping 4 small store at the viii
| lage called Rest, about thirteen miles
from Martinsburg and eight miles from
Winchester. Lydia Rebecca has always
been looked upon as 4 person of exccllent
business habits, ard has conducted her
affairs in a manner that has seemed more
natural to man than woman. And for
this reason, perhaps, as we'll as others, it
has long been whispered around the
neighborhood that she was as much male
as she was female. Several years ago
lady namod Miss Annie Hinton went to
live with Miss Payne, clerking in her
store and also assisting her in domestic
duties, and the two persons lived together
il the closest social intimacy, working,
eating and sleeping together without the
slightest suspicion that they belonged to
opposite sexes.
And now comes the strange part of the
story. About two weeks ago, having Sc
rious doubts in her mind rs to whether she
was man or woman, Lydia Rebecca de-
termined to visit DR.. Mcguire and DR..
| Love, two OF the most prominent physi-
clans of Winchester, and have the ques-
ton settled. She did so, and these gen
tlemen performed a simple and painless
operation and announced to their patient
! that there could be no doubt as to perfect
niasculinity, and that the ignoramus who
superintcnded her advent into the world
rs accuucheur deserved to be prosecuted
for the dense stupidity which brought
about the subsequent wearing of petticoatS
| instead of trowscrs.
Armed with this knowledge the newly
made man at once took out 4 marriage
license and married his clerk, Miss Hin
! ton, Rev. John Landstrect, of Martins
burg performing the ceremony at Payne's
! Chapel in the presence Of about five hun
! dred spectators, who had come together
to see for themselves the sequel to tho
! strange story they had been discussing.
! The groom had the license made out in
the name Of l.. X. Payne. lie is described
as being a good-tooking person, with
! perfectly smooth face, and has rather
! feminine voice, and is said to be hand
/ somer than the bride. He will petition
the legislature to change his name to John
| Calhoun Payne, and it is intimated will
remarry his wife under that name.
! A correspondent of the New York
! World had an Interview with Payne in
Winchester, and lie said: Il really did
not suspect my true sex until three or four
weeks ago, when some casual remark
made by lady friend aroused my suspi-
cions. ! then determined TO 90 TO DR..
Mcguire, of Winchester, but did not in
form him of my perpleXity. After pro-
fessional inquiry he ut once, but with
much hesitancy, made known my true
sex. | suppose it was the force of nature
which impelled NE TO fall i'll love with
| Miss Hinton, although | never could un-
derstand the feeling which my passion for
her inspired when first met her rs SER
want in our family, and was struck with
her beauty and ladylke bearing, and soon
found that | thought Il deal more OF her
than any one else knew"
"Will you wear mans clothing hence
forth, Mr.. Payne?" asked the correSpon-
dent.
"Of course will, lie responded" with
an expression which would have been
mistaken for n blush had he been wo-
man. 81 wish | could continue in the
dress have worn all my life, but people
would look at nc so that | would be an
noyed."
GLOW did you manage about getting
your boots on?''
"well, now do you know" he remark
ed, with a womanly giggls, 81 had an
awful time? We men have to get used to
these things, however"
Mrs PAYNE, who is = pleasamt-faced,
refined lady of about twenty-five years,
at rst refused to talk, but her husband
told her she had better have the trouble
over and done with it. She said that she
had looked on Mr.. Payne rs woman
until he had informed her otherwise.
Then she ceased to regard him as woman
and they became lovers as they had been
friends. She was not nc all ashamed of
the new experience of her husband, and
her love for him was such that she did
not care what the world said about him.
She know lie was a man, and that was
enough for her.
a Plain Sermon.-Rev. w. G. Egg
gleston, of the NJ. +. Church South of
Shephcrdstown, preached very plain
and pointed sermon on Sunday morning
last from the text trhou shalt not follow
n multitude TO do evil His words were
not only applicable to his own cOngrega-
ton and his own community, but we
think they can be needed generally with
profit. He said: go upon our streets ut
any hour of the Gay, and even at night,