Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-03-30
FEMALE In MALE ATTIRE
An Ohio Girl Grows Dissatisfied with
Her Fate and Resolves to Try
Life as Boy.
Her Wandering and Aasqueradiug End
in One Of tho Chicago Street
Railway Stables,
A Letter and Lover Lead TO the
Detection Of Her Sex--A Re-
msrkable Escapade.

CHICAo, LII, March 29.--"Seems
to me these yer horses don't kinder
drive right senoe woman quit hand.
lin 'em," said a West aide street-car
driver TO his conductor, few even
ings since, and both men actually
roared with mirth. A police reporter
who overheard the remark couldn't
see anything 30 overwhelmingly funny
about 1t, but the questions that he
asked, taken with a couple OF hours'
walking and talking to different PEG.
pie employed about the car barns at
the corner OF Western and Park ave.
nues, brought to light one OF the neat
est little romances in real life that one
could desire.
1t begins away back In midsummer
OF 1882, when Mr. William Ham,
mond, a wealthy farmer living near
Springfield, Ohio, first discovered tina.
his hUidenish daughter, Silvia, was
much given to the reading OF cheap
romantic stories, and did not yield
readily to home restraints and moth
erly discipline. She had slwavs lived
an out-of.door life, and having pony
of her own WAS extremely handy with
| all horses and farm animals At the
date mentioned Silvia WAS stout ami
hearty girl approaching fourteen years
of age, that peculiar time OF life when
most girls, no matter how practical
their disposition, wish they were dead
or were boys and have all sorts OF nom
sensical freaks Tho cheap literature
and trifling quarrels with her mother
started the Hammond girl upon n
course that has caused her
A GREAT DEAL OF TROUBLE
and will perhaps lead to many COM
plications in future years. Her foolish
fancy led her 10 purchase suit OF
boys clothing at Sprin gfield and
smuggle IL into her room, and the next
morning after the reprimand from the
mother silvia slloped out OF her room
before day light and turned up at the
nearest railway station, four miles
from home, with her entire appearance
changed by suit OF good, boys
clothes. Aided by quite store OF
small eavings the glrl purchased q
round-trlp ticket TO Chicago, getting q
cheap rate on account OF the .xposi-
ton which had jus opened. Her in
tention was simply to frighten her
parents and have fine lark In her ro-
mantle disguise. She succeeded In
both respects most admirably, for she
passed three days at one OF our better
class West Side hotels, and took Ia
all the sights of the city without
any one for moment suspect
ing that she was anything but SHARP
country boy just in fer little sight
seeing. The original design of heI
foolish trip held good until nearly
half of the railway journey back home
was completed, when she was sudden
ly seized with an intense desire e
hold on to her Dew-found liberty.
BY the time Marion, Ohio, wal
reached the boy girl had made up hel
mind not TO go back home just yet
and sne left the train and secured
quarters AT hotel near the depot. Ii
the course OF q day or two she came t
know some OF
THE REGULAR BoARDERS
by sight, and learned that one OF then
had contract for grading a portion
of the track OF the new Chicago d At
lantic railroad near that town. BY
means OF several very plausable sto
rlee, Silvia Hammond, who had nov
become Sidney Hammond, induced
this gentleman 10 give her employ
ment, and for several months che In
bored In his grayel-pit, being EN-
ployed with book and pencil
. Keeping account OF the carloads o
sand that were taken out When worl
upon the railroad grade was com
pleted the girl had been away from
home about six months, and hat
most of her earnings In her pocket.
Again she took up her wandering
, and drifC.d as far as Canton, Ohio
where she succeeded In gettinJ
work upon dairy farm nes
+ the town, and made such 200,
impression upon the proprietor tina
, she was taken into his home TO live
, aud was promoted from the Low
drudgery OF the farm 10 driving a nea
, wagon. There Is no telling how lonl
i the boy-giri might have remained II
such safe and comfortable quarters
for her friends were utterly with6u
:, suspicioH. had IL not been that ther
were daughters in the family, aud on
OF them took violent fancy 10 tn
!. shaTp-eyed, sturdy boy who wa
: thrown IN daily contact with her. TIL
q milkmsn's lad let this thing run aIon
. until he began TO fear an exp0sul
!. might result from the young girls II
y fAtuation, and then he began TO CA
q about him for
N SOME MEANS or ESCAPE.
II That girls love eventually proved Il
IL means OF the discovery of the girl
~ Identity. but II wa. not until severl
io months later. for Silvia Sidney fled
m this city. Upon arriving here she .
.. cured employment In tue West 5if
, street.ctr stables by means Of the
NJ G. A., for she had brought vii
her let ers OF recommendation fro
the pastor OF the church and the 8
~ perlntendent OF the BundRy-schooi
is- Canton, where she had been 90
ed slant attendant For about TO
NO months tue girl worked about I
barn steadily, being employed prin
N pally 10 leading and drying horpes
= and from the cara and tho gateTln