National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-11-07
rnE nrAL n1LLY TAYLon.


The wife who became ~ Sailor 70 Fol-
low Her Husband.
The popular old ballad OF "Billy Taylor
celebrates, as everybody knows, the courage
and adventurous spirit Of young lady who
lad suffered great injury to her feelings by
the neglect Of the rogue 20 whom She had
Gccn foolish enough to give her heart, says
the London Telegraph. The date Of the
origin Of this song ~ uncertain, but, unless
its paternity is established 10 might not be tIn.
safe 10 assume that II was the brief m2trisal
version ~ the life Of Que Hannah Smell. who
fuufisled In the last century. Only, in
stead Of pursuing her Billy TAYLOR for the
purpose Of killing him, Hannah chased him
with the intention, II she could fad him of
binding him very securely to her apron
strings. Indeed, Hannah had much higher
principles than Billy Taylur's sweetheart,
and, although she occupied but an humble
stGtiUu in this life and died IN the olur OF
Jamnica rum, she may yet he SAID
to lie an eminent aud shining example
OF plutky woman, Us soldier,
sailor, and publican. She cdmc from
Worcester to i've in ship street, Mapping,
with her sister and after u little, she mar
liCd, tt the Fleet, one James Lumms, O
sailor, whom all British mariners who knew
llnunah's story We've pleased to understand
was Dutchman. Dutch Jim sluinderel
her little property, and then, rs they used
TO say, discharged all further obligations 10
her us husband with the foretopsail In
Other words he ran away and left her. She
waited two months, after which she put on
suit Of clothes belonging to q brOther-ln-law,
assumed his name. which was James Gray,
and set OF to iiud her husband How she
enlisted, how young ladies fell In love with
her, how she marched like any man with a
a - 4 II.
aud how She rc-enlistCu NJ marine, need
not he related here. She was sent on
board n ship Of the feet under Admiral
ECsCawCu, aud, at the siege Of POnlicherry,
behaved, Il is stated, in 50 distinguished u
manner that she gained the admiration
Of all her officers. She worked in the
trenches, did soldiers duty in a hundred
directions, fred during one engagement no
fewer than thirtv-sgyen rounds, receiving
eleven shots In her legs and was carried oil
very dangerously wounded. After a long
time she recovered, was sent on board u
Kind Uf vessel styled a "piniS,' and worked
as n sailor, going Dloft, manning the pumps,
aud so forth. After little the crew began
to laugh OF her for showing no sigIs
q beard, and ehristcncd her
was an insuppurtublc taunt. She
waited until the vessel reached Lisbon,
where she planned cruises for the lively
hcartiCs ashore and 10y taking the lead In
ali the horscpay, skylarking, aud caper.
cutting in which the Jacks OF those days
INDUCED, and which as an art IS not wholly
considered by them as lost even In these
times she won the name of Hearty Jenny
and so regainod her former cheerfuIness Of
mind
She had not, however, been in Lisbon
iong before she learned that her husband,
for numbering Il gentleman living IN
Geneva, had been stitched up In a bag with
q quantity of stones and thrown headlong
into the sea. So here was not only an end
| OF Dutch Jim, but OF the motives which
had induced Hannah to become n sailor.
man and darken her hands with tar. She
| quilted the sea, returned to Mapping,
| obtained an annuity Of eco from the govern.
mCnt, and opened public house, ON one
| side Of which was painted the figure Of n
| tar ana ON the other that of n soldier, while
underneath was written "Ihc Widow IN
| Masquerade; or, the Female Warrior
| These signs, backed by her reputation and
| the noise she had made at theater in the
character Of u sailor brought all the marine,
| in the nCighborhoOd to her horse, "aud sh,
| liyCd,n says the author of her life, "maul
| years in adding to their conviviality auI
| Cheer There may be eXaggerations II
| this story, but, substantially, II is true
moreover, It is delightfully."- English ami eX
cecdingly characteristic.