Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-04-05
WAS A SOLDIER
AND FOUGHT BY HER LOVERS SIDE THROUGH
TIE WAR.
The Singular Romance Of Mrs. Mary 3. Hooker, Of
Elkhart Indiana, Who IS an Applicant Or
Psnsion-WOunded at Antieiar
and Prisoner at Libby.

GOSHEN, IND, April i-One of the finest
bits of romance ever brought TO light is the
story of Mrs Mary +. Hooker, of Elkhart,
who has applied for a pension on the
grounds that she served throughout the
war disguised as man and under an alias,
and that at the battle of Antietam she re
ceived a wound in the leg from a minnie
/ ball, which has since resulted in her dis
ablement. She appeared before the Pen
sion Board here, and when approached by
the Republic correspondent at first was un-
willing to make public any facts relating
to her case, but finally told her story.
AT the time | entered the service, - said
Mrs. Hooker, IL was 20 years old. and liy.
! ing with my widowed mother at Thin, o..
where am vet quite well acquainted.
was a slight girl, but yet of sturdy frame,
for / was a great Tomboy,' and much
given to going off on larks with my broth
ers. For two years previous TO the break
ing out of the war Benjamin B. Brown
and myself had been going together, were
engaged and shortly TO be married. When
the war broke out my lover seemed deter
mined to go. | pleaded with him 10 stay
with me, but he said he was ashamed u
stay at home while so many men no. as
good as he were going 10 the front and
finally enlisted in Co +, Sixth Regiment,
| Ohio Volunteers. | endured the separa-
ton for awhile, but hearing that Chas +.
Drury, who had enlisted in the same COM
pany and regiment, desired "A substitute,
offered myself, first assuming male attire
MY offer was readily accepted, he agreeing
to pay me $780, 800 of which | never re-
ceived, for he died while was in the ser
vice. | Joined the regiment and was soon
serving alongside my lover. ! had as
sumed the name of Charles Drury and was
so known till the close of the war My
sex was undiscovered all the while | was
in the service, except by Brown, who, OF
course, recognized me as soon as he saw
me. had no trouble in learning the tao
ticts, for my younger brother had belonged
to a militia company and had always
taken even more interest in the drilling,
etc, than he.
"Our regiment left Camp Denison shortly
after Joined it for Washington and from
there we went TO the battle of Bull Run. I
remained with the regiment till | was
wounded in the left leg by mimic ball at
the battle of Antietam, when / was trans
ferred 10 an ambulance, the same which
Brown had occupied a couple of weeks be
fore and in which he had died. After
Browns death | was left without friend
in the regiment who knew the clrcum-
stances of my enlistment. AS soon as was
again able TO march, however determined
to stick TO the service. | was wounded on
the breast bone by the bursting of shell
at Mission Ridge, where / was captured
and taken along with a lot of other prison
ers to Libby Prison. This was during the
worst condition of its management, and
what, with the poor food and my wound,
despaired of ever coming out alive. After
three weeks. though an exchange OF prls-
Oners was made and returned 10 my home
in Tiffin, shadow Of my former self
"A few years after the close Of the war
| was married 10 Richard ireland, veter-
an of the war He died within year, and
up to my marriage TO Mr.. Hooker which
occurred about five years ago, | received d
pension as Mr.. Ireland's widow.
~ enjoyed soldier life, all but the tire
some marches, and was hardly ever fright
ened during an engagement | think |
could carry musket now and drill, too, II
necessary, but at the time when j served
in the war was slender and had no trouble
in passing as a man; in TACT no one ever
detected me TO my knowledge, and no one
knew was a woman, with the exception OF
my lover, | had some narrow escapes
though, once when lot of the boys OF our
company were determined ! should go d
bathing with them, and also when the
company was one night holding mock ini-
tiation of some kind. This time call 20
arms was the only thing that saved me-
Mrs. Hooker dislikes very much the pub
licity that has been given her case, and
says that she almost feels like giving up
her fight for pension on that account
She is proud of her record, though, "serv-
ing as "a soldier. honestly carrying gun as
other soldiers did,
Mrs Hooker is a fieshy woman, remark
ably good looking for one Of 30 years, with
Jet black hair, swapping black eyes, wo-
man of vim and energy, though disabled IN
walk by her wound She is leader IN
Elkhart society, where her standing In eX-
cellent, and is especially given to philan-
thropy among the children Of soldiers.
Her husband is prominent dry goods
merchant in Elkhart. They have one
child "a boy, whose slight lameness from
birth is due TO a detection on his limo IN the
same place as Mrs. Hooker's wound from
minnie ball Mrs. Hooker is woman OF
refinement and will give her pension
money, if she gets it, TO INDECENT soldiers.
A "Moonlighter" Killed.
DUBLIS, April A parry OF moon
says dispatch from Ennis,
County Clare, last night, attacked the
house occupied by Fitzgerald. near that
town The police, however, surprised the
moonlighters. and fired upon them. The
result was that one of the moonlighters
was shot and fatally wounded, while all OF
the moonlight party were captured.
He Had Explosives.
COaK, April AT the assizes held here
to-day John Foley was sentenced 10 seven
years penal servitude for having in his pos
session quantity Of explosives.
The Kincaid Trial Postponed.