The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-05-17
Fair Heroines Who Have
Literally Worn the
Trousers.
TALES OF COURAGE AND ROMANCE.
The Example Of Joan of Arc Imi-
tated by Many of Her Modern
Sisters-A Lady Disguised
as a HighwaYman.


tive sense, there have also been. in all
eges and in all countries, women in every
walk and rank Of life, from the highest
to the lowest, who at some period of their
existence have doffed petticoats aud iiter-
ally donned trousers, andin many of these
instances lovely women has been lovely
women still. with her beauty and fascin-
alton magnifsd rather than diminished
by her change of apparel The most
famous and shining example of woman
donning male apparel for commendabla
object Is Joan OF Arc, the Maid of Or
leans, who emerged from her obscurity
in her remote native village to fight the
battles Of her beloved France, and to se-
cure the coronation at Rheims OF the
Dauphin as Charles the Seventh.
She was not over TWEEN ty years old
when. under the direction, as she
claimed, of the mysterious voices OF
saints and angels, she clad herself la
mans attire, girded on sword aud rode
on horseback, man fashion, at the head
OF the French army, turned its defeat
into victory over the English and secured
the coronation of the Dauphin. Though
her power afterWard W3nei and though,
abandoned by the mean King who owed
her his crown, she Was finally burned at
the stake, yet she will remain an indis-
putable proof that woman in trousers
may lead religious, an unselfish and
modest life. for it IS beyond all possible
doubt thar she did SO.
Grizel Cochraue is another name en-
titled to high place among those women
VINO have worn trousers for purpose 50
noble as to make them royal raimeDt.
10 a ~ f,rn T1a
tion for fair young maid of eighties but
she who bore it is said TO have been as
beautiful a girl as all Scotland ever knew
Her father, Sir John Cochrane, of Ochil-
tree, was under sentence of death at e lin
burgh for having been engaged in the
Duke of Monmouth's rebellion against
King James III. His death warrant was
momentariiy expected to arrive from
London, and meanwhile his father, the
Earl of Dnndonald, was making strenu-
Gus efforts to obtain for him pardon.
with excellent chance of success, but
there was great danger that this pardon,
even If obtained, could not reach Edin-
burgh till several days after the death
warrant had arrived aud been executed.
Cochrane's brave daughter determined to
prevent this contingency.
1t was the seventeenth century and the
most rapid transit possible was by means
of horses, 50 that the mails were all car
ried by men on horseback. One morning
Grizel assumed an humble disguise,
mounted her favorite palfrey and rode
across the Tweed to the house of her old
nurse, where she donned a suit of boys
clothes belonging to her foster brother,
and thrust a brace of pistols Into her belt
| She had learned That the p0sEman would
arrive early on the morning of tine day at
| a little inn near Bedford, where be was
| accustomed to take few hours rest
| Grizsl reached this place just
| after he had breakfasted and laid
/ down to sleep. Putting uD her horse
| she entered the house aud breakfasted
IN the same room where the postman lay
sleeping. During the temporary absence
of the landlady she attem pied to steal
the mail bag, but the postman was using
it for a pillow and she could not remove
it without waking him. She had barely
time TO draw the loads from his pistols,
which lay by his side, before the landlady
returned. Then she paid for her enter
tainment and having casually asked how
| long the postman would probably sleep
she rode away aud waited in a louely
part of the road till he came up, when she
boldly demanded his mail bag.
At first Master Postman thought it
merely a jest on the part of the pretty boy
who confronted him, but seeing something
| in GrizePs eye that betokened deadly
earnest, he discharged his pistol a1 her
point blank. When they merely flashed
IN tine ran ne ledpeQ TO luS ground ana
tried to sfeze her horse's bride. With
the aid of her spur she eluded him,
caught the bride of his horse and went
QaIloping off with 1t, mail bags and all
She looked back once to point her pistol
at him as grim warning not to follow,
aud then put both horses TO their utmost
speed till she reached q lonely wood
There she tied the postman's horse to
tree. ripped open the mail bag with her
penkuife and took out the governments
dispatches, which she knew by their great
seals. She found her fathers death war
rant and several others Tearing them
into small pieces she concealed them
about her person.
Replacing the other papers In the mail
bag, which she left lying In the wood
where it was afterward found, she
mounted her horse. returned TO the house
of her nurse, burned the fragments of the
death warrants, resumed her feminine
attire, and journeved back to Edinburgh
in perfect safety. Her heroic act saved
her fathers life.
Another woman who once wore
trousers for noble purpose was the
Lady Arabella Stuart. She was the
great-great- grand-daughter of Henry VII
and the cousin Of james L OF England
and vi. of Scotland or Qleeu Eliza
beth's court she had been the brightest
ornament. and when the Virgin Queens
cousin, James l., succeeded to the throne
the Lady Arabella shone with equal
effuigence in the circle that surrounded
him. Though King James had given her
his written permission TO marry any one
OF his subjects she desired, he was furi-
Gus when she welded noble gentleman
named William Seymour. He imme-
diately separated the devoted young hus-
band and wife, imprisouing The former
in the Tower. and combining the wife In
the house OF Mr. Conyers at High
gate.
The couple contrived to correspond. and
Mr.. Seymour communicated to his wife
an ingenious plan for their simultaneous
escape to thu sea coast, whence they could
fly 10 France in vessel that was to await
them Mr.. Seymour escaped from prison
in the disguise of countryman aud got
safely away to Flanders. I5 was Ia a
brave effort TO join him that the Lady
Arabelia donned male attire and bestrode
a horse to the sea coast, only to be retaken
by the cruel King and imprisoned. in the
Tower, where, one year later, she became
insane. She died in that condition three
years afterward.
Coming down to more modern times
we can recall hundreds of instances In all
lands and among all natioaalitles in
which women have worn trousers. Ever
since old ShyIock's pretty daughter Jess
lea disguised herself as boy and escaped
with her lover from her fathers house
such disguises has been one Of the princi-
pal means by which lovely woman has
enabled love to laugh at locksmiths and
obdurate papas.