Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-01-21

MIDGET, YET SHE POSSESSES TIL
STRENGTH OF AN OX-IRoN BARS STRAW
TO HER.
N. Y. Herald.
A wee slip of girl is an inmate Of Ray
mond Street jail in Brooklyn.
She is ugly, frowzJ headed, with pinchei
features and snaky Little eyes.
But she is q wonder.
bones and sinews possessing more struus :.
than the ordinary strong man has.
Mary Ellen is frequenter Of the streets
'.jist growed," but in growing she acquired
Her full name is Mary Ellen Martin, O
Egan, as she sometimes calls herself, ant
she is eighteen years old and very small
She is now awaiting disposition by pollc'
magistrate.
Mary has puzzled many physicians who
have called at the Jail to satisfy themselves
as to her real siren 9Th. That the girl is Q
prodigy is borne out by the Jail officials
who have bestowed upon her the title ol
ssMary Ellen-with the tigers grip"
Her strength is of such proportions that
neither the penitentinry officials nor the
authorities of the House of the Good Shep.
herd care to have her as an inmate. IE the
former institution the girl unloosened the
screws that held fast the bars of the cell IN
which she was iucarcerated and made her
way out of her CELL In the other institu.
tion it was an easy matter for her to gain
her liberty at any time by forcing open the
doors. no matter how heavily they were
pad locked.
SMALL BUT VERY POWERFUL.
In appearance the girl is repulsive. Her
tiny eyes have cunning look, and her
black hair is thick and somewhat coarse.
There are a number Of scars on her face
and her hands are very small; SO are also
her arms, and no special muscular develop
ment is visible when the arms are exposed.
She refused to speak of her antecedents
wien I called at the Jail yesterday, but the
matron told me the girl was one of the best
behaved prisoners in the institution.
'fShe is not insane by any MEANS" said
the matron, ''but everything she does is
done out of pure deviltry. She is not quite
eighteen years old, but from infancy she
has developed extraordinary strength, and
1 have seen three men at a time trying to
quiet her when she became unruly. From
what the girl told me herself she has bsen
way WdIu IOE buo ldSb Af0 VI Ola yOdlos 1Oi
mother died two years ago, and not long ago
her only sister died. Her father deserted
her long time ago on account of her bad
habits, and be is some where in New York.
The only known relative she has is couein,
who lives somewhere on President street,
near Fifth avenue. She told me it was an
Easy thing for her to lift almost any weight,
and l have seen her bend thick bars of a
,ell as easily as though they were of wire.
STRONG AS A HORSE.
"The warden of the psnitentiary does
not want her as a prisoner, because she is
constantly in trouble, and she must be
watched from day to day. No matter how
lolid the screws are in her celldoor, she
Jan unloosen them with her hand, and be-
ieve she could take the cell-door out.
"DOctors have been here several times to
Examine her, but she is far from being in-
ane. She possesses greater strength than
horse. Her arms do not show it, but it is
nevertheless the fact. have seen her lift
wo heavy men as lightly as though they
we're made of paper since she has been here,
'ut she has been very good, and given no
me any trouble"
Agent Neary, of St. Vincent de Paul
society, who requested Justice Walsh to
onmit the girl to some institution. told
he Justice net to send her to the Kings
Jounty penitentiary, as the officials there
lid not want her and usually liberated her
'efore the expiration of her term of impris-
Whenever Mary Ellen is arrested two or
hree policemen are required to get her to
he station house, although she is only four
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