Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-08-06

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recent attempt made by the naval Of
fcials to hush up what would have fur
nished material for a scandal of unusual
dimensions, has apparently been success
ful. The real state of affairs was
known only to a few. This was that in
more than one vessel OF war, females,
dres ed in male attire, had been acting
as officers private servants. Rumor
even went so far as to say that some OF
these girls were highly connected. The
cases of women in breecheS.
1t is said that $50 women disguised as
men were discovered in the United
States army of the Potomac in 1866.
The list of strange imposters would OF
itself fill pages. The narrative of their
conception and fulflment would occupy
several volumes. Some of them have
been quite purposeless, some have been
daring and we'll effected; but the
shrewdest and most daring Of all have
been criminal in design and too often
successful
The late Col. Burnaby told of dis
covery of a woman who served as
soldier in the ranks of the
army of Don Carlos in 1874.
She wore the uniform and lived
and fought just as the other soldiers;
but priest in whose parish she had
lived identified her. Don Carlos re-
moved her TO the nurses quarters,
but she begged to be sent back to the
ranks. He laughed Not TO the regi-
ment of men; but when | form batta-
lion of women you shall be colonel"
La Austria not so many years ago
there was woman who travelled under
the alias of Edward de Lacy Evans
For years she was miner at Bendigo
She is stated to have been married as a
man three times. Her true sex was
discovered upon her reception into
Kew Lunatic Asylum. She eventually
recovered her reason and returned to
the outer world.
The career of Mary Ann Talbot con-
tains a still further flavor of romance.
She was the reputed daughter of the
Earl of Talbot, and at fourteen years
she fell into the hands of a certain Capt.
Bowen of the royal navy. The captain,
being ordered to San Domingo, took
her with him, disguised as page boy.
When Captain Bowen was killed in
action Mary Ann changed her flag and
entered the French navy. She then
entered the American merchant marine.
She Guicllly-of course, still in male
disguise-became Il favorite with the
captain of the vessel. and he took her
home with him.
His niece fell in love with the pretty
sailor boy, as she considered him, and
proposed marriage herself. The pro-
posal Mary Ann deemed it prudent to
accept, and it was arranged that the
marriage should be celebrated on the
sailors return from his next voyage. 1t
is hardly necessary to say that this gay
deceiver had no intention whatever of
going back. Landing in England,
Mary Ann was arrested as a deserter
from the British navy, and, to escape
further service, she confessed her sex.
The story of her adventures immedi-
ately spread abroad, and caused a con-
siderable sensation at the time. The
then Duke of York procured for her a
pension, and she received numerous
and handsome presents from him and
from others.
1t is strikingly noticeable that many
of these Amazons were fatally attract
i've to their own sex. As we have seen,
Mary Ann Talbot unwittingly capti-
waited the heart of the American cap
tain's niece while edward de Lacy
Evans" who married three wives,
must also have been a very pretty fell
low