Evening journal., 1895-07-01
MsSOUERADED AS AMAN
Hettie Dickey's Strange Ex-
periences In Chicago.
WORE HER BROTHERS. CLOTHES


A remarkable and almost incredible
story Of feminine nerve and endurance is
/ told by Hettie Dickey, who returned TO
her fathers home IN Stanton last week
after masquerading through the country
In male attire for three months
Hettie Is a pretty girl Of 26 Summers,
tall. slender and Of blonde complexion.
| A severe attack OF typhoid fever y few
PEARS ago rendered Il necessary for her to
dispense with a portion Of her wealth OF
beautiful brown hair
The story Of her adventures as related
( TO an EVENING JOURNAL reporter Is
interesting. yet pathetic, For years
she has longed 20 see the world as a man
sees It The impulse grew upon her 20
such an extent that she finally decided to
leave her home.
How TO get away unobserved was the
/ question that bothered her, Eventually
she bit upon plan.
On the afternoon of March Gath last.
she slipped quietly from her home aud
went OUT TO tine wood shed a short dis
tence ia the rear. There hidden be.
/ tween two logs was a satchel containing
a complete outfit Of wearing apparel
belonging 70 her brother. This
she had carefully packed two days before
aud placed in che shed without being
discovered She picked up the satehel
and walking TO her brothers room,
above her fathers store. which is ia the
front OF the house, donned the masculine
garb and walked calmly out on the road
leading TO kismansi station. on the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad
No one detected her She walked
down the railroad track for distance of
two men hove in sight and for fear of
being discovered ahe jumped over into
field and made her way TO Newark, where
she took train for Baltimore. This
WAS about 3 o'clock.
AS soon as her parents learned Of her
disappearance they searched the country
Ia the immediate vicinity OF their home,
but al to no avsil Detectives were em-
! ployed to search for ner in this city but
their eiiorts were not rewarded
| hettie was too quick for them. Upon
reaching Baltimore she remained Ia that
city for an hour Then she bought a
ticket 70 Chicago and boarded the
o'clock tram for the Windy City. All
this money she had upon leaving
home was a $50 gold pieca. She
stepped from the train ia Chicago with
| S3 4a Ia tbs pockets Of her trousers.
With her she had small travelling bag
containing a comb, brush. one shirt, two
collars. two hRnkerchisfs and novel.
Now comes the thrilling part OF her
narrative.
Being stranger IN the big city, ahe
I Was at loss 70 know whore 20 iav her
head. She hesitsted at the Thought OF
going TO lodging house. and finally
! concluded 10 walk the streets rather than
run the risk Of being detected
For three nightsshe tramped the side
walks before finding place OF shelter.
AZ last she succeeded In loaating a big
lumber yard along the lake, whero she
spent 1--WE nights among the big lumber
piles. What food she ate she purchased
at cheap restaurants In all Of these she
seated herself at tables with men on
either side Of her.
For three nights she occupied a corner
in y box car standing on a side track Of
the Illinois Central r. II One Of the
employees discovered her and demanded
an explanation of her presence She
maintained her fortitude aud succeeded
Ia escaping arrest,
For two weeks she went on in this
way until, overcome by exhaustion. abe
fell IN and was removed to Cook County
Hospital The incessant tramplng and
the clumsiness Of her brothers. shoes
caused severe injuries to her feet.
Upon removal OF the shoes at the
hospital chunks Of flesh csms oil the
soles Of her feet,
A diagnosis Of ner case was made BY
the physician in charge While mailing
an examination Of her lungs he diseov-
cred her sex She told him her name
was Hettie Diokerson, bn5 subsequently
admitted that IL was Hettia Dickey, and
that her home was in Stanton Der
After listening TO her narrative the
doctor notified her parenta On April "a
one month from the time Of her disap-
pearance, she wrote to her mother, de-
scribing her sufferiDgs and asking for
giveness
II they had turned me away from the
hospital she wrote, Il don't what would
have become OF me. for surely could not
live long dressed as a man. They would
not have taken me in had not the doctor
discovered that | WAS a woman The doc
tor offered me clothes that had been worn
by dead people
In three weeks from the time she was
admitted to the hospital she had recov-
cred sufficiently to walk about. There
was some doubt la the doctors mind as
to her sanity, and she WAS ordered to
appear in court for examination.
This resulted ia her transfer to the
Dunning Insane Asylum, where she re-
NAMED until last Tuesday. Then, on an
order from her parents she WAS
released
During her Incarceration at the asylum
a trunk filed with clothes arrived from
her home, aud upon her release she
started for stanton
She reached home yesterday, and, with
the exception Of a slight feebeness,
she was none the worse for her expert
ence
When questioned regarding their
daughters behavior Mr. and Mrs Dickey
could give no explanation. For many
years Miss Dlckey had taken an active
part III temperance work. She was a
deyout Christian, and a firm believer
In the doctrine Of the Presbyterian
| Church until a year ago. when she sud
denly manifested A belief ia the teach
ings OF the Seventh Day Adyeniists, who
were then holding meetiBgs ct Newark.
So intense did her admiration for thsm
become that arguments with her parents
were frequent For this reason it WAS
thought that she had mysteriously do
n =