The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-26
7 WE'D IN
i MINIS ATTIRE

Catherine Coombs is entitled to the
unique distinction of being a woman
who has for forty-thre years success
fully masqueraded in male attire, and,
under the name of Charley Wilson"
worked with men in the masculine
trade of painter. Through an acct
dent her sex was discovered, and she
is now in the West Ham union, Lon
don, where she was recently inter-
viewed by the London Telegraph,
which prints her strange story:
Dressed in the simple uniform of the
West Ham union, of blue linen, with
white apron and cap upon her short
iron gray hair, Mrs. Coombs entered
briskly and alertly, and would GER
tainly not have been set down as more
than fifty years of age, though she is
over siXty-three. She is by no means
tall, and her masculine garb must have
appeared both short and slight. Her
voice sounded unusually deep for
woman, but, as she explained in sub
sequent conversation, she had cultivat-
ed it's lowest registers till she had
come to use them habitually; and she
and vigor not quite Enthusiastically
feminine. She was not disposed at
first to speak fully Of her life, saying,
modestly, that to some it might not
seem a very edifying one; but by de-
grees, and with the help Of leading
question or two, she unfolded her ex-
traordinary history, and, as she talked,
it became evident that she had enjoyed
considerable educational advantages.
To her possession, in fact, of these is
due the unhappy beginning of her
life.
As she explained, she was born at
Axbridge, in Somersetshire. of COM
fortably circumstanced parents, who
sent her to the Cheltenham Ladies
college, which, half a century ago,
held, as it does today, leading place
among girls schools, and while there
she was far better taught than were
the majority of girls at that time.
1t has been stated that her husband
was a curate, but that is not the case.
He was a schOolmaster and a cousin
of her own, considerably her senior.
Thinking that her knowledge would be
of assistance to him in teaching, he.
pressed for very early marriage,
which proved a disastrously unhappy
one, until his efforts to live upon her
parents and his personal violence to
her compelled her not only to leave
him, but to take steps to prevent his
ever finding her again.
Then it was that the problem of eX-
istenee confronted her. There were not
the openings for women then that
there are today, and, to put it in
her own words. she saw that the
choice lay between a mans clothes
and labor and restitution. She elect
ed the. former, and but for an acct
dent would probably have carried her
secret to her deathbed. She succeeded
in effecting an outward transforma-
ton in humble lodgings at a Birming-
ham coffee house. Her next step was
to find work. and she started as
learner in the house painting trade at
four shillingS a week. Her aptitude
soon showed itself. and after three
weeks this modest remuneration was
raised, until in a few months she was
able to earn living wage" In the
earlier days of her career she worked
a great deal in Yorkshire, and bore
her part in the internal decorations of
many of the finest mansions of the
landed and titled people there.
l Interrupted her narrative to ask
is she had never felt afraid in these
times of some gesture or inadvertent
speech that would betray her to her
mates" and her answer showed how
we'll she turned the power of observa-
ton to account.
Il knew [ must never lapse into
carelessness," she said, "and how little
it would take to give me away, from
a very small episode. We had our
luncheon while we were decorating a
fine house, and the gardener, thinking
to give us treat, brought in a basket
of choice apples. He was in a hurry,
however, and to those at the further
end of the hall he threw the apples,
and young boy sitting down, who, l
suppose, had been in the habit of
wearing an apron at his work, extend
ed his knees apart to make a lap in
which to catch the fruit. There was
an old Yorkshire foreman close beside
him, who at once laughed at the boy,
and said, 'Yon lads learnt how t
wenches play L had played cricket,
so I knew how to catch mine, but 1
did not forget the lesson"
Charley Wilson" went twice to
Paris on special jobs for Ibis" employ
ers. and had an exceedingly good offer
on one occasion to go to America.
Perhaps the most remarkable fact Of
this woman's business capabilities was
her employment for over thirteen
years by the Peninsular and Oriental
company. 1t is with considerable
pride that she mentions that, with the
exception of the last two or three ships