The sun., 1900-05-21
SILAS SAUL LIVED
FOR YEARS DRESSED
IN WONAN'S ATTIRE
Taken to Baltimore the Kent
County Prisoner Puzzles
the Officials.
REGISTERED AS "WHAT-IS-IT"
While he Told the Story of His Femi,
nine Dressing he Looked at the
Trousers Placed on Him
and Said he Was
Ashamed of Them.
Special to The Sun.

Chestertown, Nd, May 20 - Silat
Saul, alias Mary Davis, was taken to the
House of Correction from Kent lasi
week. He or she, as the case may be, had
insisted upon being a woman, while the
Kent county officials had insisted that
he or she was man, and ordered that
he or she don male apparel.
When the prisoner was entered at the
House of Correction, the perplexing
question reached a climax.
All went along we'll until Superintend-
ent King happened to see the new ar
rival. He at once called to the female
assistant, and said that "woman is a
man." To this the prisoner answered: 81
am neither man nor woman"
The matron, in tie meantime, had
taken coed look at Saul, and sine be-
came convinced that some mistake had
been made in defining the prison RS sex.
Superintendent King questioned the
prisoner, who asserted that she was
Mary Davis, and not man. The Sup
erintendent ordered the prisoner to the
clothes room to change her wearing ap-
parel for prison gaib. Steward Haga-
dorm, in whose custody she was placed,
insisted that the matron should be called,
as the prisoner was woman. Superin-
tendent King, however, ordered him to
proceed to the clothes room with the
prisoner.
When the prisoner had donned the
prison apparel the steward fonnd that he
or she had taken off tailor-made gown,
a corset-cover, pair of corsets, five
underskirts, a pair Of fancy female hose
and other female garments.
When questioned by the guard the
prisoner told the following story.
u don't know exactly how old am
| was born in West Virginia. When a
small child was attired in female cloth
ing by my people, and IN Washington
and in various places have served
many prominent families as cook and
house servant. All during these years
have associated with women, with the
exception of times when | have had
steady company with gentlemen. | have
never worn male attire, and really | am
ashamed at myself when | look down
and see these trousers. No one has ever
questioned my sex during all these years
and | have always been considered a
woman. | am a first-class washer and
ironer, and Have always been hired out
as maid and nurse"
The prisoner then held out both hands
and said: do these hands look like
they ever worked in harvest feld?"
and added 81 think it is a shame that l
have been treated this way for wearing
women's clothes. l don't know any
other kind, as have worn them for so
many years. | always have my dresses
made for me at the dressmakei IS, and at
my home in Chestertown l have hats to
match my gowns"
While the prisoner was making this
statement he or she stood with eyes
downcast and told the story with well
modulated voice, and with evident en-
barrassment. The prisoner stated that
the trouble was due to envious people of
his or her own race in Kent county. He
or she seemed particularly affected when
they cut his or her hair off. The long
tresses were wrapped and braided about
the head in a neat plait, resembling an
old time water fall.
Superintendent King says that this is
the strangest case that has ever come
un( er his notice, and he doubts if there
is similar case in the country. The
deputy keepers have registered this new
arrival as "The what is-it."