Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-06-20
trial OF Ellis GLENN
IS 70 COMMENCE soon.
AND WAS ALWAYS CLAssED AS
A MALE, EVEN BY HER BOON
COMPANIONS.
speeial to the Register.

flAtkEftSBUutG, w. va, June H.
The trial of Ellis Glenn, the alleged
male impersonator, for forgery, which
was set for tomorrow, will probably
not be begun for several days. During
the building of new court house the
State courts are using the U. s. court
house. but U. S. court is in session now,
and the Glenn case will probably be
continued for a week.
The trial will bring before the pub
lie one OF the most remarkable and one
OF the most mysterious characters ever
before the American people. Glenn is
a woman who was discovered in the
illinois penitentiary, where she had
been sentenced as man for forgery.
She claims that she was the twin sister
of E. q. Glenn, the man who was sem
fenced, and that they resembled each
other SO much that they could not be
told apart The penitentiary officials
and court officers were in a quandary
as to what they should do with a wo-
man who had been sentenced as a man
and she was turned over to the West
Virginia authorities on charge of for
gerry committed here. The charge is
that, while dressed as a man, she rails
ed deed of trust for four hundred dol
lars given in her favor, to fourteen
hundred dollars, and traded it for a
$1,000 piece of property and 5000 in
cash. If Ellis Glenn is the person she
is supposed to be, she is one of the most
successful male impersonators who ev-
er lived. If she is the twin sister Of the
man who is guilty of the crimes charg-
ed to her, she shows the most remark
able devotion to her brother, for she
went once to the peniteptiary for him
and has been in it's shadow again for
year and a half. In either event she
is most remarkable and most mys-
ferrous person. Where she came from
no one knows. 1t is believed she was
born in Webster county, W. Va, but
that is not certain. She says she died
in Florida and was buried. The wo-
man born in Webster county, whom Ell
lis Glenn is supposed to be, was re-
ported to her relatives to have died in
Florida and to have been buried there,
Just about the time of this death e. b.
Glenn, the man, came into existence, or
at least into public notice She claims
that at the time when E. B. Glenn, her
brother, was living In this country she
was in England, travelling as a Gypsy
queen, and that she was never in West
Virginia till brought here under arrest
Yet there are persons in Williamstown
in this counsy, where E. B. Glenn resid-
ed, who will swear that Ellis Glenn is
the same person who lived there.
Her versatility, if she is the same
person, is shown by what she did at
Williamstown. E. B. Glenn, or Bert,
as she was called while there, wandered
into the hotel of M. ]. Byers at Will
Jamestown one day while he was en-
larging his hotel. Glenn got job as
a carpenter and proved to be so eff
Gent at everything he turned his hand
to, that he was retained permanently
by Mr.. Byers. Glenn assisted in the
construction of an addition to the ho-
tel, doing excellent work as a carpen-
ter. He put in all the plumbing in the
new part of the house and changed the
plumbing in the old part. He repaper-
ed the entire house and painted the ex-
terror. He painted big sign on the
front of the hotel laid the sidewalk
and built the grape arbor. He was
next put to work as hotel clerk, and
when there was a scarcity of help, as
sisted in the dining room and chamber
work. When winter set in, Mr.. Byers
started butcher shop and placed
Glenn in charge. He was the best per-
son to cut up meats Mr. Byers ever
had Later, when meat became a drag
on the market, the meat shop was
changed to barber shop, and Glenn
had the front chair. When not en-
ployed he would spend many hours en-
tertaining the other BARRIERS and ner-
sons in the shop with sleight-of- hand
tricks, at which performance he was
an expert. During much of the time
while he was with Mr.. Byers, Glenn
worked after hours doing wall paper
ing for other persons. He picked up
many a dollar in that way. Once he
was sent out to break colt, and while
he was almost killed, he stuck to it till
the colt was broken. Part of the time
he worked as teamster, hauling
heavy goods to the oil fields. During
the eight months that Glenn was al
Williamstown no one suspected his
sex. When the young men would go
out in the evening to have time,
Glenn would go with them. Often they
visited the saloons and other places in
Marietta, and Glenn would go the pace
with the rest of them, even calling with
them on women of the town and drink
ing beer with them in saloons. He
paid court to Miss Sarber, pretty
Williamstown girl, and they became
engaged 1t is believed she learned
that Glenn was a woman during an at
tack of sickness in which she helped to
nurse him, but If she did she never
intimated 1t to any one.
Glen slept for several months in the
same room and in the same bed with
tue son Of Mr.. Byers, young man, who
never suspected that he was not man.