Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-19
MAsaUERADNG IN MALE ATTIRE.
Forty-Three Women who Have nj
Various Times Posed as Men.

Forty-Three Women Who Have at
Various Times Posed as Men.
within a year six women have been dis
covered in America alone who have sue
cessfully masqueraded as men, have goHe
through a legal form Of marriage and ever
posed as the fathers Of families. Upward
Of a score Of similar cases have come to
public attention recently in different parts
OF the world, reports the st. Louis Repub-
lie. There have been forty-three instances
Of women posing as husbands within the
last ten years. One medical authority
claims that one woman In every 5000 is
a victim Of this peculiar mania.
Two new instances have been added re-
Gently to the amazing list Of women who
have lived and died disguised as men. In
both cases the women had been married"
and had reared and educated children.
"Mr. William Howard" really Alice G.
Howard Of Canandaigua, N. Y, who died in
her home, surrounded by her family, on
March 22 last. leaves a unique record. She
had lived with her wife" continuously
since their formal wedding, performed forty
years ago. Her marriage certificate dec
GRATED the walls Of her home to the time
Of her death. She left three children, Of
whom she protested to be very fond.
In the case of George Green. who died
recently in Petersburg, Va. after mas
querading for sixty years as a woman, a
new light is thrown upon the family rela-
ton of such a union. The Green woman
had been married" for thirty-1ve years.
She vas English birth and had worked at
many forms of manual labor requiring both
strength and courage. Several years OF her
life were passed in the mines OF Penn
sylvania.
She died at the age OF IA. leaving a
widow. She had been regularly married
by a Roman Catholic priest.
Many New Workers have not entirely re-
covered from the chagrin Of discovering
the real sex OF Murray Hall. Here was a
character widely known. active in affairs.
a local politician Of prominence, the last
following in the world 1t would seem for
such an enterprise. She carried on the diff
icult business Of politics for years without
raising a suspicion, drank and smoked with
the boys" and was an excellent Judge OF
pretty girls. She left a widow" and an
adopted daughter 25 years old. The most
careful search failed to throw any light
upon the Hall woman's mysterious motives.
Within q few weeks of Murray Halls
death still another case of this nature, the
woman by chance bearing the same name,
attracted local attention. Miss Caroline w.
Hall, 1t will be remembered, wearing the
dress of a man and accompanied by a
wife" died suddenly on a steamer bound
for New York. This Hall woman was a
native Of Boston, where she was we'll con-
nected. According to the confession OF the
wife" the two had travelled together all
over Europe without attracting the least
suspicion. The Hall woman's family were
aware of the masquerade and deeply de-
plored II, but had never been able 10 dis
suade her from her course.
There is probably no more remarkable
case of such deception lasting for a period
Of many years than that Of the famous
"Chevalier d'Eon.'' The Chevalier was a
woman. but not until her death at the age
OF " years. after being almost continually
before the public, was her secret discovered.
She became prominent in the court OF Louis
XIV. held several. public of1ces and was
finally sent as the kings diplomatic agent
on an errand Of great Importance to the
court OF the empress OF Russia. Her in
huence upon public affairs In France was
important for half a century. Perhaps,
after all. the most astounding evidence of
the comparative commonness OF such mas
querading is shown by the army records Of
such cases. Many OF these women have
made excellent soldiers. Sergeant Frank"
Wayne, a woman whose real name wac
Frances, rose to be an oficer in the United
States army and was killed in battle in
1862. Another, Franklin" Thompson of
company F Of the Second Michigan, who
was really a Mrs. Seelye. served for several
years and had the reputation Of being a
good soldier. Charles" D.. Fuller, COM
pany D Of the Forty-sixth, Pennsylvania
and a Mrs. L. N. Blaylock Of the Twenty
sixth North Carolina and several others
were discovered to be women during the
civil war and were discharged from the
service.
An Englishwoman as Christian" Cane
nagh, enlisted in the army in the last CEN |
fury and went to Holland. she was known
as a brave soldier and is said to have ac-
tually fought a duel with a superior ON |
Ger. On her secret being discovered she re-
manned with the regiment as cook.
DR.. m Barry. an English army
surgeon, was discovered to be a woman
but not until she had served at Malta and
at the Cape. She once fought a duel with a
soldier who called her a woman. There
have besides. been a great many cases OF
women who have donned male attire and
enlisted in order to follow their husbands.
though these properly belong to a different
class.
Many of those masquerading have been
great lady killers" Many who were in
the habit Of crossing the Atlantic a few
years ago will recall Mrs. Anna Talbot.
Who for years served as steward on one OF
the great Atlantic liners under the name
OF John Taylor"
The story Of Mrs. Christian Walsh, who
fought in the wars In Flanders, is still a
tradition OF the English army.
In Hungary. twenty years ago., a woman
under the name OF Felix Francoine, be-
came an ofneer In the army and was famous
as one OF the braVest soldiers In the army.
Her sex was discovered only at her death,
but she was. nevertheless, buried with
military honors.