The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-24

was very good and generous in a hun
dred ways to the disguised girl.
There was a tentative engagement
between the supposed youth and the
widow, and that Lota Sawyer was not
lost to all sense of decency and appre-
citation is shown by the fact that she
was troubled by the deceit she prac-
ticed upon Mrs. Rauck. She brooded
over it, and finally decided that there
was but one way out Of the whole trou-
bic, and that was to commit suicide.
Lota locked herself in her room, barri-
caded the doors and windows, sealed
up the cracks and turned on the gas.
Mrs. Rauck saved her at the risk Of
breaking her own neck. In some mys-
ferrous fashion she managed to crawl
through the tranSon1, after breaking
the glass, lunging head foremost into
the room.
Herman Wood" was unconscious
and it took the frantic landlady an hour
to revive her.
Lota Sawyer has said since that at
this point in her career she is sure
that she was not in her right senses.
The thing uppermost in her mind was
that she did not want to deceive Mrs.
Rauck any further. Yet no sooner had
she recovered from her partial asphyx-
lat1on than she went to Mrs. Rauck
and said:
Dolly Gray, will you do me a favor?
Will you marry me right away?"
Glad to Marry Herman"
Mrs. Rauck was very glad to marry
Herman Wood as soon as che" wish
ed. So "he'' forthwith sought John
Daush and asked him to procure a
marriage license, and the unsuspect-.
Ing saloonkeeper complied. Immedi-
ately afterward Herman Wood. and
the widow sought the rectory of the
First Universalist church in Baltimore,
and We're married by the Rev. Anthony
Bilkovsky.
Then Lota Sawyer, who had been SO
anxious to maintain her disguise and
had made so many sacrifices to remove
suspicion, did a most foolish thing
She sought her old friends and ac-
quaintances and told them of the mar
riage to Mrs. Rauck. Lota even called
upon Mrs. Haumen, her first boarding.
house mistress and the first in Balti-
more to discover that she was q wo-
man. In the meantime Mrs. Haumen
mad been investigating and she learned
That Lota Sawyer had child in North
Carolina. Lota was informed of this
at the Haumen house by a servant.
When she returned home she told Mrs.
Rauck about it.
Naturally, Mrs. Rauck called upon
Mrs. Haumen, and then learned that
her supposed husband was a woman
and the mother of a child. Half Graz
ed, Mrs. Rauck sought the minister
who had performed the marriage and
told him the facts. Mr.. Bilkovsky de-
clded that it was a matter for the po-
Ice to take up and he laid the affair
before them.
Police Capt. MCGEE, of the North
western district, and several reporters
interviewed Herman Wood" in the
presence of Mrs. Rauck. The girl met
them with untroubled gaze. She an
sWered their questions and routed them
completely. Capt. MCGEE apologized.
Then, without any reason that has been
explained, Herman Woods" whole
manner changed.
have deceived you and Mrs. Rauck
and everybody else" was the COM
posed declaration. II am a woman.
My name is Lota Alstine SAWYER. /
have child five years old who is liv-
ing with my mother in North Carolina"
She told them a part Of her story
with her hands thrust in her trousers
pockets and walking back and forth
with mannish stride, smoking a cigar
the while. Neither the historical grief
of Mrs. Rauck nor the wonder of the
others affected her.
Capt. McGee decided to place Lota
Sawyer under arrest on the charge of
obtaining 500 from Mrs Rauck. The
thought of going to the police station
made woman out of Herman Wood"
very quickly, but she soon recovered
her poise. She was turned over to the
matfon of the police station, protesting
at the time that she was man and
not woman. Lota remained in the
prison for week, still wearing her
masculine garb. Her family refused to
come to her assistance.
Refused to Go On the Stage.
A saloonkeeper interested In bur-
lesque. shows tried to get her released.
with the hope Of placing her on the