Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1903-07-03
A SELF MADE MAN.
Worked in Brattleboro in Livery
and as Farm Hand.
Was Detected and Agreed Protestinely
Mother-Had Been in Similar Es-

capade.
Masqueradng 10 days as a man with
out arousing "a suspicion as to her sex
and during that time performing hard
labor as a stable boy and farm hand.
Miss Myra Morgan, -, was compelled on
Friday to acknowledge her identity, and
to return reluctantly to New York with
her mother, although she threatened to
take her life if not allowed to live and
dress as she chose.
Myra has strange mania for mans
clothes. She was the kind of a small
girl known as a boy, and two or
three years ago she disappeared from her
home. and was found some time later,
disguised a man in New York city.
where she was at work a clerk in a
paint store. Her escapade was one of
the sensations Of the day in New York,
and the daily newspapers made the most
of ii as one of the human interest sto-
ries, with illustrations and big headlines
The young womans father is prac-
ting physician in New York The fam
lily bought a few years ago the hotel
property in the village of Heartwellville
in the town Of Readsboro. The mother.
who is capable woman, ran the hotel
successfully two or three seasons, and
then turned it over to a married daughter
and her husband, who are now its man
ayers. Since Myra played the part of a
with her sister in Heartwellvile. Some
time ago Myra took offence at something
that was said to her in the family and
Immediately had her hair cut short
again. She disappeared from Heartwell-
vile, June Is, coming directly to Brattle-
boro. How she came is not known. but
she arrived at the American House with
clothes drenched. She registered there
as A H. Orton. and paid for a room until
Sunday, but made no arrangement for
meals
Two or three times in the next two
days the people at the hotel. suspecting
that the comely youth was short of
funds. asked him into the dining room
and furnished food. Whether the wan
derer had other food in the two days is
not known. "A. H. Orton' tried unsuc-
cessfully to get work at the Retreat. the
Estey organ factory and in Stockwell a.
Putnam's stable, finally applying to H.
r. Brown at his livery On being ques-
toned by Mr. Brown the youth said
he had worked in a livery stable in North
Adams, in Tudor's lumber camp in Som
erset and in other places. Mr. Brown said
he had no work, but when the strangers
eyes filed with tears and he said he had
but Is cents in the world Mr. Brown told
him that he might go to work in the
stable until some other work could be
found. Allie proved a good stable boy,
hitched and unhitched the horses, swept
out the stable, carried out loads of ma
nure. and one day drove a hearse in
funeral procession. The young fellow
slept in room at the stable occu-
pied by the men who stay there to
answer night calls for teams He"
drove with one team to Pine Grove
Springs early the next week, and tried
unsuccessfully to get work there as a
bell boy Not being needed in the stable
Allie went to Mr.. Browns farm near
the old ferry to help with the farm work.
Here he assisted the farmer who lives
there alone in all of the general work of
the farm. not even refusing the hard toll
Of running one end OF cross cut saw.
In appearance the youth was good look
ing, rather quiet, willing to smoke Gig
arettes to chew tobacco and was not
averse to reeling off an oath with gusto.
Twice while AT the farm Allie borrowed
of his companion in the farm work
razor and soap in order to shave. Wheth-
er the shaving process was performed is
uncertain but at least the face was
lathered and bluff made at shaving.
The identity of the hard working la
borer was revealed through a person in
Brattleboro, who had lived in Heartwell-
| vile and who knew the story of the
| Morgan family on recognizing the
stable boy notification was sent to Heart
wellville, and Mrs. Morgan came TO Brat
| tleboro last Friday. She visited the liv-
cry stable, told the story of the deception
which seemed incredible to everybody in
the stable, and went with Mr.. Brown to
! the farm. On confronting her mother
Myra admitted the game she had been
playing, but with eXpeatives refused to
ride back to BrattlebOro with her mother.
She mounted a mans bicycle, pedalled to
! the Brooks House, and there protest
ingly, donned the feminine attire which
the mother had provided, and returned
| with her to New York