The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1904-01-22
A Female Husband

The story of the female who mas
q%ueraded as a cowboy for nearly 20
years in Oregon, and whose sex was
not discovered until her death, pub
lished in the Sunday Examiner, calls
to the mind of a writer in the Reno
Gazette of last Sunday a still more
sensational incident. or series of incl
dents, that occurred in T~uscarora. in
this state, abou twenty-five years ago.
While the masquerading experience
of the Tuscarora heroine was not of
as long a duration as that of the Web
foot cow-puncher, it was attended by
far more sensational events. the pub
fication of which caused, as many old
timers will remember, a sensation
which extended from the Pacific to
the Atlantis coasts. The following Is
a synopsis of the story:
Sometime in 1879 there appeared In
Tuscarora a rather good looking
young fellow. apparently about &c
years of age, who gave his name as
Samuel l.. Polllar. He was accom-
panied by a rather coarse looking man
named Gallagher, both representing
themselves as coming from Colorado.
which subsequent developments prov
ed to be true. Pollard was a lively
young chap. rather dressy. and with
the exception of his beardless face.
presented no appearance of feminin-
ity, and there vas not the slightest
suspicion aroused in regard to his sex.
He went to work, first driving a water
cart, Their hauling wood and sage
brush and other masculine occupa-
lions which came to his hands. He
bearded at a restaurant kept by a
man named Hoverton, whose spinster
sister was connected with him in the
business, and whose niece, Miranda
Huse, a comedy young girl of about
IS years. acted as attendant in the
dining room. 1t was not long before
the boarders noticed that Sam" n
Miranda manifested a most decided
preference for each other, which the
frowns of the uncle and aunt and
their verbal protests failed most sig
nally to suppress. Matters went on
in this way for a few months,
when one evening the young couple
quietly slipped out of the house, has
tened to the office of the justice of
the peace, and. a license having been
previously procured, were married in
accordance with the statutory provis-
lens of the state. Shortly, afterward,
the couple, accompanied by the man
Gallagher, removed to the Richmond
mining district, about ten miles from
Tuscarora, where Sam and Gallagher
worked prospecting a min which they
had located. After about a month OF
so sojourn at Richmond, Sam and Mi
randa had a quarrel, of which 1t was
said that Gallagher was the cause
Miranda started afoot to Tuscarora
where she made h startling an
nouncement that her husband, Pol
lard, was of the same sex as herself
The report spread like wildfire. al
though many questioned the truth O.
Miranda's statement. A reporter O
the Times-Review, the local paper a
Tuscarora, interviewed h allege,
h~usbandless wife, who declared to hin
in the most positive terms that hel
story was true, which declaration sh'
, verified by a sworn declaration as e
, the fact. The publication of the re
port of the interview in the next morn
ing's paper, with the fidavit in
creased a hundred fold the excitement
which the first report had rouse
and there was loud clamoring for JUS
tice to be melted out to the female
Lothario and imposer. The district at
torney of Elko county was importuneo
to take the matter in hand, n q
complaint was filed with the Tusca-
rcra justice, charging Pollard with
perjury in getting the marriage IL
cense. The warrant was placed in the
hands of Deputy Sheriff Weaver. who
proceeded to Richmond to arrest the
defendant, but the latter had got wind
o. the proceedings. and had 1t out
on horseback in company with Gala
CHER. The officer, however, got on
their trail, and overhauled them near
Paradise Valley, making the arrest
mad returning with the fugitives 10
I~uscarora, where they Wee received
by a reception committee composed OF
nearly the entire population of that
booming and redhot mining camp. In
an interview with the Times-Review
reporter Pollard refused to answer
any questions in regard to the matter
or his or her sex, stating that such
was the advice of the attorney for the
defense. The reporter noticed. how
ever, that Pollard's a%uricular organs
had been pierced for. earrings, which
was in his opinion. strong, II not con-
elusive evidence of femininity. bui
when the prisoner voiced the sentence,
whether it is proven that 1 am a man
OF a woman. 1 will assure you that
have always lived a strictly virtuous
life." the pencil-pusher would have
wagered his entire bundle of wildcat
mining stock, representing millions,
against a Waterbury watch case, that
Dit was not tho ufterauce of a person