The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-11-27
DISAPPEARS IN SHAME WHEN HER sExIs FINALLY REVEALED
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Casper, Wy. Nov. cs.-In humiliation
and shame a the sudden revelation TO her
friends and associates that she was a
woman. Kate Maher, who for moro than
quarter of century, In the guise of
man. lived the wild, free. strenuous life
Of fretghter, cowboy. scout, gold-seeker
and stage driver, has disappeared from
the hau,ts in the West that have known
her so long and will doubtless never again
be seen in the region wherein she spent
the greater par. OF her singularly TO-
mantle life.
It is only occasionally nowadays that a
character of the type that gave pictur-
esqueness and distinction TO tho West ia
the early days Is to be met with. Such a
character was this woman, who for years
lived, worked, ate, drank, smoked and
ssn1bled with men and Was believed by
her friends and associates to be a man
until, recently. her sex was accidentally
revealed and she suddenly dropped out Of
sight.
Not since the days when Wild Iiii,"
who now sleeps his last sleep OH hill
top overlooking pesdweod. vas at the
perihslion OF his glory; when "DeadNeod
DICK, who is now an upassuming work
man in plain blue oyeralls In tho North
western Railroad yard at Lead, was lead
er OF tho shotgun men" who guarded the
Wells Fargo express treasure from tho
Black Hills to civilization; not s,neo this
days when lawlessness ran riot and crime
stalked well-nigh unchallenged through
those hills: when dance halls and gam
bling halls ran wide open In Deadvood.
and every man and woman carried q six
shooter In his or her belt. has there ap-
pcared In this region q more curious and
interesting character than this woman,
'v,!i VINO, Tor more than twenty-five years so
skiuhilly dlssulsed her sex that not even
sociate suspected 1t.
EARLY HISTORY.
Kate Maher was the only child of poor
Irish parents When her father and
mother immigrated to this country she
was little br1ght-eyed aubur1,-hnired
girl OF or 8. The family remained In New
York until the husband and father had
sS ehl eh 'qsy e e take h him ss T
IN fifxburg only long enough to get to-
gether enough money to take them on to
Cleveland. And be remained in Cleveland
enough money to take them on to Du-
buque. He had relatives In Dubuque. and
there he remained several years. The
DAY ,ha1Ehtsr iss wen, went to school in Dubuque and
enabled en- her, when. in after years, she was
try school on the Western border.
on its way in a prairis Schooner from Du-
buque 70 Omaha On his arrival in Omaha
tho father joined freightins outfit bound
for Denver and took his morherless child
plains. He placed her in the home of an
hsr to Le-enter school. while he continued
later he was Killed and scslped in a brush
with Indians out In Western Nebraska
Kate Usher, Just budding into young
wonanhood. was, by the death OF her, ia
ther, left not only an orphan, but without
a relative in this country or friends to aid
or advise her.
The few years that succeeded her last
was compelled to so out into the world to
earn livelihood for herself, and, in order
TO keep body and soul together. she did
whatever came to her hand to do She
Went out to service she served as waitress
the limo OF the Union Pacific Railroad ana
finally she taught school in little set
uement on the Western border. Her GAL
ary as teacher was insufficient, however,
to meet her needs. and she resigned In
few months to seek more profitable en-
nloynsns For ,sod time she he. was out .S of
papgs OF hunger. She had great difficulty
to obtain such work as she was capable
OF doing, and in those first few years on
endured harlships that would have broken
the spirit of less courageous, resoluts
nature
BECOMES A MAN.
Women had a hard time in the West.
Men were more fortunate. Kate Maher
said this to herself, and she aHSed l,ersef
the question, why should SO on suffer
ing for the very necessities Of life wner.
OH these auburn tresses OF mine and as
suming a mans name, j might easily get
profitable employment and put an end for
ever ever ts s,ss sh, ~, miserable existence have
The question was no sooner asked that
1t was answered. Kate Maher disap.
poared q few days later and Edward
Init fsurs, ciose-cropped s auburn hair, a
slightly freckled, coInely face, laughing
gray eyes and fras nj R!sasins ,nn manner, nans
years had transformed the pretty young
girl into a middle aged woman. In lone
1y little mining camp In the West, one day
and worn with work and whose faes bore
the marks of dissipation. fell III and IN
the ea;a-se Of the ljlness the dark secret
which Kate Afai,er hah kept locked In her
own heart 30 many years cana 0it.
The ack miner, as It befell. was wom-
en and tie woman. II transpired. Was the
hrtsht-fae auburn haired little 1slsf sirl
dsr In The early days. and IN osricr to
keep body and eonl together, had been
epipelled 10 ass,Ime the character and
In the gtisc and under tbs name Of
man the Etrl took up the work In which
he, fashor had lost his life-tiat Of a
ssh1T ,,1 sue s pais. sss tss by
tile Indiana and tho wild beasts that
sosnsd css o, 'as X. fs b.
River end the Rock Mountains. She
quickly learned to use her six shooter and
her iifie with uncommon skill, and thsre
shot than she. She had quick eye, a
steady nerve. and courage that never
failed her.
TURNS INDIAN SCOUT.
But the Girl in male attire did not long
remain = freighter. Tho spirit Of ad-
venture took posseAson Of her and she
suffered It to lead her withersoever It
would. Her life for the next few years
Was crowded with incident and thrilling
on the border much trouble. and scouts
were In active demand. Kate Maher, an
der one OF the many aliases she assumed
turned scout and rendered good service in
that capacity.
From scouting she turned 20 stage
driving. from staGe-drivin6 to pros,oct-
Ing, from proepectinR to cowpunchirx,
from cowpunehinE aGadn to prospecting
and from prospsctinr to working In the
mines as a wage-earner. She led q fast e1-
citing life during ths years she was
freighting, scouting, stage driving, pros
pectinr. cowpunching and mining. ana it
was inevitable that she should lose the
womanly graces that once were hers.
She associated for years with men only
For the most part they were rough, un-