The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-11-09
BRIEF HISTORY OF
MISS LOUISA BAKER
Che Served % q Man on Board
Vessel During the War
Of 1912.
WAS A FAMOUS AMAZON
Once Challenged . Sailor 70 Fight .
Duel, hvt When The Prsliminsriss
hsA Been Arranged the
Youth Weakened.
From the Kansas City star.

From the honoAn Sity oSnTs
Although from time immcmortai IL has
been Q canon In the naval profession that
women have no place In warships. Il 10 .
fact that. not only In European Meets. but
A our own, women have served In msn-of-
wal with credit 10 themselves and TO the
0aw they fought under. In some OF the
greatest battles In naval history women
have taken conspicuous parts In caring
Ser the wounded. and. while instances Ike
thai Of Molly Pitcher. who took . very
active part IN . land battle by loading q
cannon to which her husband was at
tached a. Q gunner. are rare In sea rec
Ords, IL 70 known that women have braved
ell the dangers aboard q war craft while
IN action. and In attending to the more hu.
mane service OF minding the wounded. ex-
posed themselves TO missiles or death quite
~ much N the male participants.
In that greatest naval battle OF all his
cory. Trafalgar. Il n on record that nearly
every ship under Nelson's command there
were several women. the wives Of some
menbers OF the crews. In the flagship Vic
eery. ut tho moment the great Engiish he
90 Was shot-which was 1T the height OF
the action-it In recorded that three good
women walked about the spar deck-the
most exposed place In the s~hip-giving a.d
and comfort to the wounded: seemingly
oblivious 10 the very great danger they
themseives were In. They were N cool
oAu t0AENtel ~ u ~ Wes teh "
Sigh, and hearing.
A. first glance. u might seem remark
abel hat ans OF the gcntlcr SEE would be
permitted aboard militant craft In time OF
war. hut when we recall the conditions
governing enlistment In English mcn-of-
war In Nelson's time the anomaly IL ex-
planned.
BY rcsorting 10 the press gang. the ad-
miratty caused many good citizens to be
seized In the public streets and compelled
chem TO serve In the navy against their
VIII. Early In the nineteenth century Eng
land experienced great difficulty In filling
out the compliments OF her enormous
fccts and had recourse 70 the questionable
methods OF coercion. The commander Of n
1rigat. on finding himself short OF men.
would arm six or ten OF his best men, send
chem ashore. usually ut night. under the
care of q petty officer. with instructions To
scixe any ablc-bodied mar they met and
bring MN aboard.
BY this method II frequently happened
chat grave injustice was inflicted on the
victim. and. as some palliation OF the out
rage. n the man CHANGED TO be married.
his wife. by n special dispensation from
che admiralty, was permitted TO live with
him aboard the warship during his term
OF service which usually was for life.
Women in the War Of 1912.
From the dairy OF an American seaman
"ts W wv AN Wv
war or ni2. We set an interesting side
light on this peculiar phase OF naval life.
White. In December. 1914. shipped In a
famous American priratcer. and, when
only a few days out from Boston, was
captured and taken aboard the English
6o-gun ship Lcander. Captain Sir George
Collier. In his graphic description OF the
ocenes aboard the British frigate, he tells
OF ab English gunner and his wife, who
had been together In the navy seven
Year,, having been shipped from one
man-of-war TO another.
Til. sunner had been a Woodworking
srad-sman In London. From small be-
Ginnings he accumulated a small capital.
AND oncned "a little store on the Surrey
side of the Thames. Having well estab-
lishcd himself In business. he married a
~cnaii OF refinement and influential con-
ncrtionS. One night. after locking up his
store a little later than usual. he was re-
turnlag home when "a press gang seized
him ana hurried him aboard a man-of-
war. despite his i~icadings ana protests.
His .Hic WIS one OF many. and his pray
err fell on deaf carr. Through the In
ffu-uCr Of his wifc's relatives he obtained
permission from the admiralty 10 have his
wife aboard with him. and so for seven
years they had sailed together. hanging
about l-om on. ship to another as the
exig-nclcs ~ the service required. How
many more years they served AIR. White
doss 10: inform w. but AZ impressed men
generally were kept as long as the officers
Deemed q; necessary for 1.-THE good OF the
service II j. highly probably that their
tnyoinrtaT! stay was indefinitely pro-
longed.
They were assigned. with several other
couples aboard the L.eandcr. TO a quarter
OF the berth deck. slightly removed from
en-" rest OF the crew. where they siung
their iiammocks and Jared much the same
As the ordinary seamen. White records
that these women were treated with the
utmost rrslec; by the rough meE around
them. ARD that the mere presence OF good
women seemed TO have n refining and
clcvaiing Influence on the entire ships
company.
IN American Amazon.
W. have had. however. "A we'll authenU-
catcI ease oi "a woman serving for three
year Ia our navy. and during that period
sh. took her part In three Of the mos, I'M
poriant sea nEhis Ia the war OF isi2. Her
career - one Of unusual interest.
Louisa Baker. n typical New England
sirl. having been betrayed by her lover.
fed Ia Boston la th. depth OF a bitterly
colj winter. She had read OF how n Miss
sar-v-on. IN The revolution. disguised her
So ,s q man aal had served throughout
that ~JtruRRlc. Miss Baker determined 20
try al experiment. and secured male attire
from. sallor friends.
l"IrrirE that the American frigate cam
st'tu.iJn Was fittins out for n cruise. she
enlisted - q marine. the cxigencies OF the
dr.. rendering II easy for her to pass the
EXAMINATIONS
Mfrs Hnk"r served H. this famous fg!sste
three Ncair without her sex becoming
know 10 her shipmatrs. She wns iH the
baiilt uotwccu Old ifOns.dcs and the Gucr-
ricf,. lite Java and the Cane aud Levant.
hcI position "a n marine requiring her tn
TAX" n station Ia the tops where she load
cd AMI fire.! ror muskcg with telling effect
at tin ,ii"ny.
o. ia. c"psltioT % hostIlities she rH:I-cd
from 10" rcryicc ard returning 10 her old
homo secured tlIc forgiveness OF her par
ents aud settled down TO the every day life
of New England .ar.l existence. The pas
..or Tor wearing male attire. however. did
not .ta," her aud after she mad been
hoH. = few years she again donned mas
cul'H' h~apilan.nts and made a lone tour
through. ,hc southern states BY shipping
IN n roasting vessel.
Rsbuking . Midshipmsn.
II 49,. while xb. MAJ. Travelling s- an