The Washington times., 1908-07-06
Deserted by Husband, She
Casts Her Lot in New
e.l York Restaurants.
Believes Johanne Hoch, Big
4, amist, Was Her Husband,
"a But She Loved Him.

II male attire, told the remarkable
story Of her life and the reasons why
she determined TO pose as a man. Ac-
cording 10 the wOman's story. her life
has been filed with sorrow, because,
she declared, three months after she
Became the bride of George Unferzagt
ION December 10, 1897, in Newark, she dis
covered that he was a bigamist- The
authorities came TO their home, arrest
ed the young man and took him away
from his girl bride. whom he had mar
fried under an assumed name.
1t was because she hoped better to be
able 10 ind her husband. and because,
TOO, she did not want to be bothered
with the attentions of men when her
heart was wrung with its poignant
grief. that Augusta Seib became Just
.''Gus Seib.' donned masculine attire.
and came over @ New York 10 begin a
new life.
The woman told her story with a fall
tsring voice, and time and again her
big eyes filled with tears, and she
nervously cIasped her thin, weI-shaped
hands together as she spoke.
Nothing about the woman Indicated
mental unbalance or other than a nor
NAL point of view. She had figured out
what seemed 70 her the best way TO
hide her great sorrow and at the same
time find her recreant husband.
Didn't Want Sympathy.
II didn't want to have people sorry
for me, and didn't want 10 create a
disturbance by hunting for my husband,
for 1 knew that 1t might get him into
more trouble, and 1 loved him TOO wen
for that, even though he had left me. I
seemed 10 get further away from being
a woman with a heart that hurt, and
hurt and hurt and hurt" said the little
woman with q break in her voice.
Augusta Seib says that she is thirty
six years old, but as she sat in the
prison IN mans clothes she scarcely
appeared twenty-five While she mas
been wearing this attire for nine years
without once having been taken FOR
other than a man, one who watched the
thin. nervous hands. and looked at the
smooth, fine complexion yesterday II
the jail. would have found it hard TO be-
Neve.
on the otner hand, Gus sep sara that
,''he' could smoke cigars, that he" had
drunk things over the bar. and that
ne" had Deen a waiter for eighteen
months in the Marlborough Hotel, and
.TOr some weeks had acted in the same
capacity in the Savoy Hotel.
4 used little swear words. too. when
i was boy" she said. but l mustn't
4
think arr most commonplace. but do
lyou know Just had to play the game
while I was at II, and 1 don't think any
sbOdy ever thought that was anything
..but q young man. 1t was something
tfhat had TO be done we'll or not at all
fand If Il hadn't been for the heat that
sJnade me faint on Saturday. 1 would
tEtill be a boy I wish TO goodness 1
Iwere. I don't know what 1 am going to
do as a woman again.
Il don't know what they wear any
imore or how TO put on their kind OF
iclothes, and, besides, coats and vests
iand trousers are Jolly comfortable and
the skirts and frou-frous I must so. 1
"But tell how it all began. What
made you think OF it?' the reporter
z Tells Of Her Love Affair.
: ''WeI," she faltered. cit brings back
HE old heartache 10 think OF it. Some
how one can never get very far away
sfrom a sorrow. though, can One?-a
sorrow that gnaws and gnaws at the
heart. a sorrow so great that it over
shadows everything else That's what
my sorrow was. 1t came of a great
l1ove-a love that comes but once to
iany man or woman and Il came 20 me
Lwhen 1 became the bride of George I'm
tferZagt. He was so handsome, and 50
kind I gave him all the money I had
anything in the world that could, and
I still would give him all, If only, some
day. he would come back to me.
'I had hoped that, while I went about
among men, might run across him or
hear some word OF him. Three years
ago when was a waiter in a lunch
room in Eighth avenue, between Fifty
seventh and Ftfty-eighth streets. read
an the papers of JOhan Hoch and his
wives and how he tried 10 poison them
and I saw pictures OF this man Hoch
printed, and my heart stood still within
me, for he looked so like my husband.
From the papers I learned that this
FHoch came from the same part Of Ger
many that my husband told me he came
from and I have often wondered # I
too. was the dupe OF that man.
''I read how he always got mis- wives
Hives insured and II made me rpmpm bpr
how anxious my husband was from the
day we were married that I have nv
life insured for s.. Zoo Finally he had il
insured. I also recalled when I read
OF Hoch's methods how 1 had become
'1nysteriOusly sick about three months
after our marriage, and how he
sent for a doctor. who gave a pre-
scriptiOn. and how my husband him
sell administered the medicine he order
ed II made me very Ill In fact. 1 had
commissions and almost died
1T was about this time that my h1is-
band. who had been acting very queer
y. was visited by detectives from Pat
erSOn and taken away by them on a
bigamy charge. Knowing an these
things ] was more convinced that HOcl
and my husband were the same man
Even II ne were a Blucbeard. If he
had been the most terrible man alive.
] loved him and still love him. I can
never know happiness. and now Il viii
be q thousand times harder 10 bear.
Wanted to Avoid Attention.
Dressed as a man, I was able 70
avoid any attentions that men might
have paid me as a woman. I hated the
thought OF such things Fresh from the
love and attention of the only man in
the world that I had ever known and
loved. I could not bear to 60 out in
the world and earn my living as a wom-
an where I might receive attentions
from men. hated the thought. Nor
did I want the sympathy Of people who
knew my husband had been accused OF
bigamy.
sThese thoughts haunted me day and
night. until one day il came to me what
should do-dresS as a man. That
isolved the problem. 1 could leave my
little home in Newark and go to New
lYo7k and become a man and nobody
would know OF my sorrow
II came here, but I could not do as
Al planned right away. / was too timid.
have a strong will and a Ia Gf