Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-05
Ellis Island Officials Puzzled.

1t was a puzzle to Commissioner Watch
orn what to do with Miss Johnson. She
has no woman's clothing and she refused
to give up her male dress. If he put her
among the women in the detention ward
they would object to the mustache and
the attire. He could not put her witt. the
men, either. Finally he declined to give
her a room by herself in the hospit al.
Before doing so he called up the hospital
and announced that he had patient. An
attendant at the phone wanted to know
whether 1t was man or a woman, and
the commissioner answered that it was
Mary Johnson. The attendant came over
and seeing no signs of a woman asked
where Mary Johnson was. He was told
that he might find Miss Johnson in an
adjoining room. He went in and came
out in hurry, saying that there was only
man there He was told that the man
was Miss Johnson and he passed on the
mystificaton by telephoning to the chief
of the hospital staff that he was bringing
Mary Johnson over. The chief when he
saw Miss Johnson wanted to know why
the deuce the attendant could not have
said he had a man instead of a woman.
Before Miss Johnson went to her room
she talked with the reporters. She looked
a man to perfection, one of NapoleOnic
proportions, perhaps , feet ., and her
voice, which was very low, but distinct
was not unlike that of a quiet-natured
man. She wore dark soft hat. heavy
black overcoat and black tie. Her
clothing is of good material and fits her
Well In pauses in her talk she stuffed
her hands in her pockets. American style.
and at times thrust her hands out and
toward her questioners very much in the
way of the book agent in earnest en-
treaty. 1t could readily be seen that she
could plead the cause of book with
some eloquence. She said she had been
successful because she had been in
earnest: She spoke as one who had been
in the habit of convincing people.
Assistant Commissioner Murray told
Miss Johnson that she had, he thought
violated a low of New York by coming
into the state posing as a man. She
said that If she had known it she certainly
would not have done so, as she had never
Intentionally violated any law in her
life. She had been urged to become a
citizen by some of her male acquaint
ances. who never suspected her sex and
She had refused because she did not want
to tell lie or break the law. Never, she
declared. with arm appraised in mas
culine a way that it was hard to believe
that she was a woman. had she ever
been guilty of anything that could re-
fleet upon her character.
Compelle6to Pose as Man.
When she was thrown on her own re-
sources thirty years ago she found it
hard to get job of a sort that she could
do because of the plainness of her face
and that incipient mustache. She drifted
from her home in Canada to the west and
became worker in the fields, wearing
as some of the western woman ranch
workers do. outfits resembling the men s.
Tlfis suggested to her the idea of be-
ginning life over again a man. 1t took
her some time to make up her mind,
but she had not succeeded as woman,
and handicapped. with her mustache and
b1a,- ,lrsr, clA n I,rxv s.r,n
ever could. She was fond of books and
thought she had enough knowledge of hui
man nature to make other people take an
interest in them, so she got job a
book canvasser in San Francisco after
investing her savings of years in a suit
of mans clothes. She says she was sur
prised to find how easy. comparatively.
ii was for a man of energy to make
money as canvasser-
Did Well as Book Canvasser,
She found a better field for her work
in New Orleans, and went there, living.
a. men of moderate means do in board
ing houses or lodgings and, when business
was very good. in hotels. She put some
money in the bank in New Orleans, and
last July when business was slack, she
decided she could go abroad and see some
of the places she had read about and
talked about to prospective customers.
She came to this city and took passage
in the steerage of an American liner
landing at Southampton. She spent near
ly two months rambling around Europe
chiefly England and still had enough
money left 10 bring her back and take
her TO New Orleans. where she says. she
is pretty well known among the can
vassers. She regrets that she will have
TO give up their acquaintance and Won
ders what they will think of her fooling
them.
Commissioner Watchorn. the doctors
and everybody else at Ellis Island, in
Guiding the inspector who was the uncon-
scious means of finding her out are sorry
they did. She accepts the situation, as