Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-09-10
BEARDED WOMAN HELD
FOR M|LLV|LLE POLICE
Jennie Ferris Re-Arrested To-
day When Her Term at the
Workhouse Ended.

With a luxurious growth of beard
dangling seven inches below her chin,
Mrs. Jamie Ferris. aged 40 years, was
an occupant of cell in the woman's
| tier at the police station today. await :
ing the arrival of police officers from
| Milville, n. j., to which place she Is
to be taken to face a charge of steal
| ing a horse on October %, 1920. She
had been brought in from the work
house today 10y Detectives Riley and
Gamble. having completed ten months
of a years sentence imposed upon her
in the Court of General Sessions on
November 10, 1920. after she pleaded
guilty to the charge of stealing a
horse owned by Robert Cross of 215
South Van Buren, street. She had
about two months taken off for good
behavior while she was in the work
| house.
| Mrs. Ferris was arrested in this city
on October 80. 1920, by Detective Gam
BILE. She stated at that time. and re-
peated the assertion this morning.
that she had deliberately taken the
horse for the purpose of haying her.
/ self sent to prison. She had tried to
make a living at work and at the same
| time to grow her beard SO tnat she
could return to the show business.
in which she had been engaged. out
her beard attracted so much attention
and caused her so much annoyance in
public that she was repeatedly forced
to shave it off. She said she was fire.
quently accused of being a man mas
querading as a woman.
Now her beard has grown. but il is
not as long as she wants it to be be-
fore she goes back to the circus. she
said. Before shaving il off it had
attained a length OF II inches, she
told an Every Evening man this morn
| ing Mrs. Ferris said her mother was
bearded woman and her four sis, crs
were all bearded like herself. She
says she was born that way and does
not know what causes the growth,
which is so much like a mans beard.
Ii is her intention to return to the
circus and she had sought imprlson-
ment that she could grow the beard
without embarrassment or annoyance
70 herself. She tTied TO have herself
| locked up in Chester. where she is
charged with stealing a horse, and
again in Milvilie y. j., which is her
home town. She was IN custody today
as the result of detainer lodged
against her by the Milville police and
there is another detainer in the hands
Of the police from the Chester author
| titles She will be returned to Mitville
| however, because they were the first
to claim custody of the woman fol-
lowing her Imprisonment here
/ Mrs. Ferris said they tried TO tell
her at the workhouse that there was
no retainer against her, bot she says
she know better. They could not
fool me-" she said today. Il am not
as dumb as ! look. l win go back to
Milvnle without fighting requisition.
That Is my home town and ! viii take
what. is coming to me there" She said
she did not want the help of an sttor-
ney here and would not engage the
services Of a lawyer 10 fight the charge
| in Milville.
Mrs. Ferris commended Warden
Plumnner OF the workhouse for the
treatment he has accorded her during
her Imprisonment there. The woman
is of medium build and has gray hair.
Her beard is streaked with gray. but
is thick and bushy and inclined to be
curly, which gives il the appearance
of being shorter than IL really is. The
growth extends down both sides Of
the face around the chin and throat
and gives the woman a most unusual
appearance. On the trip from the
workhouse this morning in a police
automobile she had her features con-
cealed under a thick veil, which she
/ had wrapped about her face. exposing
only her nose and eyes. She did not
remove this until after she had been
| placed in a cell.
! The Milville authorities have been
/ Gdvised that she is i'm custody here
awaiting the arrival OF an officer TO
come to Wilmington Tor her. Mrs.
Ferris did not appear the least biz
worried over her plight, and decla1 ID
she was willing to take what was CON-
4 ing 20 her.