The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-10-31
CASE OF WOMAN
WHO POSED As
MAN CLOSED
Ruth Bundy's Sex Discovered
After Three Years As
. Husband
by International News Service.

"Ioafer" husband Of Elizabeth West
/ Bundy, young and pretty, was not
q man. Miss Bundy departed with
her relatives In an automobile for
southern Illinois, near st. Louis, =
Immediately after she was liberated
So successful was Miss Bundy's
masquerade during the seven years
| she wore mems clothing, that she
| worked with a railroad track crew
and as a farm hand without detec-
ton. Even a physician who attend
ed her during an illness several
years ago failed to discover that his
patient was not a man.
Called 'Ne'er-do-VNeIl."
The most puzzling feature Of the
case, however, is furnished by Miss
Bundys marriage to Miss Eliza
beth West, who IL twenty-three
years old. The ceremony was per-
formed at Newton, Iowa. in octo-
Der, 1921, and the women have
sved together gince. Walter"
| was failure as a husband" ac-
cording to residents of Rhodes,
where the couple lived. The thus
band" was regarded as a ne-er.do-
well, having developed an aversion
for work soon after the marriage,
/ 1t Is said.
1t has been learned that. Miss
West had 81 ,430 when the marriage
was performed. This had all been
spent during the jobless periods,
4 and the bride was the object of
+ the townspeoples' sympathy.
Until the court hearing COM
menced, Miss West insisted that
Walter" was a man. She suffered
nervous collapse while Miss;
Bundy was in jail and pleaded with
her mother to permit her 'hus-
band" to return to her. Mrs. West
did not let her daughter visit the
Jail, and reporters failed to secure
Permission to interview the "wife. -
I'VE don't want this thing talk.
ed about before her." Mrs West
said. "She has suffered enough.
ave don't want Walter to come
There again. and we intend to keep
them apart"
Bride" is Staunch.
I At this time Miss West was de.
claring her belief that the dis
closures were part of a plot to
separate her from her husband.
Miss Bundy remained steadfast
in her assertions that the bride
had never learned she was mar
ried to a woman.
my wife did not know I was
not d man" she declared. my
mother objected to my keeping
company with Nudge, Miss Westl
from May, 1921, until our mar
riage in October of that year.
She did not know when we were
married. After she did know, !
think she and other relatives kept
quiet about 1t. because they did
not want to make me any trouble"
Brother Investigates.
The masquerade was penetrated
when Miss Vests brother became
suspicious and came to Rhodes
from Des Moines to investigate.
When confronted by him, Miss
Bundy brandi3hed a hammer and
threatened to kill him. During the
ensuing scuffle her clothing was
torn. West used the threat as the
basis for his warrant.
Miss Bundy admitted in Jail that
she had married Frank Arnold at
Steelville, Mo-, when she was sew
enteen years old. Arnold secured
divorce in Iowa. and she has no
knowledge Of his whereabouts.
i First Marriage"
The marriage Of walter" Bun
dy and Elizabeth West is recorded
\ "a ID
of Jasper county. Walter" swore
that this was 'his'' first marriage.
/ The newlyweds lived on a truck
farm near here for a while, but the
work proved too strenuous for oval
! ter" Occasional periods OF employ
ment with q railroad track crew, and
as farm hand followed. Members
OF section crews with whom she
worked say they never suspected
she was not man. She always did
her share of the work without com.
plant.
n Miss Bundy said she began wear.
ing mems clothing permanently III
May, 1917 Her family originally
lived at East Alton Ill, where she
was born. Later they moved to st.
Louis and subsequently to other
Missouri points. She attended school
until she reached the third grade:
then her studies were discontinued
because OF i'll health. Illness forced
her to live In the open much of the
4 time, and overalls were her favorite
garb. ~. -.
I After her fathers death, six years
ago. she came to Iowa with her
mother and her brother. She worlxe,l
In the harvest fields and plowed
ing. 49, Il 800
Judge" said the young woman
as she was being led from the court.
room when she was first arraignAd
! rs there any reason why perso \
who has smoked for ,twenty.fivs
years should be denied tobacco?'
Have you any money to buy to.
1 bacco?" asked, the court.
"No5 not a cent" she said: 'sbut
have my tobacco and a pipe."
II The Jail isn't fireproof," said
Z the sheriff, and Ruth was forced
to abstain from tobacco during her
incarceration. .-'- \ -
Il Thirty.tEree Years Old.
Miss Bundy is thirty-three years
old She weighs little more thar
100 pounds, but her slightress IL
the only indication Of, femininity
Her high-pitched voice has mas
culine ring, and her head is closely
cropped. She refused to discard her
overalls in Jail when she was
offered woman's apparel.
II never did like to wear wo.
mems clothes, even when + was a
child" she said.