Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1890-06-14 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

MASQUERADING. The &dr.. says "A curious story of mas- • querading has just come to light, and, loom certain I attendant circumstances, is receiving the attention of I the authorities. About four o'clock on Saturday I afternoon stall, stoutly-built, and fashionably attired ; lady entered an hotel in the West-end of Edinburgh, I and desired to be provided with apartments. The visitor was shown to a room, and immediately thereafter requested that the ' boots' should be lent to her. On the boots making his appearance, the lady preferred the request that he should procure for bee a gentleman's suit of clothing. The boots declined to comply with this carious and rather startling request, but said he would call • cab in which the lady might drive to some establishment whose busines it was to supply such goods, After • little demur the lady agreed to this course, and having obtained a cab she gave the order to drive ; to one of the hotels in Leith. This the cabman did, I but on drawing up at the hotel named his fare directed him to drive to an outfitter's establishment. , This having been done, the cabman was not a l.ttle' surprised to observe that his fare had divested herself of her dainty and fashionable bonnet end beautifully fringed wig, the removal of which disclosed a decidedly masculire cast of head and countenance. Walking into the outfitter's shop, those in charge were rather taken aback at the order given by their stninge.looking visitor, who asked to be supplied with suit of man's attire. Business is business, however, in Leith, and several tweed suits were submitted to the queer customer for choice. A suit was speedily selected, bought, and paid for, and the lady' did not lose much time in effecting • complete meta morphosis—emerging in the guise of a well-proportioned and rather prepossessing gentleman. 'I he clothing left behind is of the finest quality, consisting of a fashionably-made dress, a stylish long black silk .acket, bonnet, corsets, &c.—and the wig. In the cab was found a receipt showing that the jacket had been purchased in Carlisle. On the bonnet and wig are the names of London makers. The description of the masquerader, as given by the Leith outfitter, is that he seemed to be between 35 and 40 years of age, about sft. loin. in height, stoutly built, clean shaved, and with a fresh complexion. He spoke with a slight foreign accent. Certain suspicious circumstanceS have made the authorities desirous of learning more of the visitor, but as yet they have got no trace of him." With reference to the above, a London wig-maker writes: "Perhaps the following particulars may be of assistance to the authorities in helping to track the masquerader. A gentleman, evidently of foreign nationality, called at my place of business and desired to be supplied with a fair lady's wig, with a fringe,' and it was evidently of great importance to him that it should be natural and becoming, by the scrutiny and the manner he fitted it on. At the time his manner certainly caused a little surprise by the different attitudes he struck in front of the lookingglass and numerous questions he asked my assistant, in reference to the wig suiting his complexion, &c. On giving him a receipt In payment of the wig,he declined giving his name, so that the receipt was given him without his name thereon. As he was leaving he suddenly turned back and desired to see a railway guide, and after looking at it he returned it and left, He hailed a cab, and was driven away. Although bis manner was certainly suspicious, no particular notice was taken of the circumstances, as it is of frequent occurrence having customers calling here under exactly the same circumstances. E eery day we disguise numerous people (mostly jealous husbands watching their wives), and sometimes, I fear, for criminal purposes. During the Whitechapel murders excitement we made up as many as 20 or :(0 people per day, mostly amateur detectives. It is just possible the actual culprit might have been amongst them."