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Taken lo Baftimore the Kent County Prisoner Puzzles the Officials.REGISTERED AS “WHAT-IS-IT”r While he Told the Story of His Feml-,. nine Dressing he Looked at the Trousers Placed on Him and Naid he Wan Ashamed ol'Tliem.t Special lo The Bun.| Chesteitown, Md., May 20 — Silas i Saul, alias Mary Davie, wqb taken to the House of Correction from Kent last . week, lie or sue, a9 the case may be, had insisted upon being a woman, while the ' Kent county ollicials had insisted that lie or she was a man, and ordered that j he or she d.n male apparel.When the prisoner was emend at the J• House oi Correction, the perplexing' question reached a climax.All went along well until SuperintenJ-- ent King happened to see the newer rival. He at once railed lo the female t assistant, ami said that woman is a , roan.” To this the prisoner answered: ”1 i am neither man nor woman.”The motion, in ti e meantime, had taken a goi d look at Saul, und she be- j ( eame convinced that some mistake had hern made In defining the prison r’ssex. Superintendent King questioned the prisoner, who asserted that she was Mary Davis, and not a man. The Sup- ] erimnndent ordered the prisoner to the l clothes room to change her wearing ap-j pa re I for prieou gaib. Steward Haga-dorn, in whose custody she was placed,; insisted that the matron should be called, i as the prisoner was a woman. Supc rin-tendent King, however, ordered him to I , proceed to the clothes room with the r prisoner.When llie prisoner had donned the , prison apparel the steward found that lie , or she hud taken off u tailor-made gown, a corset-cover, a pair of corsets, live , underskirts, a pair ol fancy female hose and other female garments,, When questioned by the guard tlie|• prisoner told the following storv.“I don’t know exaet'y how old I am i 1 was born in West Virginia. When a small child I was attired In femaleclol.h-, iug by my people, and in Washington , and in various places I have served many promiuent families as cook and , house servant, All during these years 1 have associated with women, with theexception of ...... when I have I adsteady company w ith gentlemen. 1 have never worn innie attire, and really I am ashamed at myself when 1 look down• nml see these trousers. No one has ever questioned my si x during all these years mid i have always been consideied a• w noeii. I mn a iirst-dass washer and ironor, and rfave always been hired um i as n maid and nurse.”The prisoner then held out both hands and said: Do these hands look like , they ever worked in a harvest llelri'.1” and added i think It Is a shame Hint I liuve been treated this wnv for wearing women’s clothes. 1 don't know any other kind, as 1 have worn them for so many years. I always have my dresses made for me at the dresmuikei'e, and nt my home in Chestertown 1 have hate to match my gowns.”While the prisoner was making this statement lie or the stood with eyes downcast and told the story with a well niodiilaied voice, and with evident embarrassment. The prisoner staled that the trouble was due to envious people of i his or her own race in Kent county, lie ' nr she seemed particularly effected when 1 they cut hie or her hair off. The long 1 tresses were wrapped and braided about the head in a neat plait, resembling an old time water fall.Superintendent King says tbat this is the strangest case that bas ever come i um er his notice, and he doubts if there is a similar ossein the country. The i deputy keepers have registered this new I arrival as “The wliat Is-it.”
Newspaper Details
Wilmington Sun
Wilmington, Delaware, US
Mon, May 21, 1900
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 03 Oct 2023
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