Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 December 1879 — IN MALE ATTIRE. [ARTICLE]

IN MALE ATTIRE.

A Woman Who Flayed a Man’s Part for Forty} Years, and wasJCarried as a Man. Melbourne Evening New*. Extraordinary discloses have been made regarding the female lunatic discovered in male attire. It appears * that the woman, who for the past twenty J ears has passed as a man under the name or Edward De Lacy Evans, has married three different women. The secret of her disguised sex has never been even suspected, although she worked continuously as a miner for many years, and had been following this occupation where she was an ordinary “wages man,” breaking quartz aud doing her work with the best of the other workmen at several mines. She might possibly have carried on the fraud unsuspected to the end of her days, but that for the foot that a few weeks ago she began to show symptoms of insanity, which gradually became more pronounced. Some fifteen months ago the woman between whom and the supposed man the form of marriage haa been gone through gave birth to a child. This is straage, as the statement undoubtedly is that this woman, passing as Evan’s wife, stoutly maintained that she never knew the secret •f her presumed husband’s sex. Since the child’s birth Evans has lapsed into an absent-minded and lethargic condition, and seemed to have lost all heart for work. On July the 22d Evans was admitted to the hospital as a lunatic. The hospital records of the occur•nce ran as follows: “Edward de Lacy Evans, male, married, admitted July 22, native of Kilkenny, Ireland; religion, Church of England. Danger•us to others, demented.” On the day •f admission the attendants, as usual, proceeded to give “him” a bath. Evans struggled violently aud fiually got away from the place. “He” was recaptured and brought back next day. “He remained in hospital six weeks, during which a warder slept in the room every night without discovering the secret. Says she was born at Paris, others say she is a ■ative of Jersey, while the hospital record gives Kilkenny as her birthplace. She speaks with an Irish accent, and claimed to be a nephew of the late General Sir Charles De Lacy Evans. Dr. Poland, resident surgeon at the Bendigo hospital, haviug examiued Evans, states that she herself has had •ne or more children, It is rumored that Evans was married several years ago in Melbourne, but regarding tbis •rldenoe is not complete. One of the nurses at present at Bendigo hospital says she can almost positively identify Evans as a passenger who came out in the ship Ocean Monarch twenty years ago. Tne girl, for this interesting character was then of girlish appearance, went under the name Ellen Germanic. ▲ singular feature of the story is that the nurse in question states that the girl had with her on the ship a box bearing the name ‘‘Edward Die Lacy.” The girl on arrival in Victoria went up eountry, and the next the nurse heard was that she had sent for the box and had married a fellow-passenger. The second marriage was celebrated eighteen years since, but no record of the event has been fouud, The wife’s name was Sarah Moore, who singularly enough had two children, both of whom died. She breathed not a word about the imposition; The third marriage between Evans and “his” present wife was clebrated at Ballarat on the 18tlf of September, 1868, by the Rev! W. Henderson at the Presbyterian Church. On the latter occasion Evans put her age down at twenty-eight. Accepting this as correct she is now about thirty-nine. The certificate shows that the bridegroom’s father was Edward J. De Lacy Evans, police magistrate, and that “his” mother’s name was Ann Dora Vauhan, a Welsh woman. The maiden name of Evan’s present wife was Julia Marquand. She states, that she was twenty-five years •f age when the marriage ceremony was preformed, and first became acquainted with Evans throug her sister having been a friend of “bis” former wile. Evans proposed marriage, but ▼aughan’s parents opposed the match. Evans, however, induced her to go to Ballarat with “him.” The marriage took place there. For a fortnight after they were married they lived separately, she residing at an hotel: subsequently they lived together. In appearance the man personator to feminine as regards the formation of features, but carries a decidedly masculine expression, though her nice is devoid or hair as an infant’s. She is rather short of stature, regarded as a man, being about lve feet four inches or five feet live inches Her hair since her confinement to the hospital has grown almost to her shoulders. Some time ago she met with an accident in the mine in which she was working, aud thereby sustained a severe wound on her head. The doctor who attended her never had the slightest suspicion es her sex. The same gentleman was afterwards oalled in to attend Evans while she was suffering from a dangerous attack of fever, but then again the imposition escaped detection. Miss Marquand, the young lady with whom one marriage was celebrated, says that Evans represented to her that “he” had two children by his former wife in France, and that these had been sent to Ireland. Two gentleman visited her soon after the case was made known in Sandhurst. To them she said in reply te interrogations. ‘‘Oh, it’s all over now; you may as well finish me at once.”