Amazing Masquerade

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 732, 3 August 1929, Page 26

Amazing Masquerade

Illness Betrays Sex Impersonation Claim to Child Paternity -CAPTAIN BARKER” OUT RIVALLED CLOSE on the heels of the astounding "CoL Barker” ease comes another remarkable instance of sex impersonation, vrith features even more perplexing than iiie notorious masquerade ox firs. Arkeil-Sraitk. So completely did the latest man-woman adopt masculine guise that she worked as a timber haulier, a coal heaver, a c-ow-man. a road-mender, and a navvy, drank heavily and smoked black twist, and. most astonishing of all. claimed paternity of a child born to the woman with whom she had lived for over four vears.

TTXPOSITRE came when, stricken •*-* with a grievous illness, she was admitted to a Poor Law infirmary in a Midland town. Only this sudden affliction could have betrayed the secret of her sex, for until physical breakdown came she had cheerfully undertaken heavy manual labour of a kind which would have taxed the endurance of the strongest of mem One thing only broke her spirit, and that was the sight of the mangled . body of a workmate who was killed beneath the wheels of a wagon she was driving when acting as a timber haulier. Meanwhile the woman whose life was linked with hers in a strange association is bewildered by the startling turn of events. “I believed him to be a man,"’ she declares, “and our life together was perfectly normal/’ says “The News of the World.’ "Wife” Never Suspected “I swear before all that I hold holy and sacred that I never once suspected anything but what my husband was a man. I cannot bring myself to think otherwise.” In these astonishing words the woman who had linked her life with the latest man-woman summarised the story of her amazing association. The masquerade came to light when a patient was admitted to the Evesham Poor Law institution in the name cf William Sidney Holton, aged 42, tim ber merchant's carter, of Merstow Green, Evesham. The patient was, and still is, critically ill with enteric fever, and was I at first placed in the male ward. Dr. Duncan, who had been attending the supposed man, and whose suspicions had been aroused, communicated with the medical officer of the infirmary, and when Holton was examined the secret was disclosed. Holton, who was, of course, removed at once to the female wing, was dressed as a 1 mao, and had short hair, and her chest was bound in wrapping. Holton is still too ill to tell her . own story, but the “wife” who had lived for over four and a-half years with her at a three-storey cottage in Evesham gave the other day some \ astonishing details of their life together. She is Miss Mabel Hinton, i of Birmingham, the mother of two children, one aged 6 and the other j IS months. She met Holton. she related, at Ladyvrood, Birmingham, but it was not a case of love at first sight. Miss i Hinton was then 22 years of age, and

was on _:_-aay. notion was last working at a coal wharf. It was not, however, until they met again at Worcester, where Miss Hinton was In service, that Holton began to make love to her. At first she repulsed "him,” but Holton persisted and eventually \ she became enamoured of “him,” and was soon head over heels in love. There was a fly in the ointment, however, because Holton flatly refused to go through any form of marriage. At last Miss Hinton overcame her scruples and from Worcester Biol ton brought her to Evesham, where Helton later got a fob as a haulier of timber. A Labourer's Work “My boy. who was born IS months ago, and of whom I believe him tc be the father,’’ declared Miss Hinton, "was registered at birth as William Sidney Holton. Our Hie together was then quite happy and perfectly normal. 1 had not a worry in the world.” Holton worked hard for the ‘■wife'’ and children, and such is the amazing psychology of this manwoman that she gladly slaved herself, doing the work of two men. Nevertheless Holton found time to sympathise with the arduous nature of Miss Hinton's work at home. “You mast be tired, my giri.” Hoi- ■ ton would say after she had done a day's washing. “I always thought i that women's work was the hardest.” Holton loved her home and was , never happier than when she was playing with the children and singing to them, or bouncing them on her knee. She was even jealous of Miss Hinton and would not permit her to go near other men. Eighteen months ago, when employed by Messrs. Ejs : leys, of Evesham, and in charge cf a team of horses used in timber hauling, Holton lost her nerve on seeing her mate, a haulier named Haines, killed on the timber wagon. The sight cf the fatality was too much for her. She gave up the hauling job and attended a doctor for nerve trouble, and has been a patient more ; or less ever since. Home, however, had to be provided for, and again ' Holton steeled berself to the task of finding the wherewithal for the “wife" and children. ‘■Swear Like a Trooper” Eventually she found a job as a navvy at Evesham, and was engaged on the erection of a new bridge there ■ which was opened in March last year by Colonel 'Wilfred Ashley, Minister of Transport. As a navvy she was ; i as strong as any of the men. and | could sling a bag of cement about as easily as any of the others. Then Bolton did odd jobs, and at heir home repaired boots for many of the townspeople, and at this trade she had no mean skill. Endoubtealy she made : a handsome man, and had a waiy with , the women. Strength and skill were not the only prerogatives of the male that she usurped. She could swear like a trooper, and had a rare collection of smart stories which made her j popular among her workmates. She ■ could wrestle and is believed to have ! had a liking for boxing. One of her greatest joys in life was the assumption of the paternity of the child known by the masculine name she : used herself. At one time “Mr. and Mrs. Holton” quarrelled, but the nature of the rift is still their secret, i “It was one of the blackest times in i my life,” Miss Hinton related, “and ; I can tell j'ou I felt as if death would ■ > bo a relief, for I had grown to love my ‘man’ with all the love in my: : heart and soul. I worshipped him, j Xever once did he beat me or spank J ; the children.” After the quarrel Holton left Miss Hinton for about nine or ten months. “I missed him terribly,” she stated, 1 “and was greatly relieved when he ! returned. He never told me where he went, but I was so relieved at his ■ ; return that I could not find it in me to ask him. I do not know even now.” When Miss Hinton told Hol- ! ton of her condition before her son was ushered into the world Holton ' was delighted, and clapped her on the shoulder, saying she was to take great care of herself, because “he” would love to have a son. “ ‘He’ was in the seventh heaven when “he’ learned that it was a boy,” Miss Hinton con-! j eluded. After the dramatic disclosure. Miss j I Hinton paid a visit to Lower Clopton, a village in the Cotswold Hills, to see a Mrs. Oughton, wile of a labourer, whom Holton had known for many years and addressed as mother. ; Mrs. Oughton proved to be equally j mystified at the developments that have occurred. She stated that | when Ehe first knew Holton, “he” ; was employed at Kemps Green, Hockley Heath, near Birmingham, as a cowman. That was 15 years ago. Holton was employed with Mrs. , Oughton's son-in-law, and stated “he” was a native of Essex, but never men- ; Honed “his” parents or where thev - . lived, or where “he” was bom. “I have always remarked that he had a squeaky voice, but I never suspected ! the truth,” went on Mrs. Oughton. ‘He was a good singer. He said bo j was very interested in the Colonel ■ Barker case, and had frequently es- | pressed indignation about the masj auerade.” Shaved and Smoked | Naturally this amazing story is the i one topic of conversation in Evesham, ' and neighbours and others who knew i Holton frankly confessed their bewilderment. A neighbour who saw | Holton a few nights before her re j moval to hospital stated that she al- ; ways looked like a man. “She was j ! devoted to the baby,” went on the I neighbour, “and certainly fostered the idea that she was the father.” Other neighbours also could not credit that Holton was a woman. “She was tall, thin and very strong.” declared one. “She used to shave occasionally, j 1 smoke about three ounces of black twist every week. and drank and . played cards a lot with the men in the house. We found her very ill [

and almost unconscious when Miss Hinton was away at work, and we nursed her as well as we could.” “Holton used to work as hard as ary j of us,” related some of the men who had been on the hauling work witn her. “She managed the horses wonderfully. We had no idea she was a woman. She liked her cider and her pipe.” The tobacconist with whom she was in the habit of dealing at Evesham stated that she used to buy from two to three ounces of thick twist, but this did not prove strong enough, and at her request a brand of light flake tobacco of a strength that only the most inveterate smokers could tackle, was specially stocked for her. She was in the habit of accompanying fishing parties from an Evesham public house, and it was never suspected that she was not a man. Two years ago she accompanied a party from the public house to the English Cup Final, and took part in the festivities with the rest. Holton is now lying in the private T ward of the Evesham infirmary, where she has been placed to save her from the questioning and possible insults of the other women. She is tactitura, and will speak to no one. Only once has she broken her self-imposed silence, and that was to ask for her pipe. The most pathetic feature of the case is the bewilderment of little Doris Hoiton, a pretty six-year-old child, who is continually inquiring in a pathetic voice, “Where has my daddy gone to? When is he coming back?”