MASQUERASING AS A MAN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 145, 6 November 1912, Page 5

MASQUERASING AS A MAN.

""""" ' . '• >-■--V SAD END TO AMAZING CAREER. a dunedintrageby. By Telegraph—Press Aasociatkni. Dunedin, Last Night. Am amazing story of a young woman's strange masquerade was brought to a> tragic culmination in a lodging house ii Albert street early this morning, whan an unfortunate girl who had been ma*> querading as a man was found uncoil* scious in her room, with a female baby dead beside her. Ever since her arrival in Dunedin at the endof.January the deceased had been known as Thomas Parkes, and since February 3 had been continuously employed as .a male assistant in Mr. H. H. Drivers' book-shop in George street. Since her arrival hen she occupied a room as a male boarder at Mrs. Pledger's boarding establishment in Albert Btreet. Of late she had complained of feeling unwell, especially during the last few days. Chi Monday evening she arrived home at her lodgings about 7.30 p.m., considerably jn advance of her customary time. "He" again assorted that "he" felt unwell, and the landlady remarked that "he" had better go to bed, and that she would bring "him" a coup of tea in the morning. T&e deceased shortly afterwards retired to her room, locking the door, while the • landlady and two other boarders also retired. Mrs. Pledger states that she heanl ' "Parkes" groaning during the early part of the night, and about 11.30 p.m. she heard a noise which led her to assume thut "he" had fallen out of bed, but she..'. , did not make investigations. At twenty minutes to five in the morning Dr. Newlands also heard groaning, but took no action until some forty minutes la,ter, when he entered the bedroom by means of a ladder. "Parkes" was found lying on the floor unconscious, with the bedclothes thrown about "him." On raising the bedclothes Dr. Newlands found that" the supposed man was a woman, and that she had recently given birth to a female child, which was lying beside her dead and wrapped in an old overcoat. Dr. Fleming found the woman in a dangerous state of collapse, and she was speedily conveyed to the hospital. She never rallied. She showed signs of consciousness, but gradually sank and died at five minutes past three. The woman's real name is Annie Rpad, and she is twenty years of age. She went to school at Dubbo, New South Wales,' and the next trace of her was on October 6, 1911, , in Ararat (Victoria), when she met with. > ' an accident while, masquerading as a man. Her rpjx was then discovered. She 1 was then going under the name of Thomas Ralph. About two months later she came to Inyercargill, going under the name of Thomas Russell, after staying there for about a month camo to Dunedin to enter H. H. Driver's bookshop as Thomas Parkes. I