THE DISGUISED WOMAN.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2560, 26 September 1893, Page 3

THE DISGUISED WOMAN.

Melboubne, Sept. 7. Much interest has beau aroused by the discovery that a farm-laborer known .as Jack Jorgenson, who died at Runnymede East, near Exnaore, was a woman, and euccessfully concealed her sen for twenty years. An account from Elmore states that the woman's proper name was Johanna Margherita jorgenson, but she used the name of Johann Martin Jorgenson in this district, and was generally known here as Jack Jorgenson. About twenty years ago she came here from the Heathcote district, and selected a block of land at Runnymede East, which she Bold some years ago. After that she took to canvassing for an insurance company. The company became dissatisfied with her work, but found \t fyard to get fid of her. However, an intimation to her that a medical examination in order to insure was necessary caused the woman to retire. She has since been engaged in grubbing land for Mr Ingram, antj sha had fo«r or five men in her employment. One of the strangest aspects of the affair is that she acted as a mounted rifleman, and more than once rode through the streets of Melbourne. She also made love to many of the girls in the neighborhood, and in one case obtained the consent of a girl's father to marry her. Her countenauce was disfigured, to h§r qqse. having been b,rokj3£ s»<! fine of Ijer eyas hurt, and the }ocal rodents say |>ut for these disfigurements, she wo\lW assuredly ftaje been marked. At times when hi? rtqpoaala were refused she WQVtfd. r-esorf *- tears. The deceased waa -""- working, and could ->~ _ x . y hard- *" xl ' as much as any ...... me ueld. In threshing operations she acted as "chaffey" and also on the elevators. There was always aome suspicion as to her sex, and long ago it was rumored that she was identical with a yerßon who had worked at Craven's Hotel, Heathcote, over twenty ygars ago, as a cook, and who afterwards donned male attire and went fencing. There seems to be little doubt that she is the same person. The discovery of Jorgensoa's sex was made by Dr Hoarße. She had been suffering from rheumatism, and the doctor had urged her to go to the hospital, but she strenuously refused. She lived in a hut with some men working for her grubbing fattd,, They gave her aa much attention

as they could, but she eventually died of a female disorder, and one of the men in preparing the body for burial, made a discovery which led him to send for the doctor. Mra Theresa Newman n, of South Melbourne, arrived in Elmore, and is convinced that the deceased was her sister. Mrs Newmann says that deceased was fifty-one yeara of age, and a native of Berlin. The disfigurement to deceased's nose and eye was caused by a kick from a horse when she was under sixteen years of age. Previously she had been a very pretty girl. Deceased used to say that the injury was caused by a splinter from an exploding shell on board a man-of-war. While in the Mounted Bifle3 Jorgenson always rode a pretty good horse. She was a first-class rider, had a good record for attendance at local drills, and was regular in her attendance at parade. Jorgensou came down to Melbourne with the Mounted Bines on the occasion of their being called out for service during the strike, and her somewhat singular appearance was then remarked upon by General Tulloch, but at no time was her sex ever suspected. The case revives the recollection of that of DeLacey Evans, who worked as a miner at Bendigo for years, and whose female sex was only discovered when she had to be taken to a lunatic asylum. Evans went through the ceremony of marriage with no less than three women during the period she lived as a man.