He She Or It, Daily Ohio Statesman (Article, 1868)
Full Text
HE, SHE, OR IT!
A Correct Account of the Mysterious Female Man.
Truth Stranger than Fiction
(From the Brodhead (Wis.) Independent, Feb. 1.)
About the year 1856 there moved to this village a family by the name of Burnham, consisting of Dr. M.K. Burnham, his wife, and two children, a daughter aged 16, and a song three or four years younger. Dr. Burnham was a man of some property, and of the highest respectability. The family soon became active members of our village society, the doctor being an active member and one of the deacons of the Congregational church. Dr. Burnham was a well-read physician, and did some practice in addition to keeping a drug store, in which his daughter, Ellen, assisted him as a clerk for the first two years of the doctor's residence here. Miss Ellen Burnham was by no means a beautiful girl. Her hair and eyes were dark; features regular, but rather coarse and masculine; form tall, square shouldered, and wanting in that grace of outline that inspires admiration. If a stranger were tempted to look at her the second time, it would be from surprise at the strong, masculine appearance, unnatural to a woman, especially one so young. Miss Burnham was not a favorite with our young men, nor did she seem anxious to be. Her time, outside of her domestic duties, was devoted to instrumental music and to horse-back-riding, in both of which she was decidedly accomplished. Her life for the four years subsequent to 1856 was not unlike that of other young ladies of the place. She had a large class, mostly of young girls, whom she instructed in music. In the fall of 1858, a young man by the name of Powell came here and was employed as principal of our village school. Powell resigned the leadership of the school in the spring of 1859, and started the Reporter, the first paper published in our village. During that summer he became intimate with the family of Dr. Burnham, and became engaged to Miss Burnham in the fall of 1855. The engagement soon became known outside of the family. The only surprise excited on account of it was surprise at the taste of Mr. Powell in selecting a girl of such masculine appearance. Miss Burnham's parents seemed particularly pleased at the prospective marriage of their daughter, whom they believed well qualified to make a good wife for an editor. In February, 1860, L.W. Powell and Miss Ellen Burnham were married by Rev. Mr. Cochran, the Congregational minister.
The happy couple took a short bridal tour, preparatory to settling for life. After an absence of a week, they returned to the residence of the bride's parents, who, in honor of their daughter's marriage, sent out invitations to large numbers of our citizens to welcome the bride and groom. We were present at this wedding party, and could not but think that both the bride and groom appeared remarkably solemn. We did not kiss the bride, although that was the fashion. Our objection to the kissing part of the programme was a dislike to come in contact with an unusually heavy and black moustache which marred the upper lip of the bride.
Mrs. Powell became more and more masculine in her appearance as she grew older. She took a case in the Reporter office, and learned the printer's trade rapidly. And in a short time she proved to be the best jour in the office. She also took to smoking, in the cultivation of which she proved herself a printer.
In the spring of 1861, when Powell had been married about a year and a half, the 7th Wisconsin regiment was organized. Powell's wife not having presented him with an heir to make home doubly pleasant, he resolved to go to the wars. He sought, and, through the influence of friends, obtained, the position of State agent or "wet nurse" for the gallant 7th, then ordered to Washington. Mrs. Powell being of a tough and hardy make, resolved to accompany her husband to the front. No objection being raised, she fitted herself out and went to Washington. The regiment was for a time detained at Washington, and Mrs. Powell made herself happy by working up that moral town. A few weeks after her arrival there, while she was riding on horseback one day, her [masculine] appearance attracted the attention of a government detective, who made up his mind that Mrs. Powell was a man, a rebel spy. The detective followed her about the city and to her quarters. He dogged her steps for several days, until, just before the regiment was ordered off, Mrs. Powell took it into her head to return to Brodhead. She packed up her rig, took leave of her husband and the regiment, and started for home. The detective accompanied her to Chicago on the same train, and at the Briggs house, where the lady booked her name, he placed her under arrest as a rebel in disguise. In vain she claimed to be a woman and the wife of a member of the 7th regiment. She called in the land-lady, who asserted that she had seen Mrs. Powell at the house before. Mrs. Powell finally induced the detective to telegraph to Gov. Randall, of this State, and to her husband at Washington. Gov. Randall telegraphed back that there was such a lady. A similar telegram arrived from Washington. In a few days, Mr. Powell reached Chicago, and the unhappy couple made their way home to this village.
Language cannot describe the feelings of this unhappy pair. Hardly over the first flush of connubial felicity, and the wife had become an object of suspicion to strangers, and was in constant danger of being arrested as a man. They remained here a few days, when Mrs. Powell informed her parents that she was going to visit some relations east. The fond parents, little dreaming of the arrest and subsequent scenes at the Briggs house, urged her to remain and replenish her wardrobe. She readily answered that she could procure more becoming and stylish garments at the east. After her departure, Mr. Powell procured some cloth, and went to Mr. Mooney, one of our tailors, and informed him that he wished to present his brother with a suit of clothes. He informed the tailor that his garments fitted his brother, and a suit made to fit himself would be just the thing. The clothes were made and expressed to Chicago. Soon after, Mr.Powell informed Dr. Burnham, the father of his wife, that Ellen has changed her dress, and was now wearing man's attire, and living in Chicago. The doctor was thunderstruck, and the mother half-crazy. The only satisfaction they could get out of Powell was, that his wife was not a woman, and would not dress as a woman any longer. The doctor requested Powell to accompany him, and immediately went to Chicago, where he found his daughter dressed in a suit of clothes which Mr. Powell had had made for his brother. Mrs. Powell informed him that she was not a woman, and would no longer try to act the part of one. The doctor insisted upon an examination. At length, to satisfy her father, she consented that the late Dr. Brainard should examine her. Dr. Brainard did so, and informed the father that his daughter was not a female, and had done the best thing to be done in changing her attire. After much solicitation, Ellen permitted her father to examine her and satisfy himself that she was not a woman. Dr. Burnham then procured a situation for her, under the name of Edgar Burnham, in the wholesale drug house of J.H. Read & Co., in whose employ he remained about one year. During this time, he roomed and slept with a young man by the name of Andrews, now doing business in Crosby's Opera House block. He also became engaged to a young lady on State street, the daughter of his landlady.
We frequently visited young Burnham at his room on Washington street, being ourselves at that time in the law office on Merch & Redfield, then officiating on Dearborn street. Young Burnham made up in appearance as a man of all the beauty and grace he lacked as a woman. Chicago had few better looking young men than the former Mrs. Powell. He was a portion of this time organist at the Plymouth church, Rev. J. R. Shepherd, pastor, and for a time organist of one of the Baptist churches. We were particularly amused at his hearty admiration of the girls. He would leave his piano or work any time to look at a woman. In 1863, young Burnham returned to Brodhead, and went into the drug business with his father. He was at this time engaged to the State street lady, who was entirely ignorant of the story of her lover's life. We have it from the best authority--a young man who resided in the family of the young lady--that Burnham was a devoted lover, and, even after he removed to Brodhead, corresponded regularly twice a week with his bethrothd, and paid her visits of two or three days' duration. Aftr his removal to Brodhead, he was a decided favorite in the socity hre, both on account of his good looks and his skill as a musician. Men, women and children flocked to the drug store of Burnham & Son to trade, for the purpose of seeing the young man who was once a wife. At length Dr. Burnham sold out his property here in 1864, and removed to Waterloo, Iowa, taking Edgar with him, and there opening a drug store. Soon after the removal of the family to Waterloo, Edgar sought and obtained in marriage the hand of Miss Gerta Evereatto, one of the prettiest girls in Spring Valley, Rock county, Wis. The Chicago engagement had been broken off.
They have now been married about three years, and living at Waterloo. They have no children as yet, all stories to the contrary notwithstanding. Should they ever have children, or either of them, we shall make haste to inform our readers of the fact.
It is simply ridiculous to suppose that Edgar Burnham was ever a mother, and quite as insane to believe that he can be a father.
From the best of authority, namely, from Mr. Powell and from the surgeon who examined him, we know that Edgar Burnham is an It, and will never be anything else. It is due to the young lady to whom he was engaged in Chicago to say that she never knew the make-up of her lover from first to last, and that the engagement was broken off by her before his history became known.
Miss Everette, his present wife, knew the facts of this remarkable case, substantially as we have related them, and married It willingly of her own accord, and against the wishes of her parents. She undoubtedly knows the facts more definitely now than we do, and can comfort herself accordingly. We wish her joy of her union with an It, if there is any joy in it.
