A FATAL MASQUERADE.
YOUNG WOMAN IN MALE ATTIRE FOUND WITH A DEAD BABY.
A remarkable case of masquerading was revealed this morning by a serious discovery in a boarding-house at Nr. 2 Albert street, Dunedin. A young woman, who had been masquerading as a man, was found unconscious in a room with a female baby dead beside her. The unfortunate woman, who had been known by the name of Thomas Parkes, had given birth to the child only a little time before the discovery was made. She had had no aid, and had collapsed. She is now in a serious condition at the Hospital. Her name is Annie Read, formerly a resident of Dubbo, New South Wales. -Evening Star, 5/11/1912.
SAD END TO A ROMANCE
WOMAN'S STRANGE CAREER
MASQUERADING AS A MAN,
BIRTII OP A CHILD. MOTHER AND INFANT DEAD. (excerpt)
A STRANGE CAREER.
What light the police authorities have so far been able to shed on Miss Read's career discloses a strange sequence of events leading up to a sad and tragic finale. The details are somewhat meagre, having been gleaned to a large extent from correspondence in the woman's possession at the time of her demise. She was a pupil at the public school at Dubbo, New South Wales, where she probably was born. She attended the school for some years, but apparently commenced her masquerading practices very shortly after leaving it, for on October 6, 1911, she met with an accident while passing as Thomas Ralph and, was taken to the Ararat (Victoria) Hospital, where her identity was disclosed. Undeterred by this set-back, she sought fresh fields, and two months later — about Christmas time — landed in Invercargill under the pseudonym of Thomas Russell. After living there a month she came to Dunedin, and on February 3 of this year entered the service of Mr Driver as shop assistant — a position which she filled continuously until the time of her death. In applying for a position she informed Mr Driver that her name was Thomas Parkes. As such she lived from day to day until her identity was again unfolded under the distressing circumstances related.
Whatever ideas may have influenced the young woman in her pursuance of such a strange course, she certainly lacked nothing in the essential factor of appearance. Although only 20 years of age — it is believed — she had a strongly masculine appearance. She had regular features, was dark almost to swarthiness, and was very well set up, though somewhat short for a man.
A post-mortem examination was conducted on the body of the child by Dr Gordon Macdonald, and on that of the mother by Dr Fleming. .Mr C. C. Graham will hold a coroner's inquiry into the circumstances touching both deaths at the Hospital at 2.50 p.m. to-day.
MR DRIVER INTERVIEWED. Mr H. H. Driver, when seen by a Times reporter last evening, expressed himself ns quite shocked at the tragic fate of the deceased. He said that nine months ago he had inserted an advertisement in the papers asking for applications for the position of assistant in his place of business. Miss Read answered the advertisement. She was neatly attired in masculine clothing, and had her hair cut short. She said her name was "Thomas Parkes", and that her father and mother, who resided in Sydney, had just died within a short time of each other — both from apoplexy. She said that she was an only child, and that when her home had been thus broken up by the death of her parents she decided to leave Sydney, and went to Adelaide, where she had obtained work in a timber yard. The deceased said she had then decided to come over to New Zealand, and Mr Driver, never doubting that the applicant for the position was a man, decided to give the young man — or woman — a trial as assistant in his shop. Mr Driver says he found Miss Read industrious, honest, and respectable; she seemed anxious to learn all she could of her work, and when he had gone to Christchurch last mouth to attend the Baptist Conference which was being held there Miss Read was left in full charge of the business. "Right up to the last (Monday) I had not the slightest indication of the real state of affairs," said Mr Driver. 'Tom,' as we always called the deceased woman, locked up as usual then, and went off to 'his' home. This morning, on coming to work, I found that 'Tom' had not arrived, and the lad who is always employed by me said that 'Tom' had remarked on the previous afternoon that 'he' did not feel very well, and I then told the boy to go to the place where 'he' lodged and tell 'him' not to come down to work till 'he' felt better. The lad came back with the startling information which has been already made known."
Mr Driver went on to say that Miss Read had a very likeable nature, though she was rather reticent. She had been working all the Monday afternoon with the books in the stores, making up accounts for the month, etc. She also proved herself quite strong enough to open the cases of books and do all the heavy work necessary in a book shop. The deceased had acceded to a request, that she should 'take down the shutters of Mr Rossitor's shop, next door, Mr Rossitor being in poor health, and had done this work gratuitously for some few days. Mr Driver remarked that Miss Read had been up to his house on several occasions to tea, but neither he nor his wife ever suspected that she was a woman masquerading in a man's clothes, nor, of course, that she was in the condition she proved to be. Her voice was not distinctly masculine, but the feminine note was not sufficiently marked to arouse suspicion. -Otago Daily Times, 6/11/1912.
THE DUNEDIN DRAMA
Foolish Female who Masqueraded as a Male.
Discovered in Child-birth.
What the Inquest Revealed.
(From "Truth's" Dunedin Rep.)
The sad story of Annie Read, alias Thomas, who lived in the Holy City as a man and died as a woman in child-birth, reported in "Truth's" last issue, continues to be a sensational topic of conversation amongst the Holy Burghers. An inquest concerning the death of the child and mother was held last week. The investigation of the child's death was taken first.
Dr. Gordon Mac Donald deposed that be had made a post-mortem examination on a newly-born child at the morgue. The infant was a full-grown, well-developed female. There was a slight mark of constriction round the neck, but there were no other external marks which might indicate the cause of death. His examination showed that the lungs had been inflated, and the conclusion at which he arrived was that the child was born alive, but
HAD DIED FROM NEGLECT. He could not say how long it had lived. Mrs Catherine Pledger, of 1 Albert street, landlandy of "Thomas Parkes," gave evidence of the identification of the female body, whom she recognised as her "male" lodger. She had not any reason to suppose "he" was other than what "he" represented to be. On Monday evening deceased came home earlier than usual. Witness said to "him," "Why are you home so early?" and deceased replied, "I do not feel very well; if I do not turn out in the morning, you'll know where I am." Witness then said, "I'll bring you up a cup of tea, if you're not well."
Continuing, witness said, "About 1 a.m. I heard a moan, and sent my husband to see what was wrong. I sent my husband because it was a man. If it had been a woman, I would have gone myself. When my husband knocked, he got no answer. We got up at 5 a.m. and tried the door, and again there was no answer. I got a boarder named J. Newland. who lived in a room opposite, and it was he who got the door opened. Mr Newland told me that
THE LODGER WAS A WOMAN, and that there was a baby there. I then went in and saw a newly-born baby on the floor. To all appearance it was quite dead. My son then rang up Dr. Fleming.
The Coroner: When, you heard moaning, didn't you think there was something wrong, and that you ought to do something? — No; being a man, I thought he might have eaten something for supper which did not agree with him, and he might have a stomachache.
The Coroner: Having heard the moaning once, and a silence following, you thought it was all right? — Yes.
Sub-Inspector Fouhy: Did "Thomas Parkes" always sleep at home? — Yes, excepting on Saturday nights; I used to tell him he went to his "town house." I think he used to stay somewhere about Manse-street.
John Newland, painter, who was a lodger at Mrs Pledger's House, was the next witness, and said: "My room was exactly opposite that occupied by Thomas Parkes. I heard a conversation between him and Mrs Pledger about not being well on Monday night About 6.20 a.m. on Tuesday Mrs Pledger came to my door and said, 'Parkes must be bad.' She could not get into the room, and asked me to get in through the window. I got a ladder, and did so, and found 'Parkes,' whose head was under the dressing table. The body was perfectly nude, and I then noticed it was a female. I placed a pillow under the head. Next I saw a coat and lifted it, and then
OBSERVED A BABY UNDER IT. I replaced the coat and told Mrs Pledger, then went for a police constable, who came a few minutes before the doctor. I went to work after that, as it was nearly 8 o'clock."
Constable Robert Mulley deposed: "I was called to 1 Albert-street about 7.40 a.m. and found the body of a newlyborn child which I identify as that now lying in the morgue. It was lying on the floor, and was quite dead. There was also a female in an unconscious state. The child had a pair of men's underpants wrapped round its head. Dr. Fleming arrived a few minutes afterwards."
The Coroner said there was only one conclusion to arrive at, and that was that the child was born alive, but died owing to neglect at its birth.
The inquest on Annie Read, alias Thomas Parkes, was next proceeded with, and information of a somewhat startling nature was revealed by Sub-Inspector Fouhy, who said he had just received word from Invercargill which showed that the deceased had communicated from Ararat (Vic) with a man called Russell, who kept a garage at Invercargill. She wrote under the name of Thomas Russell, claiming relationship and asking for the fare to come to the Dominion. Russell arranged the passage for deceased, and she arrived at Invercargill on January 22. When there, she said she was neither a male nor female, but was
A HALF BOY, HALF GIRL, and, therefore, dressed in male attire. She stayed in Invercargill for a few days, and Russell gave her a few pounds. She came on to Dunedin, where she had been ever since.
Mrs Catherine Pledger reaffirmed her statement made at the inquest on the child.
Dr. William Alexander Fleming said: "I received a telephone call to the house occupied by Mrs Pledger, where I found the deceased female lying on the floor in a comatose condition with a newly-born child dead beside her. The child apparently had been born on the floor and not on the bed. I concluded the woman was suffering from puerperal eclampsia. She took violent convulsions later, which confirmed that opinion, and I ordered her immediate removal to the hospital. I saw her again with Dr. Riley at 11a.m. She received every attention, but she never rallied, and died at 3 p.m." Furthermore, Dr. Fleming added that deceased suffered from Bright's disease, and. no matter what treatment she received, she would not have survived.
Sergeant Tom Eccles, sworn, said: "Yesterday morning I took possession of a room occupied by Annie Read. I took charge of her effects found in a portmanteau."
From her correspondence during the past four years, It was ascertained that she had attended the Public School at Dubbo, N.S.W., in 1908, also had stayed at Dowling-street, Dubbo, in 1908-09; had also lived at Brisbane-street, Dubbo. On September 14, 1911, she was in Ararat (Vic.) hospital, and
WAS KNOWN AS THOMAS RALPH, and was masquerading as a man. The Sergeant, however, found that the woman had been discharged in October, 1911, under her proper name of Annie Read. She arrived in Invercargill dressed as a man in January last, under the name of "Thomas Russell." She apparently stayed with a man whose name appeared to be "Father Peter." She came to Dunedin a few days later, and had since lived there as "Thomas Parkes" up till the time of her death.
From January to October, she had corresponded with the said "Father Peter," and it appeared from the letters that "Father Peter" was well aware that she was a female masquerading as a male. She had three suits of male clothing, and had no female clothing whatever. She had a handbag with a back comb, and these were the only feminine articles found in her possession, and there was nothing to show that she anticipated confinement
It was suggested that Mr R. Dickeson, of the Central Dining Rooms, Manse-street, who was present during the proceedings, could have
THROWN SOME FURTHER LIGHT on the matter, as Mrs Pledger had stated that the deceased had said that she spent Saturday evenings at Manse street. The Coroner, however, did not consider it necessary, as he thought there was sufficient evidence to show the cause of death, and also evidence establishing the deceased's identity.
The Coroner's verdict was in accordance with the medical testimony.
There appears to be a decided opinion that the inquiry should have been more searching and that the man responsible for the condition of the unfortunate girl should have been exposed to the public. The difficulty in establishing the identity of the putative father was considerably increased by the decease of both mother and child. Death having removed both as a possible burden on the State, there remains no need for prosecution on the part of the Education Department.
It is freely rumored that Annie had a friend or friends who visited her in motor cars, and that they used to go out for enjoyable rides together. It is also well known that she was frequently seen in the company of a well known Holy Burgher, and that only about a fortnight or three weeks ago they were together at the St. Kilda Band concert on Sunday afternoon. It seems but reasonable that some of these incidents should have been investigated, if only for the satisfaction of the poor girl's relatives in Australia, who will doubtless wish to know more than the meagre facts which were revealed at the inquest.
Mr H. H. Driver, the employer of the masquerading Thomas Parkes, is deserving of all commendation for his magnanimity in defraying the funeral expenses, which saved the remains of the misguided girl from being cast into a pauper's grave. -NZ Truth, 16/11/1912.
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