THE WOMAN-HUSBAND. Rosalind. Alas, what danger will it be for us, Celia. Rosalind. Were it not better, ABOUT the year 1734, a young fellow courted one Mary East, and for him she conceived the greatest affection; but he, going upon the highway, was tried for a robbery and transported: this so affected Mary that she resolved ever to remain single. In the same neighborhood was another young woman, who had likewise met with crosses in love, and had determined on the like resolution; being intimate, they communicated their minds to each other, and determined to live together ever after. After consulting on the best method of proceeding, they agreed that one should put on man's apparel, and that they would pass as man and wife in some part where they were not known. The difficulty now was who was to be the man, which was soon decided, by the toss up of a halfpenny, and the lot fell on Mary East, who was then about sixteen years of age, and her partner seventeen. The sum they were then possessed of together was about thirty pounds; with this they set out, and Mary, after purchasing a man's habit, assumed the name of James How, by which it will be well here to distinguish her. In the progress of their journey, they happened to light on a little public-house at Epping, which was to let; they took it, and lived in it for some time; about this period a quarrel happened between James How and a young gentleman, who assaulted James. James entered an action against him, and obtained damages of £500, which were paid. Possessed of this sum, they sought for a place in a better situation, and took a public-house in Limehouse, where they sojourned many years as man and wife, saving money, in good credit and esteem: they afterwards left this, and removed to the White Horse, at Poplar, which they bought, and after that several more houses. About the year 1750, one Mrs. Bentley, who lived on Garlick Hill, and was acquainted with James in her younger days knowing in what circumstances she lived, and of her being a woman, thought this a good scheme to build a project on, and accordingly sent to demand ten pounds, at the same time intimating that if she would not forward it, she would discover her. James, fearful of this, complied, and gave the money. It rested here for a considerable time, during which James lived with his supposed wife in good credit, and had served all the parish-offices in Poplar, excepting constable and churchwarden, from the former of which she was excused by a lameness in her hand, occasioned by the quarrel already mentioned; the other she would have had the next year, if the discovery had not happened: she had been several times foreman of juries; though her effeminacy indeed was remarked by most. At Christmas, 1765, Mrs. Bentley sent again with the same demand for ten pounds, and with the like threatening obtained it; flushed with success, and not yet contented, she within a fortnight after asked for the like sum, which James at that time happened not to have in the house; however, still fearful and cautious of a discovery, she let her have five pounds. The supposed wife of James How now died, and the conscionable Mrs. Bentley thought of some scheme to enlarge her plunder. For this purpose she got two fellows to execute her plan; the one a mulatto, who was to pass for one of Justice Feilding's men, the other to be equipped with a short pocket staff, and to act as constable. In these characters they came to the White Horse, and inquired for Mr. How, who answered to the name; they told her that they came from Justice Fielding to take her into custody for a robbery thirty-four years ago, and moreover that she was a woman. Terrified to the greatest degree on account of her sex, though conscious of her innocence in regard to the robbery, an intimate acquaintance, one Mr. Williams, a pawnbroker, happening to be passing by, she called to him, and told him the business those two men came about, and withal added this declaration to Mr. Williams,- "I am really a woman, but innocent of their charge." On this sincere confession, he told her she should not be carried to Feilding, but go before her own bench of justices; that he was obliged to just step home, but would be back in five minutes. At his departure, the two fellows threatened James How, but at the same time told her, that if she would give them £100, they would trouble her no more; if not, she would be hanged in sixteen days, and they should have forty pounds a-piece for hanging her. Notwithstanding these threatenings she would not give them the money, waiting with impatience till the return of Mr. Williams; on her denial, they immediately forced her out, and took her near the fields, still using the same threats; adding, with imprecations, “Had you not better give us the £100 than be hanged?" After awhile they got her through the fields, and brought her to Garlick Hill to the house of the identical Mrs. Bentley, where with threats they got her to give a draft on Mr. Williams to Bentley, payable in a short time; which when they had obtained they let her go. Williams came back punctual to his promise, and was surprised to find her gone. He immediately went to the bench of justices to see if she was there, and not finding her, went to Sir John Fielding's, and not succeeding, came back, when James soon after returned; she related to him all that had passed. The discovery was now public. On Monday, July 14, 1766, Mrs. Bentley came to Mr. Williams with the draft, to know if he would pay it, being due the Wednesday after. He told her if she appeared with it when due, he should know better what to say. In the meantime, he applied to the bench of justices for advice, and Wednesday being come, they sent a constable with others to be in the house. Mrs. Bentley punctually arrived for payment of the draft, bringing with her the mulatto man. Both were taken into custody, and carried to the bench of justices sitting at the Angel in Whitechapel, where Mr. Williams attended with James How, dressed in the proper habit of her sex, now again under her real name of Mary East. The alteration of her dress from that of a man to that of a woman seemed so great, that, together with her awkward behavior in her new-assumed habit, it caused much diversion. In the course of examination Mrs. Bentley denied sending for the £100. The mulatto declared likewise, if she had not sent him for it he should never have gone. In short, they so contradicted each other, that they discovered the whole villainy of their designs. In regard to the £10 which Bentley had before obtained, she in her defence urged that Mary East had sent it to her. After the strongest proof of their extortion and assault, they were denied any bail, and both committed to Clerkenwell Bridewell, to be tried for the offence. The other man made off, and was not afterwards heard of. At the following session, Bentley and the mulatto, whose name was William Barwick, were tried for defrauding the female husband of money, and were convicted; when they were sentenced to four years' imprisonment, and to stand four times in the pillory. During the whole time of their living together as man and wife, which was thirty-four years, Mary East and her ally were held in good credit and esteem, having during this time traded for many thousand pounds, and been to a day punctual in their payments. They had also, by honest means, saved up between £4000 and £5000. It is remarkable that it was never observed that they dressed a joint of meat in their whole lives, nor ever had any meetings or the like at their house. They never kept either maid or boy; but Mary East, the pseudo James How, always used to draw beer, serve, fetch in, and carry out pots herself, so consistent were they in every particular. |