Adventures of Mr. X. - X. - The secret of a corrupt politician
...X. was a New York City bail bondsman and Tammany Hall politician born in Govan, Scotland. He spent his days at Jefferson Market Police Court furnishing bonds for prisoners and his nights at various saloons around the city, playing poker and guzzling whiskey and plotting against Republicans, wisps of cigar smoke fogging his face. Get him drunk enough and he turned his thoughts inward, offered small glimpses of his private self. How he loathed his first wife and missed his second, the latter dead now for nearly two years; they had adopted a daughter and raised her together, a smart girl of twenty-two who shared his quick temper. Get him drunker still and he reversed course, turning outward again, flirting with any woman who passed. His long, tapered hands had the grip of a giant’s.
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/history/2011/07/the-mystery-of-murray-hall
...Early left an orphan, on the death of the only brother, X. put on this brother's clothes and went to Edinburgh. X.'s secret was discovered during an illness, and X. went to America. He was known to hundreds of people in the Thirteenth Senatorial District, where X. figured quite prominently as a politician. In a limited circle X. had a reputation as a "man about town," a bon vivant, and all around "good fellow." X. was a member of the General Committee of Tammany Hall, a member of the Iroquois Club, a personal friend of State Senator "Barney" Martin and other officials, and one of the most active Tammany workers in the district. X. exercised considerable political influence with Tammany Hall, often securing appointments for friends who have proved their fealty to the organization.
...X. played poker at the clubs with city and State officials and politicians who flatter themselves on their cleverness and perspicacity, drank whisky and wine and smoked the regulation "big black cigar" with the apparent relish and gusto of the real man-about-town.
...X. often befriended unfortunates for a consideration, and was doing a profitable business until, on one occasion, he qualified in a sum that aroused the Court's suspicion. X. was arrested after attending a meeting at the Iroquois Club one night and locked up in the Macdougal Street Station, but didn't stay long. On the way to the station the policeman who had the prisoner in charge accepted an invitation to step into Skelly's saloon, at Tenth Street and Greenwich Avenue. They had several drinks, for which X. paid. In the meantime Skelly had sent out for several politicians, who accompanied the officer and his prisoner to the station house. Skelly furnished a bond and X. was released. The party returned to Skelly's and had more drinks. X. refused to go home, and started in to whip Policeman O'Connor, who tried to arrest him, and succeeded in putting a storm cloud draping under the officer's eye before X. was handcuffed. X. was finally returned to the station house two hours from the time of the first arrest, locked up, and kept over night. Next day his political friends "squared it," and X. was released.
...The discovery was not made until X. was cold in death and beyond the chance of suffering humiliation from exposure. X. had been suffering from a cancer in the left breast for several years, as Dr. William C. Gallagher of 302 West Twelfth Street, who attended X., discovered; but X. abjured medical advice for fear of disclosing her sex, and treated herself. When she felt that life was at a low ebb she sent for Dr. Gallagher, the awful fear of exposure being supplanted by the dread of death. He made an examination and found that the cancer had eaten its way almost to the heart, and that it was a matter of only a few days, when death must ensue. In years gone by, X. had purchased volume after volume of works on surgery and medicine until she possessed a good medical library. Those books were studied, and the knowledge gleaned, no doubt, served to a good purpose in avoiding detection.
...X. was made famous upon his death in 1901, when it was revealed that he had been a female-bodied person living as a man. X. "passed" as a man for nearly 25 years. http://outhistory.org/wiki/New_York_Times:_death_of_Murray_Hall,_January_19,_1901
...One of X.’s old nemeses, Abraham Gruber, Republican leader of the 17th Assembly District, quipped that there should be a law requiring Tammany captains to “wear whiskers” so no woman could ever cast a ballot again. “You Tammany fellows are a very clever lot,” added State Senator John Raines. “I don’t wonder you pull such an overwhelming vote down there, when you can dress up the women to vote.”
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/history/2011/07/the-mystery-of-murray-hall/
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/history/2011/07/the-mystery-of-murray-hall
...Early left an orphan, on the death of the only brother, X. put on this brother's clothes and went to Edinburgh. X.'s secret was discovered during an illness, and X. went to America. He was known to hundreds of people in the Thirteenth Senatorial District, where X. figured quite prominently as a politician. In a limited circle X. had a reputation as a "man about town," a bon vivant, and all around "good fellow." X. was a member of the General Committee of Tammany Hall, a member of the Iroquois Club, a personal friend of State Senator "Barney" Martin and other officials, and one of the most active Tammany workers in the district. X. exercised considerable political influence with Tammany Hall, often securing appointments for friends who have proved their fealty to the organization.
...X. played poker at the clubs with city and State officials and politicians who flatter themselves on their cleverness and perspicacity, drank whisky and wine and smoked the regulation "big black cigar" with the apparent relish and gusto of the real man-about-town.
...X. often befriended unfortunates for a consideration, and was doing a profitable business until, on one occasion, he qualified in a sum that aroused the Court's suspicion. X. was arrested after attending a meeting at the Iroquois Club one night and locked up in the Macdougal Street Station, but didn't stay long. On the way to the station the policeman who had the prisoner in charge accepted an invitation to step into Skelly's saloon, at Tenth Street and Greenwich Avenue. They had several drinks, for which X. paid. In the meantime Skelly had sent out for several politicians, who accompanied the officer and his prisoner to the station house. Skelly furnished a bond and X. was released. The party returned to Skelly's and had more drinks. X. refused to go home, and started in to whip Policeman O'Connor, who tried to arrest him, and succeeded in putting a storm cloud draping under the officer's eye before X. was handcuffed. X. was finally returned to the station house two hours from the time of the first arrest, locked up, and kept over night. Next day his political friends "squared it," and X. was released.
...The discovery was not made until X. was cold in death and beyond the chance of suffering humiliation from exposure. X. had been suffering from a cancer in the left breast for several years, as Dr. William C. Gallagher of 302 West Twelfth Street, who attended X., discovered; but X. abjured medical advice for fear of disclosing her sex, and treated herself. When she felt that life was at a low ebb she sent for Dr. Gallagher, the awful fear of exposure being supplanted by the dread of death. He made an examination and found that the cancer had eaten its way almost to the heart, and that it was a matter of only a few days, when death must ensue. In years gone by, X. had purchased volume after volume of works on surgery and medicine until she possessed a good medical library. Those books were studied, and the knowledge gleaned, no doubt, served to a good purpose in avoiding detection.
...X. was made famous upon his death in 1901, when it was revealed that he had been a female-bodied person living as a man. X. "passed" as a man for nearly 25 years. http://outhistory.org/wiki/New_York_Times:_death_of_Murray_Hall,_January_19,_1901
...One of X.’s old nemeses, Abraham Gruber, Republican leader of the 17th Assembly District, quipped that there should be a law requiring Tammany captains to “wear whiskers” so no woman could ever cast a ballot again. “You Tammany fellows are a very clever lot,” added State Senator John Raines. “I don’t wonder you pull such an overwhelming vote down there, when you can dress up the women to vote.”
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/history/2011/07/the-mystery-of-murray-hall/