Charley Cole creates a sensation, 1857 & 1859

“A Female in Disguise—A Stir Among the Omnibus Folks.” Chicago Tribune [Chicago, Illinois] 29 July 1857; p. 1.

Mr. C— is the well known confidential clerk of an Omnibus Company, located in the tri-tower structure, corner of Rannolph and State streets. He is also something of a “blood,” (we use the word in a mild sense,) and is withal a favorite with the “best portion of humanity.”—About a month ago a vacancy existed in the large corps of passenger agents of the Company, and Mr. C— introduced to the notice of his employers, a young person, Charley H—, who, through C—’s influence, readily secured the vacant situation. Charley was apparently not over eighteen years of age, quite handsome, remarkably intelligent, and decidedly “peert,” as a hoosier would express it. Charley smoked cigars and took his “regular nips,” very much as other bloods do, and could swear a round oath as lustily as the fastest of his companions, with whom he speedily became a favorite, and who unanimously voted him a regular brick. Charley performed the duties appertaining to his situation with remarkable promptness and fidelity, and soon won the good opinion of his employers. It is true, that on two occasions he “got on a tare” with his particular friends, but as he escaped all watch house experiences, and did not so overload his hat as to render locomotion decidedly inconvenient, these little indiscretions were kindly overlooked by his employers. Charley was get[t]ing along finely, and his intimate friend C— was not backward in sounding his praises in the right quarter and had he been content to shine in male society might become—but we are anticipating. Both C—and Charley H—boarded at the F— House. Charley determined to become acquainted with the lady boarders, and of course succeeded. Here was Charley’s first great blunder. He ought to have known how much shrewder women are th[a]n men in detecting the real character of those they come in contact with. Charley’s secret was soon out, and the boarders in the F— House, his “fast” friends and his employers were astonished to learn that Charley was a—woman, yes a veritable woman in man’s apparel. This discovery was made on Monday evening and Charley, in her own proper garments—crinoline, and all, was on her way to St. Louis before midnight. Those who ride on the Chicago, St. Paul and Fon du Lac Railroad, need not be surprised, after reading this item, that they miss the pleasant smiles and quiet “Stop at a hotel, sir?[”] of the handsome young omnibus agent. It was only a short time before Charley had urgent business in St. Louis, that the following dialogue took place at the depot between a passenger and our hero, or rather heroine:—Passenger, “Here, boy, be sure my valise goes up to the hotel.” Charley—(indignantly)—”Boy! who do you call a boy? If you call me a boy I’d like to know where you’d find the men.” This is no fancy sketch, but an “o’er true tale” as more than one person can attest.

“Charlie Cole.” Weekly Pantagraph [Bloomington, Illinois] 9 December 1857; p. 3.

On Thursday evening last a good-looking young man, who registered his name as Charlie Cole, put up at the Landon House. He made several acquaintances in the different saloons on Friday and Saturday, and the readiness with which he imbibed brandy smashes, gin slings, whiskey punches, &c., proved him to be one of the fastest youths outside of Chicago. On Friday evening he attended a concert in College Hall, and he looked so much like a “nice young man” that those who saw him there had no idea that he was anything more or less than he pretended to be. On Sunday evening he took tea at a hotel on Front street, and when he left the table he concluded to have a little sport with those who were busily engaged with their tea and toast. By some hocus pocus only known to himself, he released his hair from its fastenings, and satisfied those who were watching him attentively that he was sailing under false colors. Some of the ladies at the supper table, we are informed, were so surprised to learn that Charlie was a woman, that they made a rapid retreat from the dining room; but it is possible that their exit was caused more by Charlie’s malicious laugh, which followed their astonishment, than it was by his appearance. Soon after her exploit at the tea table, Charlie heard that Marshal Briscoe was after her, so she thought it was high time to emigrate to some place where she was not so well known. She is said by some to have left on the train which passed here between twelve and one o’clock yesterday morning, while others say that she was in too much of a hurry to wait for the arrival of the cars. She stopped at one of the hotels in this city about a month ago—at which time she dressed in women’s clothes—and it is said that her conduct during her stay was altogether unexceptionable. Just previous to her last arrival here she lived in St. Louis; but her regular place of abode is not generally known. She was in the employ of Parmalee & Co., owners of an omnibus line in Chicago, nearly all last summer. She played her cards so well that her employers had no cause to suspect her and it is probable that she would have been engaged at this time in distributing omnibus tickets on the cars of the Chicago, St. Paul and Fon du Lac Railroad, if her sex had not been discovered by accident at the Foster House, Chicago, some weeks ago. She is known in Chicago as “Johnny.”

“A Cowhiding Affair—A Young Man Receives a Sound and Just Threshing by By a Female.” Chicago Tribune [Chicago, Illinois] 18 July 1859; p. 1.

A good looking young woman named Jenny Bronson, who acquired some notoriety about two years ago, through having acted as ticket agent on the cars for Parmelee & Co.’s Chicago Omnibus Line, who, it will be remembered, dressed in boy’s clothing for two months, without detection, walked into the Custom House, at a little after 2 P. M., on Saturday last, and catching sight of Otto Peltzer, a clerk in that institution, pulled up her veil, drew forth a raw-hide and rushed for that individual, whom she “Sumnerized” before he had time to raise from his desk. She lashed him across the face and body, while he jumped about and yelled like an Indian. He then made some resistance and struck her, but she laid the lash on to him with increased vigor, until several cuts on his face showed marks of his punishment. Parties then rushed in and separated the pair, for it is said that by this time he had succeeded in clutching or clinching his female antagonist. She then remarked, “You desired an interview with me—you have got it, and I hope you are satisfied.”

Immediately upon leaving the Custom House, she, with a friend, went to Justice Davis’ office, where at the instance of the friend, she was charged with assault and fined $6, which paid, she left the office. The cause of this affair was, that Jenny, besides being agent for Parmalee & Co., had led, for some time, a dissolute life, but recently was rapidly gaining her way into respectable walks of life, when Peltzer desired for his own carnal purpose, to bring her back to the life of a prostitute. She had a domestic’s place with a private family on State street, who liked her, when this Peltzer, who is a lame man, about twenty-one years of age, commenced to try and get her cast out on the world, and for that purpose he informed the parties of Jenny’s former history, but coloring it so as to leave no doubt in their minds that they were harboring a prostitute. The girl was also getting music lessons at the Sisters of Mercy Institute, on Wabash Avenue, by which she hoped to earn an honest living at no distant day, when Peltzer interested himself to get her turned out there. These and other facts coming to Jenny Bronson’s ear, together with a letter from this fellow desiring a personal interview, determined Jenny’s mind upon what was her duty in the premises, and she performed it.

“The Cowhiding Affair.” Chicago Tribune [Chicago, Illinois] 19 July 1859; p. 1.

Otto Peltzer, involved in the cowhiding affair at the Custom House, as detailed in our last issue, desires a retraction of such part of the statements of our reporter as charge him with an attempt to reduce the girl Bronson to her former condition of infamy. He asserts that the provocation which led to such active results was his exposure of the girl’s former character to a female friend of his, whose acquaintance she had made, and which association, for the sake of the latter merely, he desired to break off. We thus give him the benefit of his statement of his own side of the case.