Amy Bock and the Western Tradition of Passing Women

Amy Bock and the western tradition of passing women JOHANNA MARY read about them in books. The Johanna Mary is a Wellington writer. tradition gave them an answer She held a PEN-Reader's Digest Fel to their problems. The knowl lowship at the Stout Research Centre edge that other women had in February-March 1994, to research passed often encouraged their cross-dressing women as background own decision to do so. for a novel. This is an edited and To locate Amy Bock within abridged version of a seminar she gave the tradition of western passing at the Stout Resea rch Centre on 27 women, I'm interested in three July, 1994. areas: motives for the disguise, mechanics of the disguise, and Amy Bock is popularly known as public reaction to it. But first the a Victorian/ Edwardian con art story of her masquerade. This is ist. She's famous for disguising a potted version of the article herself as a man and mar.rying a which was in the Otago Daily woman. This exploit was pre Times soon after her arrest: sented in the media as an outra In January 1909, Amy Bock geous anomaly, deserving the took a job as housekeeper in most sensational attention. But in Roslyn, Dunedin. The family left fact when Bock disguised herself her in charge while they went on as a man she was part of a tradition that stretches holiday. She then pawned their furniture and disap back centuries. peared. The police could find no trace. A few days When white settlers colonised New Zealand, one later, a small man in a grey suit, with luggage in of the more underground and obscure traditions they cluding a dress basket, came to the door of a board brought was that of cross-dressing women. Women ing house in York Place. His name was Percy Red who disguised themselves as men, lived as men, and wood, and he needed accommodation. He said he convinced the world that they were men. In current was a clerk, holidaying because of ill-health. He had argot, they 'passed' as men. From now on, I'll call a warm, generous personality and soon became them 'passing women'. popular with the landlady and all the boarders. He We can get a fairly good idea of why some women seemed well-off, and spent money lavishly. took on a male role. Some motives crop up time and After three weeks he visited Port Molyneux, time again: to work as a man and receive male rates where he said his aunt lived. He asked his landlady of pay; to escape the restrictions and poor status of a to save his room while he was gone, as some rela female life; to fight a war; to marry or form a roman tives and friends would soon be in Dunedin and tic relationship with another woman; to join a male might want it. He left behind the dress basket, say lover who has gone to sea or to war; to escape from ing it contained clothes belonging to his aunt. After a hated husband or parent; for safety when travel a week he returned, the victim of a catastrophe. He ling; as a criminal disguise; and finally what would said he'd been fishing and, while hauling in a large today be cailed transsexualism, or gender dyspho ria. Some women seem to have genuinely felt they OPPOSITE: While masquerading as Percy Redwood, Amy should have been men or actually were men. Back had a professional photographer take some portraits of What linked all these women was the tradition, her. When the media storm over the masquerade blew up, passed down through the centuries. Most passing the photographer- Cecil Wright Pattillo- moved swiftly to women had heard of others who'd done so. Many copyright them. had been told about passing women by friends, had ABOVE: One of the many postcards that were sold to heard them sung about in ballads and folk songs, or capitalise on interest in Back's masquerade. 18 NEW ZEALAND STUDIES NOVEMBER 1995 groper, had accidentally let his pocketbook fall from basket included hair cut from a woman's head. They his coat into the water. It sunk, containing all his told the police. cash. He'd found a diver who would recover it, but The Otago Daily Times concluded its story in true only for cash up front. So the landlady's sister lent Sherlock Holmes style: him £41 -all her savings. 'By Jove!' suddenly cried Detective Hunt, 'I wonder Percy returned to Port Molyneux, where he if it's Amy!' 'I believe it is', said Detective Herbert. boarded at the house of a respected family the ... Detective Hunt drove to Port Molyneux .... Mr Red Ottaways. Debonair, well wood was called and came down dressed, the son of a wealthy the stairs cQolly smoking a pipe. mother in Hamilton, Percy was Detective Hunt and the long-lost liked by everyone. He courted and much-wanted Amy Bock the Ottaways' daughter Agnes, were not by any means unknown to each other. and proposed. Agnes accepted. 'The game's up, Amy', said the of Mrs Ottaway received letters ficer. from Percy's mother confirming Amy Bock had probably heard his good background and finan of other passing women. Perhaps cial status, and saying she and they influenced her decision to Percy' s brothers and sisters pass. Newspapers in 1909 specu would attend the wedding. lated wildly over her motives. Preparations began and Percy New Zealand Truth reported that used further clever ruses to bor several years earlier Back was a row more money from various friend and patron of Pollard's Ju sources. But soon his many credi venile Opera Company. Truth tors started to check up on him said it was probably seeing how and become anxious. By 20 April, well the girls in the company the eve of his wedding, he was acted boy parts that gave Back barely managing to placate them. the idea of donning male attire. The big day dawned. Many It was also reported that Back had once said she guests arrived, including the local MP. A lavish feast was tired of defrauding men, as they were too easy, had been prepared, and the ceremony was to be whereas women were much harder to deceive. The elaborate. papers inferred that the novelty of deceiving one of But where was Percy Redwood's family? Percy her own sex into a marriage ceremony very much said he couldn't understand it, but perhaps it was appealed to her. because his sister was getting married in Auckland A Mrs Buxton, at whose place Back stayed in the same day, and his relatives had decided to go to 1902, seven years before her masquerade, told a story her wedding instead. Someone stood in for his which was then reported in the Otago Witness of 5 brother as groomsman, and the ceremony proceeded. May 1909. She and Back were in town one evening, Sure enough a letter of apology from Percy's mother when Back saw a man's ready-made suit in a shop was later read out, confirming Percy's explanation. window, of a size that would just about fit her. She But guests were now talking, comparing notes about told Mrs Buxton a heart-rending story about a poor their experiences with Percy Redwood. They were youth in Invercargill who needed such a suit. She gossiping about his debts, wondering about the ab said it was just about the right size for him, and sence of his rich family, and becoming suspicious. wanted to buy it. After the wedding the Ottaways, also apprehen The implicaticn is that Back was fabricating the sive, challenged Percy as to his monetary resources. story of the poor youth. It certainly sounds like one He said his mother would be there in a week, and of these, which were full of poor, luckless people would sort out all his financial problems. So the she wanted to help out. If Mrs Buxton's anecdote is Ottaways gave him a week's grace. He was to stay in true, it suggests that Back had at least considered Port Molyneux, and, until he paid his debts, ' his passing as a man, years before her stint as Percy wife would be a wife in name only'. Redwood. Meanwhile two of Percy's acquaintances discov A combination of motives is possible for Back's ered that the address he'd given for his mother was masquerade. The most obvious is criminal disguise. fraudulent. Then, enquiring about possessions he left She was already a convicted criminal who had used at his last boarding house, they found that the dress NEW ZEALAND STUDIES NOVEMBER 1995 19 aliases and disguises (previously all female). This This apparently explained why for a man he was so must have facilitated her decision to pass. We can frail looking, and soft spoken. It was also an excuse also guess that she enjoyed living with male privi for him to avoid going outside. When he had to go leges and independence. And she apparently had into town a taxi chauffeured him everywhere, pre relationships with women. In her book Out Front sumably so as he wouldn't run into anyone who Julie Glamuzina says that later in her life Amy Back might recognise him as Amy Back. lived with a woman for No evidence suggests many years. Although I that Agnes Ottaway knew don't think wanting to have Percy was a woman.

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