I know we've all heard the story about how after her supposed husband was killed while working as a collier, Mary moved to Cardiff. I've always wondered about this.
My first question is about her alleged stay in an infirmary. She was a young woman and apparently healthy, yet the story goes that she spent months in the infirmary. Has anyone picked up any leads on that? Did it really happen and if so, what kind of illness did she have? Do we even have the name of this institution?
My second question--that one that has always intrigued me--is her allegation that after moving to Cardiff she went to live with "a cousin", who supposedly introduced her to prostitution. The assumption seems to be that this was a female cousin who presumably was already working the streets.
But how do we know that? If this cousin did exist, what evidence points to it being a woman? A cousin can just as easily be a male. (That's one of the frustrating things about the English language: we use the identical word, in spelling and pronunciation, regardless of a cousin's gender.) A male cousin could have introduced her to prostitution, if Mary's story is true: he could have been the one who suggested that a pretty young girl like Mary could earn easy money as a prostitute. He could have benefited from it himself, if he acted as her pimp. (I know, it's a repulsive thought, but then again how many gentlemen "rent" girls out for a profit, related or not?)
My first question is about her alleged stay in an infirmary. She was a young woman and apparently healthy, yet the story goes that she spent months in the infirmary. Has anyone picked up any leads on that? Did it really happen and if so, what kind of illness did she have? Do we even have the name of this institution?
My second question--that one that has always intrigued me--is her allegation that after moving to Cardiff she went to live with "a cousin", who supposedly introduced her to prostitution. The assumption seems to be that this was a female cousin who presumably was already working the streets.
But how do we know that? If this cousin did exist, what evidence points to it being a woman? A cousin can just as easily be a male. (That's one of the frustrating things about the English language: we use the identical word, in spelling and pronunciation, regardless of a cousin's gender.) A male cousin could have introduced her to prostitution, if Mary's story is true: he could have been the one who suggested that a pretty young girl like Mary could earn easy money as a prostitute. He could have benefited from it himself, if he acted as her pimp. (I know, it's a repulsive thought, but then again how many gentlemen "rent" girls out for a profit, related or not?)
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