Stumped by "a common stumper", 1736

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>Is "stumper" familiar?  A newspaper writes of a woman felon being
>transported from Newgate to Maryland in 1736, she "had receiv'd
>sentence of death for theft, and was reputed a common stumper in
>Dublin and always of ill repute, and [im]personated Mr. Buckler's
>widow, in order to [steal his ship and possessions] and defraud [his]
>real widow of his estate."
>
>In another newspaper, she is described as "a common whore in Dublin,
>and always of a very ill repute in her country."
>
>I hope this is something more interesting than a misprint for
>"strumpet".  OED2 has no plausible sense for this "stumper".

I suppose maybe it's just "strumpet" ... with misprint or otherwise.

At Early American Newspapers, I see in _American Weekly Mercury_,
19-26 Aug. 1736, "from the Boston Gazette, of Aug. 16", a comparable
passage: <<had received Sentence of Death for Theft, and was reputed
a Common Strumpet in Dublin, and always of ill repute, and personated
Mr. Buckler's Widow ...>>.

-- Doug Wilson



--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.14.9/1069 - Release Date: 10/13/2007 7:26 PM

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org