Stumped by "a common stumper", 1736

[Joel S. Berson]

Unfortunately, Doug's is not a second instance; his is the same 1736
newspaper article that I cited, from the American Weekly
Mercury.  The Aug. 16  issue of the Boston Gazette that is credited
by the AMW is not extant.

Joel

At 10/13/2007 08:33 PM, Doug Wilson wrote:
>>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
>
>
>
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