A Lawyer's Alleged Abuse Spills into Public Court
A local dressmaker sues for divorce, claiming her husband—a lawyer addicted to drugs and alcohol—threatened her with violence and neglected their children.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mrs. Mary Ann Isham brought suit for divorce yesterday from Alfred E. Isham, a lawyer of this city, charging cruelty and neglect. According to her complaint, they were married in Walla Walla, and four children have been born to them. She alleges that her husband has refused support for herself and the children with the exception of some very small sums. She alleges that he is addicted to the use of intoxicating liquors and morphine and while under their influence has made life a burden to her. She is a dressmaker by vocation, and his persecutions have kept her from attending to business properly. She says he has not only struck her with his fist and with a cane, but has gone so far as to call her vile names in the presence of her children and others. She charges that on the night of July 1, she was compelled to lock herself and the children in the bedroom to escape his violence. She asked for a decree of divorce, custody of her children, and $100 alimony a month. Judge Humes issued a temporary restraining order.
“She is a dressmaker by vocation and his persecutions have kept her from attending to business properly.”
Divorce and restraining orders remain critical mechanisms for survivors of domestic violence in Seattle. While the legal language has shifted from 'cruelty' to 'domestic violence' protection orders, the struggle for safety and economic independence for single mothers persists as a core civic issue.
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