The Violent Custody Battle for a Child
A Seattle man is acquitted of kidnapping his own daughter after a struggle with his estranged wife and a neighbor over custody.
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.
The trial of John Considine, for attempting to abduct his child from the home of his former wife, was heard before Justice Neagle. Witnesses testified that Considine called at the home where his wife was staying while she was absent. He asked to see his child, who was unwilling to go to him, but Mrs. Dudley carried her to him. Considine then asked Mrs. Dudley to dress the child to go out for candy. Mrs. Dudley refused, stating the mother had left the child in her care and that the child was ill. Considine became angry and took the child in his arms. Mrs. Dudley grasped the child and tried to prevent her being taken. Considine pulled them through the doorway and made a violent jerk which threw Mrs. Dudley and the child onto the ground, bruising the child's forehead. Considine eventually took the child to a store, gave her money, and left. The defense moved for a dismissal, which the justice granted, ruling that Considine had no intention to kidnap the child and his conduct was consistent with innocence.
“Considine became angry and said the child was his and he would have her out of the house in five minutes.”
This 1892 account of a physical struggle over child custody underscores how early legal systems often dismissed domestic violence if it was framed as a father exercising his 'right' to his child. Today, while legal frameworks have evolved, the volatility of high-conflict custody battles remains a pressing issue in family court systems.
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