The Custody Battle of Baby Augustus
A toddler causes a stir in Judge Osborn's court as separated parents spar over custody rights in a high-stakes legal drama.
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.
Baby Augustus M. Flemming, the subject of a bitter legal fight in Judge Osborn's courtroom, made the nasal, stale atmosphere of the room lively yesterday afternoon with his child-like prattle and laughter. At times, the child was in the court and, as the stern bailiffs only awaited the word of the judge to bring the youthful offender to the bar, he was sent out into the corridor with a young woman who acted as his nurse. In the courtroom, William C. Flemming and May Snyder, his divorced wife, continued to show Judge Osborn various reasons why the other was unfit to have custody of the child. Mrs. Snyder, formerly Mrs. Flemming, had obtained a divorce from her husband on the ground of cruel and inhuman treatment. After she remarried, Flemming took the child to friends, alleging his ex-wife was neglecting the baby while associating with 'loose characters.' Mrs. Snyder sued for a writ of habeas corpus, but Judge Osborn ultimately granted custody to the mother. As she left, Augustus cried out for 'Papa' until he was out of the building.
“Augustus did not seem entirely satisfied, and cried out for 'Papa' until he was out of the building.”
Custody battles in 1893 were often fought through the moral characterization of the parents—specifically targeting the mother's social associations. Today, the focus has shifted toward the 'best interests of the child,' though the stress of these courtroom confrontations remains a painful constant for Seattle families.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.