A Disappearance in North Yakima
A local man seized his two children and fled after a bitter separation, leaving his wife and the community in the dark.
A card in the Herald over the signature of J. R. Wooley announces that in consequence of his wife having deserted his bed and board he will no longer be responsible for any debts she may contract. The card has been published for several weeks, and, in the meantime, Mrs. Wooley, with her two children, has been stopping with her sister, Mrs. J. W. Wallers. On Sunday evening last, Wooley visited the Wallers’ house, and grabbing up his two-year-old daughter jumped into his buggy and drove off. Shortly afterwards he appeared at the Methodist church and took his eldest daughter, in spite of her outcries, and carried her off. Since then neither Wooley nor the two children have been seen or heard of by the almost distracted mother. Some time ago Mr. and Mrs. Wooley agreed to a separation and divided the community property, and each were to have a child; but Wooley, it seems by his action of Sunday, was not satisfied, and as he has sold all of his belongings in Yakima, it is supposed he has skipped for good.
“Wooley, it seems by his action of Sunday, was not satisfied, and as he has sold all of his belongings in Yakima, it is supposed he has skipped for good.”
Public 'debt disavowal' notices were once a common, albeit cruel, tool used in newspapers to control a spouse's autonomy. Today, the desperation of a parent absconding with children during a custody battle remains a tragic, recurring theme in family law.
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