A Mother's Fight Through Three Marriages
After years of manipulation and threats, a Tacoma woman turns to the courts to reclaim her child from a former partner.
The story, cleaned up
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One of the most sensational stories brought to light by the courts in Tacoma involves an application by Mrs. Annie L. Folger, who is seeking to regain custody of her child, currently in the possession of her former partner, Edward R. Place. Mrs. Folger alleges a decade of abuse, intimidation, and deceit. In 1893, she married Henry Reidy, but after he abandoned her, she met Place in San Francisco. Place convinced her that Reidy was dead, leading them to marry, though the ceremony was later revealed to be bogus. They remarried legally in Utah, but Place continued to subject her to violence and threats, frequently using the threat of taking their child to keep her in compliance. After enduring years of homelessness and transient life, Mrs. Folger secured a divorce from Reidy and eventually from Place. Now remarried to William S. Folger, she claims that Place has no stable home for the child and is unfit for custody.
“The principal threat Place always used, she avers, was to take her child from her.”
This story highlights the extreme legal and social vulnerabilities women faced in 1903 when seeking to escape abusive relationships and maintain parental rights. The complexity of her legal struggle serves as a stark reminder of how deeply systemic power imbalances once prevented women from achieving independence or safety.
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