Left to Fend for Herself
A Colfax mother files for divorce while her husband serves a five-year sentence in the Walla Walla penitentiary.
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. Alice M. Skinner has filed suit for divorce from Alfred L. Skinner. The couple were married at St. Paul, Minnesota, in May 1888. The plaintiff charges that the defendant was convicted of a felony at Colville, in Stevens County, Washington. He was sentenced on April 5, 1901, to serve five years in the penitentiary at Walla Walla, and he is currently serving that sentence. There are four children—Ella, 11; Harry, 13; Eva, 11; and Ivy, 7. The plaintiff states she has supported the children entirely since her husband’s incarceration and asks for their custody. She reports there is no community property except for $100 in household goods she purchased with her own earnings.
“The plaintiff says she has supported them since the incarceration of her husband... and she asks their custody.”
Divorce and separation during incarceration remain a quiet but significant reality for many families. This case highlights the gendered burden of 'community property' and family maintenance that has persisted in the legal system for over a century.
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