Domestic Violence and a Locked Door
A Tacoma woman files for divorce after an alleged assault and being locked out of her own home by her husband.
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.
Lucy Holway filed suit for divorce in the superior court yesterday afternoon against Joseph T. Holway, an engineer in the employ of the city. Mrs. Holway alleges cruel treatment, stating that her husband has a violent temper and that because of his conduct she is in fear of her life. She also claims that on May 15 the defendant slapped her and ordered her out of the house, and that on May 16 he had been drinking and locked and nailed up the house so she could not enter. She asks for $100 temporary alimony and $150 attorney's fees.
“She also claims that on May 15 the defendant slapped her and ordered her out of the house, and that on May 16 he had been drinking and locked and nailed up the house so she could not enter.”
Domestic violence often remained a private matter until legal intervention, but the language used here—documenting the husband's temper, physical violence, and locking a spouse out—mirrors modern legal filings for protection orders. The reliance on the court for alimony and fees highlights the limited financial autonomy women faced in 1907 when separating from a spouse.
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