A Scorned Woman’s Fight for Justice in Tacoma
Mrs. Jennie Wood files a civil suit alleging her home was illegally searched and personal property seized during a controversial moral-scandal arrest.
Mrs. Jennie Wood has initiated a lawsuit for heavy damages against Assistant County Prosecuting Attorney Walter Harvey and Mrs. A. C. Little. The suit stems from a previous scandal in which Mrs. Wood was arrested at her rooms in the Mason Block on allegations of 'criminal intimacy' with A. C. Little. Mrs. Wood claims that during her arrest, officers and the minor son of Mr. Little broke into her trunk and strongbox, seizing private papers and mining stock. Despite demands for their return, Mrs. Wood asserts that the items were held back by the defendants. She argues the entire search was conducted without a warrant or legal process.
“Her apartments, she declares, were searched without the issuance of a warrant, and without process of law.”
This case highlights the weaponization of 'morality' laws in early 20th-century Washington to harass individuals and seize private property. The disregard for legal process during the 'moral crusade' remains a sobering reminder of how civic power was once used to bypass civil liberties.
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