A Wedding Behind Bars
Facing a federal trial for alleged human trafficking, a Walla Walla man escapes prison by marrying his accuser in a startling turn of events.
Alexander Fanchant and Blanch Maclez were united in marriage by Justice T. H. Cann on Friday night in Seattle, ending a bitter federal prosecution. Fanchant had been arrested on charges brought by Miss Maclez that he had brought her to the U.S. for immoral purposes under a false promise of marriage. Fanchant had been held in the county jail for some time with bail set at $5,000. During his trial, the jury disagreed, and his attorney, Will H. Morris, facilitated an interview between the two. After speaking for five minutes, the couple realized the misunderstanding caused by third parties, and Fanchant renewed his marriage proposal. Judge Hanford dismissed the criminal case, and the couple intends to return to Walla Walla, where Fanchant is a property owner.
“The couple had not conversed for more than five minutes when it developed... that she had been made the victim of misrepresentation.”
This case highlights the intersection of early 20th-century immigration anxieties, the vulnerability of foreign-born women, and the use of the legal system to resolve private domestic disputes. It serves as a reminder of how 'morality' laws were often leveraged as tools for both protection and exploitation.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.