A Glimpse of the Underworld
A judge dismisses a divorce petition after testimony reveals the couple's shared life in Tacoma saloons.
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Judge Huston dismissed the petition for divorce in the case of Wealthy Ann Baldie vs. P. H. Baldie. In doing so, the judge remarked that he was forced to go back to the belief in total depravity—a belief that he held in his earlier days. 'I dismiss the petition,' he said, 'because the guilt is common to both, the commonest kind of common. It gives a glimpse of the underworld, a glance at the seamy side of life. The only embarrassment I feel is on account of the children, and I shall see what steps can be taken to protect the two little girls.' P. H. Baldie denied the allegations, stating that his wife suggested they visit saloons together and that her drinking was the cause of their broken home.
“It gives a glimpse of the underworld, a glance at the seamy side of life.”
This case highlights the harsh moral judgment once exerted by the bench over private domestic lives, particularly regarding alcohol and gendered expectations. It offers a rare, if skewed, glimpse into the 'seamy side' of daily life in 1904 Tacoma, far from the boosterism of the city's growth machine.
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