Court Threatens Jail Over Unpaid Alimony
A judge orders a local man to pay years of back alimony or face immediate incarceration.
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.
Judge Clifford of the superior court issued an order this morning directing Albert A. Baas to pay his divorced wife, Nettie A. Baas, the sum of $1,250 as alimony due for each month since August 1, 1906, when the decree of divorce was granted. The sheriff has been instructed to arrest Baas and lock him up if he fails to pay the alimony.
“The sheriff has been instructed to arrest Baas and lock him up if he fails to pay the alimony.”
Domestic disputes regarding financial support were handled with much greater severity through the court system, where failure to pay could land a citizen directly in the county jail. This case highlights how the courts were the primary mechanism for settling family financial obligations in the early 20th century.
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