A Woman’s Plea to Shed a Violent Past
A Seattle woman files for divorce and a name change, citing severe physical abuse and her husband's cruelty toward her children.
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.
Mrs. Anna C. Hattabaugh says her present name is distasteful to her because of the associations connected with it, and she asks the superior court to allow her to style herself Anna C. Scranton, and to annul the marriage tie which unites her to John S. Hattabaugh. She alleges that her husband has treated her cruelly and subjected her to such personal indignities that life has become a burden. They were married in Seattle on May 20, 1890. She claims that on March 26, 1891, her husband wrongfully accused her of adultery, then struck, beat, and kicked her, and has frequently threatened to repeat these attentions. She further alleges that he whipped her children from a former marriage with heavy rope ends and laths containing driven tacks, and that since June 1, 1890, he has failed to contribute to her support.
“She has been subjected to such personal indignities as makes life a burden to her.”
This domestic violence case offers a harrowing look at the legal hurdles women faced when trying to leave abusive marriages in the 1890s. The detail regarding the abuse of children and the necessity of a formal court petition to change a name highlights how difficult it was for victims to gain safety and anonymity during this era.
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