The Abandoned Property on Stewart Street
A divorce filing in Seattle details a life of abuse and abandonment, as a woman fights for her home and the support of 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.
Augusta Titus was a widow with seven children when she married George Titus, a widower with four children, in November 1893. Mrs. Titus filed for divorce yesterday, claiming that her husband threatened to kill her and used vile language in the presence of her children. Mrs. Titus states that while six children from their previous marriages are dependent on her for support, her husband has skipped the country. She seeks an absolute divorce, custody of the children, and ownership of her house on Stewart street, valued at $800, which she maintains is community property.
“Her recreant lord was wont to kill her and use vile and abusive language towards her in presence of her children.”
The struggle for community property and basic stability for children after a husband 'skips the country' is a scenario that remains heartbreakingly familiar in the modern family court system. Stewart Street, once the site of this woman's desperate claim to a home, is now at the heart of downtown Seattle's dense urban core.
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