The Baby Clothes War
A mother-in-law's zealous attempt to reclaim laundry leads to a glass-shattering store confrontation.
Mrs. Cohn went to Justice Caldwell yesterday for a warrant charging Mr. Autler, of 1109 Third Street, with assault and battery. The conflict occurred yesterday in Autler's store between him and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Cohn. The trouble began over a bundle of baby clothes. Mrs. Cohn claimed she had only loaned them to her daughter, while the daughter and her husband claimed they were a gift. Mrs. Cohn entered the store, and when the daughter retreated and locked herself in the back, Mrs. Cohn demanded the items. Mr. Autler claims she picked up an iron disc to strike him, while she claims he pushed her, causing her to fall through the glass door, cutting her shoulder. Mrs. Cohn was heard to say she would kill her daughter if she didn't lead a 'proper life,' adding to the domestic discord.
“Mrs. Cohn was determined to have the clothes, which she says were of fine material.”
Domestic disputes spilling over into storefronts illustrate the intensely private-yet-public nature of family life in nineteenth-century Seattle, where neighborhood social norms were policed by family members and courts alike.
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