A Mother’s Divorce, a Child’s Fear, and a Stepfather’s Cruelty
Maggie Entwistle asks a Seattle court to end her marriage and restore her maiden name, charging that James Entwistle threatened to abandon her unless she gave away her five-year-old daughter.
A little girl of five is made the cause of an action for divorce filed in the superior court yesterday by Maggie Entwistle, who demands a legal separation from James Entwistle. They were married in this city November 2, 1893, at which time Mrs. Entwistle was Mrs. Maggie Gordon. At that time the child, Mabel, was about three years old, and Entwistle, it is said, promised to make a good home for her and to treat her well.
It is charged, nevertheless, that soon after the marriage he commenced abusing her constantly, sometimes striking her. Entwistle is charged with having insisted that the mother give the child away or he would abandon her, and on her refusal became unbearably cruel and abusive, refusing to provide the necessaries of life. By reason of this, Mrs. Entwistle says, she was compelled to seek employment away from home.
Since May 9, 1894, they have lived apart, and now it is said, have no affection for each other. She asks for divorce and for change of name to Maggie Gordon.
The case came on for hearing before Judge Humes, but was continued for one week owing to a defect in the service of the summons.
“Entwistle is charged with having insisted that the mother give the child away or he would abandon her, and on her refusal became unbearably cruel and abusive.”
Domestic abuse and the welfare of a child sit at the center of a 19th-century Seattle divorce file, where a mother had to choose between a violent home and leaving to earn a living. The legal mechanics have changed, but the trade-offs of safety, custody and economic dependence still shape family-court cases.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.