1911: Man has wife, 15, locked up – for acting like a child

In 1911, Charles H. Daly petitioned a Washington DC court, seeking to have his wife Edith institutionalised. According to Daly he married Edith in Rockville, Maryland about two years before. Since then she had conducted herself very poorly, “making faces” and being “impudent to her elders”. Attempts to restrain and discipline her had failed.

In short, Edith was behaving like a child – not unsurprisingly, since she was 15 years old:

“He has been unable to control his wife. So he haled her, gold wedding ring, marriage vows and all, before Judge De Lacy… a few days ago, and charged her with being incorrigible.”

The judge approved Charles Daly’s request and sent Edith to the House of the Good Shepherd, a reformatory for girls and young women in Burleith.

Source: Washington Times, January 19th 1911. Content on this page is © Alpha History 2019-23. Content may not be republished without our express permission. For more information please refer to our Terms of Use or contact Alpha History.