KinSource - Tale of the Week - Russian Woman In Suffragette Role?

KinSource

Minnesota Tales

New Richland Star, July 21, 1916, p. 1

RUSSIAN WOMAN IN SUFFRAGETTE ROLE?

ALLEGED THAT HUBBY BEAT HER WHEN SHE INSISTED ON RIGHTS.

Numerous weird and blood curdling stories were wafted into town yesterday at about noon from the Andrew Crain farm northeast of here when it was reported that a near riot had occurred among the Russian workers in the beet fields. That was one story at least. Another was that one of the Russians had threatened to carve into mincemeat a babe of one of the other families, and by the time the reports had run the gauntlet and been enlarged upon in the usual fulsome manner there had been general butchery committed.

Sifted and simmered down to facts, of a reasonably authentic story, the whole trouble came about when a young Russian woman proclaimed her rights and took a stand with Carrie Chapman Catt, Inez Milholland [Boissevain], Sylvia Pankhurst and the rest. Not that the Russian lady desired the right of the ballot; that was probably farthest from her mind. She did not, however, intend to work like a man in the sugar beet fields and probably so informed her lord and master, Friend Husband. Hubby evidently is an anti, for it is alleged that he took issue with wifie in the premise of her [marital] promise to "love, honor, and obey," and forthwith, proceeded to use a cl__ on her, figuratively at least.

After the husband had administered a beating that he considered correct and proper under the circumstances word came to town of the alleged assault and Marshal Peterson went to the scene of the disagreement and requested the husband to appear in court at 2 o'clock. This he promised to do.

The result of the trial, if there was one, could not be obtained at the time we went to press.