100 years ago today : Mama done lost her babies
By AmberLynn
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
United States
February 26, 2021 4:45pm CST
This was borrowed from Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, February 26, 1921, Last Home Edition, Image 1 Found on chroniclingamerica.loc.gov
Translating Southern to American English : "Mama Done Lost Her Babies." Also known as, The mother of this story has lost custody of her children. See Also: Can refer to the babies going missing Or (and in much sadder cases) a miscarriage. This has been an "Amber Translates" moment.
Anyway.. 
This one was a little harder to follow and required continuing to page 8 to find out more (and the juicier) details. Apparently, the father of two boys aged 13 and 14 was slain by his second wife, the stepmother of the two boys. The birth mother was not a part of their lives and had not been for some time. The birth mother was accused of adultery and that seemed to be the grounds for the divorce. She claims that she tried to get in contact with the boys (who did not want to live with their mother) but that the door was slammed in her face when she tried to visit.
Meanwhile, the stepmother tried to petition the court for custody though she was under trial for the murder of her husband? 
I feel like we're missing part of the puzzle there. I can only relay what the article said. Custody was awarded to the "uncle" (the stepmother's brother) of the children, though the mother was apparently trying to appeal to higher courts.
What do you think of this case?
This one was a little harder to follow and required continuing to page 8 to find out more (and the juicier) details. Apparently, the father of two boys aged 13 and 14 was slain by his second wife, the stepmother of the two boys. The birth mother was not a part of their lives and had not been for some time. The birth mother was accused of adultery and that seemed to be the grounds for the divorce. She claims that she tried to get in contact with the boys (who did not want to live with their mother) but that the door was slammed in her face when she tried to visit.
Meanwhile, the stepmother tried to petition the court for custody though she was under trial for the murder of her husband? I feel like we're missing part of the puzzle there. I can only relay what the article said. Custody was awarded to the "uncle" (the stepmother's brother) of the children, though the mother was apparently trying to appeal to higher courts.
What do you think of this case?7 people like this
8 responses
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
27 Feb 21
Yes, I was thinking exactly that. I also had to wonder how true the adultery charge was. Why do I wonder that? Because I question why or if the stepmother / second wife killed the husband. I feel like that would be a crime of passion. It makes me think that the stepmother was at her limit and did the unthinkable to protect herself and her stepchildren. Too many unanswered questions.
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203396)
• Nashville, Tennessee
27 Feb 21
@ScribbledAdNauseum Many unanswered questions for sure.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
27 Feb 21
@CarolDM Sad case though. All I can hope is that the children had a good life with the "uncle".
1 person likes this
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
26 Feb 21
That sounds really messed up to me too and something is missing from it. I am in southern Indiana. Small world.
How in the world was she in the right mind to even petition the court for custody of the children, is beyond me after she committed murder. Just crazy!!!! Those poor children.
That is crazy that the uncle got custody when they are not really related.
How in the world are they ignoring the mother who wants her children?
The world and the system is so messed up! Those poor kids!!!!
1 person likes this
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
27 Feb 21
@ScribbledAdNauseum That still seems a bit crazy to me though how that woman had a right to even try to get custody unless what you mentioned to me about her not being charged just yet was true.
It seems to me like she would let the mother be a mother to them though since she wanted to be. At least give her a chance and give the children a chance to bond with their mother too.
How the man got custody is beyond me. Grandparents don't even have rights these days. It makes no sense. Weird.
1 person likes this
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
27 Feb 21
@ScribbledAdNauseum Very true. You summed it up and interpreted it pretty good to me. You are probably right in your assumption.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
27 Feb 21
@stephcjh My best guess is this :
The stepmother was probably poisoned against the first wife by her husband. He may have told her all sorts of lies because apparently even the boys did not want to go live with the mother. They had been told things about their mother their whole lives.
It gives me reason to think that the husband was abusive. This would / could explain why the stepmother inevitably murdered her husband. In those days, even if the boys had been abused, they would not have said anything about it. Even today kids aren't going to easily say they'd been abused, they just don't understand what that is.
The boys wanted to go with the man as they called him "Uncle John." One boy was even quoted as saying that they'd live with their step mother (who apparently had mothered them their whole lives) before they went with their birth mother. So the court took that into consideration I am sure.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
27 Feb 21
It is / well was definitely that.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (91297)
• United States
27 Feb 21
It sounds to me like some really nasty people wanted to have those kids
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
27 Feb 21
Yeah. I have a few theories, but I think that the "uncle" was probably the best bet for the kids.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
27 Feb 21
Very strange. Maybe the courts didn't know that the biological mom wanted the children or adultery was cause back then for removing children from families. We'd almost need to research social customs from back then to know more and then we probably still wouldn't have any clue.
So didn't the step mom go to jail for the murder of her husband is she was still trying to appeal?
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
27 Feb 21
I think the adultery had a lot to do with the judges decision. I read the second part of the article and he said that the adultery had little to do with his decision, but it makes me wonder.
The wording surrounding the step mother petitioning the court was strange. From my understanding she was or had been detained and was still petitioning the courts. I think she might have said something along the lines of "If I can't have the children then give them to my brother!" because then the article went on to describe the process of the "uncle' obtaining the kids.
The children wanted nothing to do with their birth mother and the article made it seem that the adultery happend when they were still quite young. I have a lot of questions about the slain husband too.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222417)
• United States
27 Feb 21
I think it's way too much drama for me.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
27 Feb 21
A whole bunch of drama for sure!
1 person likes this
@Tina30219 (82978)
• Onaway, Michigan
27 Feb 21
Since we don’t really know nothing about the birth mom I can’t really say but itnis weird that the uncle got custody.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
27 Feb 21
Yeah, I'm more likely to side with the birth mother though. I don't think the father was a good man, because why would the stepmother inevitably kill him?
@Chellezhere (6421)
• United States
26 Feb 21
Sounds about right for the time. I'm guessing the biological mother must not have had any living relatives who wanted the boys. Either that, or awarding them to their stepmother's brother was a way to prevent their adulterous mother from being a part of their lives.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
27 Feb 21
Maybe a little of both, but also the judge wanted to keep the boys in the local community. The mother apparently lived elsewhere.
1 person likes this
