The murder of Harvey Willow demonstrated a cultural shift during the early twentieth century. After years of marital abuse, Annie couldn’t take any more of her husband’s violent ways. Taking the idea of a “new woman” to the extreme, she arranged his murder to escape his abuse.
The public eagerly followed the trial as authorities searched for answers: had Ralph and Annie killed Harvey Willow? Why had they done it? The newspaper-reading public seemed to be hooked. The idea that it was Harvey’s wife and her lover—a salacious love triangle—only served to excite the public more. And although details about Harvey’s abuse were intriguing, they were typically used for flashy headlines or shock value. Annie’s status as a victim of domestic abuse often slipped through the cracks.
Circumstances like the ones surrounding Harvey’s murder were not uncommon in early twentieth-century United States. Annie Willow was certainly not the only woman who suffered years of domestic abuse during this time, especially since the oppression of women remained socially acceptable. Thus women took matters of abuse in the home into their own hands, not trusting the legal system to protect them. However, Annie’s harsh reality was especially hard to see thanks to the small-town excitement over a big-time murder.