Let’s go into more depth on the experiences of Annie before 1923. Assuming that she told the police, reporters, and the jury the truth, her words show much how she was caught in patterns of living that would have been familiar to many rural women in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s. Using the newspaper clip above, we can discover a few things:
(1) When the newspaper writer reports that Annie was forced to work in the fields, he was betraying his town and professional biases. This was not news. Most rural women in the era would still have been expected to work at least part of their day in the fields. This might not have been hours upon hours of back-breaking field work, but few farm women would have been strangers to strenuous activity outside at all times of the year.
(2) The next aspect, direct physical abuse, is far more troubling. Farming men like Harvey were always within arm’s reach of heavy, sharp items that could be used as weapons. A man with a temper, like Harvey was known to be, could very well be a dangerous figure when placed near typical farm tools like hatchets. Although there was general community disapproval of domestic abuse, there was also a great reluctance to intrude on other people’s private affairs. If Annie had to live with an abusive husband who choked her and threw deadly weapons at her, there were few people in whom she could have confided.
(3) The abuse inherent in forcing his wife and kids to sleep in a cold hall suggests that Harvey’s temper might have been connected to drinking. Although by 1923 national prohibition had settled across the land, there were still plenty of opportunities to get—or make—illegal alcohol. This is the kind of behavior that would have generated community sympathy for Annie, but by keeping the abuse in the house (pushing them into the cold hall instead of, say, kicking them out of the house altogether), Harvey kept prying eyes away from his behavior.
(4) Finally, Annie’s reference to being kicked against a hot stove shows how Harvey might have used “women’s spaces” against her. Most farming husbands expected their wives and daughters to maintain the home, including cooking, washing clothes, and keeping the place warm. This was likely a old-style, cast iron cook stove, which would have been viewed by the family member’s as Annie’s “turf.” By abusing her here, in retaliation for not working out in the fields, Harvey’s behavior emphasized that there was no place for Annie to turn.