Suffragette Wives

I have a complicated family history, only one part of which is relevant to this story. Mildred, my maternal great grandmother, was given up for adoption (to her paternal aunt and uncle) because her mother Ruth, who was a suffragette in the Washington, D. C. area in the 1910s, was not considered a suitable candidate to care for her. Mildred was lucky enough to remain friends with Dorothy, someone from her childhood who stayed with her biological parents and whose mother Mary also was a suffragette. Mildred became one of the first prominent female journalists in the United States, and before Ruth died she reconnected with her and in a combination of long hand and the use of a 1930s vintage Underwood typewriter, transcribed Ruth's story of the suffragette movement in the United States. After that Mildred met with Mary and also transcribed her story.

I recently came across Mildred's accounts which - for reasons apparently known only to her - were never published, nor in fact even known to other members of my family. Only after the recent death of my maternal grandmother when we were cleaning out her attic did I come across an old dusty box that contained what I considered treasures. At the top of the box were love letters between my great grandmother and great grandfather, and at the bottom were Mildred's transcriptions of the history of suffragettes Ruth and Mary.

Since the sheets of paper the transcriptions were on were yellowed and almost brittle, I carefully copied each page by hand (no automatic feed) on a high resolution modern photocopier, and started reading the copy. I was so enthralled by what I read I almost couldn't put it down. Only complaints from my husband and children got me away from the intrigue found in those precious documents.

When I completed reading everything for the second time I realized that I had to do something with the information I found in them. The pain, trauma, and anguish the suffragettes went through was not found in any history textbook that I had been ever exposed to during my education, and I was shocked that the travails they underwent are so underappreciated by modern women and men.

This site is not the proper forum for a complete re-telling of the entire history of Ruth's and Mary's experiences, but is the place where one small part of it may be appreciated, a part that - according to Mildred - was never widely reported in the day and might have been lost to history. Here is my recitation, in my words, of part of Mildred's transcriptions.

**************

The National American Woman Suffrage Association ("NAWSA") was formed in 1890. The organization used various techniques to promote the right for women to vote and was successful in first getting Utah and Idaho to grant women the right to vote, and starting in 1910 got seven other western states to do the same. Things were not progressing with due deliberate speed for the right to vote in national elections, however, and a splinter group called the National Women's Party ("NWP") was formed. The NWP adopted techniques that were intended to gain publicity and were much more radical than those employed by the NAWSA, including hunger strikes and picketing of the White House.

Ruth and Mary both grew up in the Washington, D. C. area. Their families were a little more enlightened than was normal at the time, and although neither of their mothers were members of the NAWSA they instilled in their daughters the desire to gain the vote so that they could become fully contributing members of society.

In 1908 Ruth married John Tipton and in 1909 Mary married William Barnes. Both Mildred and Dorothy were born in 1910 and became friends when their mothers began work on their common cause of suffrage.

John was a traditional male who loved Ruth in spite of her radical ideas about giving women the right to vote, but did everything he could to dissuade her. William, an attorney, was sympathetic to Mary's quest and provided moral and financial support, when she and Ruth joined the NWP in 1916.

The circumstances of Ruth's marriage to John became relevant to the story when an old flame of Ruth's, Peter Vandermere, returned from service in the Army prior to WWI. Peter had been infatuated with Ruth since the time that they first met when they were only twelve or thirteen years old. While Ruth had feelings for Peter too, given the strict moral codes of the day they, especially Ruth, were hesitant to reveal their feelings. Apparently Peter became frustrated and joined the army at age eighteen and despite his final adult size - "He was the largest man I had ever seen up to that point in time," according to Ruth - he ultimately became a sniper. In fact Peter told Ruth that he had grown six inches and put on 30 pounds in the army and seemed twice as large as the average sniper.

Ruth and Peter met by chance one day after she had been demonstrating at the White House in 2017. Although hopes of a romantic relationship seemed remote, Peter was intrigued by Ruth's support for suffrage and they went to a drugstore and had coffee together. There was sexual tension between them but neither was likely to act upon it, although they did become friends and saw each other for a few hours almost every week.

The NWP started essentially daily picketing of the White House starting on January 10, 2017 hoping to get President Woodrow Wilson to change his opposition to women's suffrage. Both Ruth and Mary participated at least once a week, and it was usually after the picketing that Ruth would meet Peter for coffee, or simply to walk together around the Washington D. C. mall or city parks. Picketers were not popular with some of the male population, and on several occasions were done physical harm and/or their placards were destroyed. Mary was knocked to the ground on at least two occasions.

Near the end of March, 2017, a day that Ruth was picketing, Peter was waiting for her in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House when a group of men started harassing the picketers. One unruly guy yanked Ruth's placard out of her hands and stomped it on the ground, and pushed Ruth into the White House fence when she attempted to stop him. According to Ruth, Peter suddenly appeared out of nowhere and knocked the guy unconscious with one blow.

The guy's friends tended to him and then started getting belligerent. Peter pushed the ostensible leader to the ground and then growled at the half dozen men in front of him "I won't be able to take you all, but I guarantee you that at least two of you will be either dead or in the hospital for a month; who's it gonna be?"

After some posturing and swearing the half dozen miscreants got their unconscious friend up and helped him leave with them with only part of their dignity intact.

Ruth could barely contain herself as she ran up to Peter and gave him a big hug, and the picketers all thanked him. Peter went back to the park while Ruth picketed for another half hour and then she joined him for coffee, and got home in time to greet Mildred after school.

When the U. S. entered WWI on April 6, 2017, the NWP put more pressure on Wilson to support their right to vote. There was more abuse from anti-protestors who felt the women were somehow being unpatriotic for picketing in time of war. However rather than deterring them, that caused the women of the NWP to ramp up the pressure even more.

On June 20, 1917, as a delegation of Russian diplomats was driving to meet Wilson, NWP co-founder Lucy Burns took up her position on the sidewalk in front of the White House entry gate. Between them Lucy Burns and Mary Barnes help up a large banner with perhaps the most provocative message yet. It was addressed "To the Envoys of Russia." The banner accused President Woodrow Wilson of deceiving the Russians when he claimed that the two countries were fighting to preserve democracy. "We, the Women of America, tell you that America is not a democracy," the banner read. "Twenty million American Women are denied the right to vote. President Wilson is the chief opponent of their national enfranchisement." The Russian delegation saw the banner as their car passed through the White House gate on their way to meet with the president.

Apparently Wilson was highly embarrassed by the banner - which according to press reports the Russians asked him about - and things got more difficult for the picketers. That started a series of arrests. Over the ensuing months more than 150 women were arrested for the heinous offense of blocking the sidewalk, including the less than gentle arrest of ten suffragettes on August 28, Mary and Ruth included.

John was getting less and less tolerant of Ruth's activities and basically complained that it was woman's work to care for their child Mildred, which she could not do if she was spending a night in the D. C. jail. John and Ruth's relationship started to falter. Peter continued to remain supportive, however, and since he worked near the White House made it a point to visit with Ruth for at least a short period of time every day that she was picketing.

It was less than three months after the August 28 arrest when the lives of Ruth and John Tipton, Mary and William Barnes, and Peter Vandermere, changed forever. On November 14, 2017, thirty three suffragettes, including Ruth and Mary, were inhumanely arrested and taken to the Occoquan Workhouse in Northern Virginia, supposedly to serve thirty day sentences. In what became known as the "Night of Terror" the women were brutally beaten by male guards at the Workhouse. Some women suffered permanent injuries, all were traumatized - merely because they sought a basic right that should have been given to them from the start of the democracy.

William, being an attorney, was able to visit Mary the next day and she related the atrocities to him. William immediately went to the press, and filed a habeas corpus petition with the criminal court in D. C. on behalf of all thirty three women. While William was fighting for Mary John refused to even see Ruth and complained to anyone who would listen how he was being inconvenienced by her prison stay. Peter, upon reading the press accounts, was incensed, and went to see Ruth the very day that he read about the mistreatment.

When Peter saw Ruth she had bruises visible at all exposed portions of her body, including her forehead, right eye, left cheek, and both hands. He had to use all of his willpower to refrain from going ballistic and attacking guards right then. Ruth got him to calm down but only by telling him what she knew about the guards that has participated in the beatings. She knew that the superintendent William Whittaker was the person who ordered the beatings, but knew the full name of only one of the guards who most relished the attack, James Simpson. She knew from her observations and what other suffragettes told her that his best buddies, who also enjoyed the thrashings, were Robert and Joseph, last names not known.

Peter kissed Ruth's hand as he left, promising action. "Don't get yourself in trouble on my account," were her words to him as he left, obviously with an outward change in demeanor as she saw him chat with two guards on his way out.

As Ruth and Mary suffered under harsh conditions in the cold workhouse, on smelly thin mattresses in unheated rooms, and almost inedible food, they had little contact with the outside world except for William's visits. Ruth was distressed that John never came to see her, and didn't hear from Peter either - until she indirectly did three days after he visited her.

Ruth was called into the office of Superintendent Whittaker. He was in a foul mood. "What do you know about this?" he snarled, as he passed a letter over to Ruth. The single page letter was composed of words cut out from magazines and newspapers. She read it carefully. As best Ruth could recall in her interview many years later with Mildred the letter read:

"Whittaker. By now you know that James Simpson is dead and that his buddies Robert Jones and Joseph Jackson will walk with limps for the rest of their lives. In case you're too stupid to figure out why - which I already told the young lady in Simpson's car - it's to atone for their mistreatment that you ordered of the suffragettes. Let me make this clear; any more mistreatment and you, and many more of the guards, will die. No one else will get away with just limps, like Jones and Jackson. Oversee your actions accordingly."

Ruth had noticed a hubbub among the guards earlier that day but didn't know what it was about; now she did. She did recognize the words "atone" and "oversee" as words that someone she knew often used, and were not normal lexicon for the time.

"Is Mr. Simpson dead?" Ruth gasped after reading the missive.

"He was shot by a sniper while driving his car home from work with Jones, Jackson, and one of our nurses, Samantha Boone, in his car. He was shot in the head; his car crashed and then a big man on a motorcycle wearing a mask drove up. Fortunately Nurse Boone was not seriously injured and reported what happened next. The big man swore at Jones and Jackson, punched them, called them cowards for beating women, and then shot each of them in the right knee with what Jones believes was an M1903 Springfield sniper rifle. He then merely said 'Good-day ma'am to Nurse Boone' as he handed her this letter and took off on his motorcycle. You know anything about that Mrs. Tipton? If you do your sentence could be vacated immediately."

"No...no...no...I don't." Ruth stammered. "I would help if I could; that's horrible; those poor men and their families and I'm sure that Nurse Boone is traumatized."

Since the first criminal trial where fingerprints were used was not until December, 2018, whoever the author of the letter was had no concern about being identified from forensic examination of the document.

While Ruth expressed sympathy for the guards and Nurse Boone that was not what she was really thinking. She knew a big man who had a sniper rifle and a motorcycle who was angry and heroic enough to do this, but of course she would never identify Peter.

After a few more questions by Whittaker and sympathetic but unhelpful answers from Ruth, the interrogation was concluded.

Apparently several other suffragettes in the workhouse were grilled in the same manner as Ruth had been. Unlike Ruth none of them had even the slightest inkling of who might be responsible. Ruth, after swearing her to secrecy, shared her insight with Mary, but no one else.

No one knows for sure whether it was the court action (although there was not yet a decision in discussions with William the prosecutor seemed amenable to dropping the charges) by William, or the killing and crippling of the three guards, or both, that were responsible for the quick action, but the women were released two days after Ruth was questioned. During the day after Ruth's interrogation and the next two days before their release, the guards were unfailingly polite to all thirty three suffragettes, and their environmental conditions improved dramatically.

Surprisingly, after they were released Ruth and Mary could find nothing about the killing and maiming of the three guards reported anywhere. After discussing it between themselves they came to the conclusion that the prison system was suppressing that information for a number of possible reasons. A week after their release an article finally appeared in a minor newspaper imputing the killing of James Simpson to a revenge killing by a now-released male inmate at a prison Simpson used to work at. Ruth and Mary knew differently.

*************

Apparently Mildred had a very difficult time in getting the following information from Ruth, and Mary corroborated it only after Mildred assured her that she already knew about it from her interview of Ruth.

After Ruth's release from prison her relationship with John deteriorated even more. She refused to give up the fight of the NWP. At the same time her feelings for Peter swelled within her bosom. On a weekend that John went out of town Ruth brought Mildred to Mary's house and asked Mary to watch over her Friday and Saturday nights, and most of the day on Sunday. Mary readily agreed.

Early Friday evening Ruth showed up at Peter's apartment. He was surprised, but happy, to see her. "What brings you to my abode, lovely lady?" he inquired with a smile.

Ruth approached Peter, got up on her tiptoes, and gave him a kiss that would have been inappropriate for a married woman to give a single man at any time, let alone in 1917. "I want to thank you for getting me and the other suffragettes released from prison and changing the way we were treated before our release," she smiled.

"I...I...don't know what you are talking about," Peter deferred as he blushed.

With a wicked grin and snuggling up to him Ruth said "Your secret is safe with me, Peter. We needed a champion and you and William - each in your own way - came through for us. I want to reward you for your chivalry."

With that, carrying out the most unladylike maneuvers in her life, Ruth slowly removed her full length coat, then provocatively removed the tunic over her ankle length dress, then in an even more stimulating manner removed her dress. By that point in time Peter's eyes were as large as baseballs and his pants were tented.

Ruth never wore a corset, even when they were popular let alone after they started going out of style by 1917, so her only remaining items of clothing, besides her boots (worn in inclement weather) were a slip fastened at the waist, and her recently popular "handkerchief bra." "I would really like it if you would remove the rest of my clothing," Ruth purred as she sashayed up to Peter.

Poor Peter was at a loss for words, and had no clue exactly what to do. After Ruth moved his hands to her breasts, however, he got with the program and gently removed Ruth's bra, luxuriating in the aura of her hard prominent nipples. "You can touch Peter - please," Ruth stated as she stared into his eyes. Peter massaged her breasts while she moaned in pleasure until she gently moved his hands down to her waist and he lowered her slip while on his knees, his face coming into close proximity with her moist vagina.

Ruth was too embarrassed to describe the details of the ensuing 48 hours to her daughter Mildred, but among her comments there were the following:

-"Peter was a big man all over - not just his torso - I was surprised, but very pleased, that I could accommodate him."

-"I was much more sexually gratified than at any other time in my life."

-"I was surprised that a penis could produce so much seminal fluid."

-"It was the only time that I ever had a penis in my mouth."

-"I walked bowlegged from Sunday afternoon until Wednesday morning."

**************

While the weekend with Peter was the highlight of her personal life, and while things started going well on the right-to-vote front, Ruth's personal life started going downhill.

As a result of the activities of both the NWP and the NAWSA, the continuous press reports of the horrific Night of Terror, and subsequent lawsuits including the one brought by William, in January, 2018, President Wilson finally capitulated and supported the Nineteenth Amendment giving women the right to vote. With his support the Amendment passed Congress in less than two months, and by August 18, 1920 it had been ratified by the required thirty six of the forty eight states and became law. Women voted in a national election for the first time on November 2, 1920.

Ruth admitted to her husband John her liaison with Peter. Since infidelity was one of the few legally recognized reasons for divorce in 1918, John sought a divorce on those grounds. The situation regarding custody of Mildred became very contentious, with Ruth's suffragette experience severely working against her in the mind of the chauvinist male Family Court Judge. The Family Court Judge ruled that neither John nor Ruth was a suitable candidate for sole custody of Mildred causing both parties to reluctantly agree that John's sister and her husband (Mildred's paternal aunt and uncle), who were well-off financially and had three children of their own, would adopt Mildred.