Broken Homes: A Study of Family Desertion and its Social TreatmentColcord, Joanna C. (Joanna Carver)
General
Broken Homes: A Study of Family Desertion and its Social Treatment
Colcord, Joanna C. (Joanna Carver)
Desertion and non-support
Adolph R. deserted his wife and their six little children on
September 1, 1912. He was traced to Philadelphia, but had left there
the day before the tidings reached New York. Information was
obtained from fellow-employes which led to the belief that he had
gone to Tampa, Florida. Inquiry was directed to the rabbi in that
city, but again the information was disheartening, since it
disclosed the fact that once more R. had "left the day before." The
rabbi telegraphed that the deserter had evidently gone to Lakewood,
Florida, and that he could be found in that place. Immediately the
Bureau dispatched a telegram to its representative there, only to
find that R. had merely passed through Lakewood en route to Bartow,
Florida. When the inquiry reached Bartow it was learned that R. had
left a few days before, and that he was on his way to Memphis,
Tennessee. The Jewish Charities of Memphis made investigation at the
cigar factories of that city, but reported that no person bearing
the name of R. or resembling him had been seen in their city. No
further clue to his whereabouts could be secured.
Months later R. applied to the Jewish Charities of Louisville for
transportation to New York, making an entirely false statement about
his family.
This statement was telegraphed to the Bureau and no time was lost in
securing a warrant. Louisville was notified by wire to arrest, but
again a telegram came: "Adolph R. left city. Learned from
Cigarmakers' Union headquarters he went to Cincinnati. Wire Joe
Rapp, 1316 Walnut Street, Cincinnati Union Headquarters. Man said he
was going to Cincinnati or Indianapolis. Man joined union Richmond,
Va., November 19, 1911, and reports to union in all cities." The
Desertion Bureau immediately telegraphed to Cincinnati and
Indianapolis. The United Jewish Charities of Cincinnati working
together with the labor union lost little time in effecting his
arrest.
Many theories about family desertion have suffered a change in recent
years. One of these relates to the "collusive desertion." Social workers
in training used formerly to be taught that the first place to look for
the deserter was around the corner, where he could slip back into the
house and partake of charitable bounty or, at the very least, keep close
watch of his family and return if any serious danger threatened them.
Although the collusive desertion seems to have been a frequent happening
in the past, there is almost unanimous testimony from case workers at
the present time that it is not common. "I don't come across an instance
once a year," said one case worker.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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