Drunkenness in the Salt Lake Herald: 1880-1900

The dynamic between women, and relational to the charge of drunkenness--is a fairly important one that this section will attempt to elaborate some on--regarding the reports by the Salt Lake Herald from 1880-1900 that involved 11.75% of the cases (making the distinction of these cases, quite crucial to understand comparative to the remainder of the male offender/victim cases). In several cases, women are victims due to aggrevated assault or domestic abuse--such as in the case of one Stoker, Smith, Lessenger--all are married women, with just Smith being the victim to second-degree assault (the remainder, being subject to abuse from within a household). Four cases involved women charged with either public drunkenness, or disturbing the peace--with two of these cases (half) actually featuring a repeat offender, one Ms. Brown (no first name provided, similar to the Stoker, Smith, Lessenger cases). Brown's case is particularly interesting as it similarly showcases an intensely patriarchal understanding of drunkenness--as she is additionally charged with prostitution it is mentioned in the "Late Arrests" rearrest--and consideration of her role as a mother, potential widow as no father is mentioned (?) is not considered in her legal case and she is sentenced (in both cases) to roughly a week jailed--likely in an effort to promote 'sobriety'.

Certainly, there is an argument to be had that women involved in these cases are more seriously considered when victims to drunkenness at the hands of their partner (in the several domestic-abuse cases/assault cases mentioned)--but puzzingly, when drunken themselves, are cast in a category of disrupting the peace and 'unsual' comparative to men terms of character. The Herald reports in a way which sensationalizes the practice of women doing the same activities/vices men do by concotting a narrative of them being outside a certain engendered role, likely that of a house-maker--making anything but such seem 'deviant' or just teeming with notoriety as is evidenced by the case involving the pair of women who were arrested and fined for 'making a scene', compared to that of men. There's a certain view promoted that aligns with the 'cult of domesticity' present in Christian American values of Utah--essentially, involving the consignment for women, particularly those involved with drunkenness to 'homemaker' roles (making these women seem 'unusual').