The Remarkable Transformation of Edith Taylor: A Journey Through the Archives
Megan searches through the archives and discovers a fascinating article from the early 20th century.
When I run out of writing ideas, I turn to my favorite digital archives for inspiration. I can spend hours browsing through old newspapers to see what was going on and what people thought about things “back then”. It surprises me how little people have changed in over a hundred years.
In my latest search of the archives, I discovered the story of a young woman who was arrested for stealing $280 from a safe. If she stole that money today, it would be worth $8,451.41. Her theft was not what made this story newsworthy, though.
Edith Taylor was addicted to laudanum, an opium tincture that was popular before the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914 severely restricted the drug’s availability. She would take copious quantities of laudanum—enough that would kill most men, according to the newspaper covering this story. She associated with “evil companions, men and women”, according to the same article. They were really playing up her troubled past.
At some point between stealing the money and her trial, she underwent a surgery that completely altered her personality. No longer did she need the laudanum, and Edith transformed into a “respectable, clean-minded, well-behaved young woman”.
At her trial, jurors debated whether or not Edith Taylor was liable for the theft, since it was a disability that was causing the behavior, and was resolved with surgery.
The jurors decided that she was criminally insane at the time of the theft, and therefore not guilty. However, they weren’t confident the change in Edith’s personality was permanent, so Edith would be required to stay in a mental institution or in the charge of a private citizen until it was established that she was no longer addicted to laudanum.
This story left me with more questions than answers, and my internet research skills didn’t turn up much besides her case and mugshot. What kind of surgery did she have? What was actually causing her problems? Did the surgery really solve what sounds like a serious opioid addiction? Did the effects of the surgery last? What happened to Edith Taylor after the trial? Was she allowed to live in a private citizen’s home, or was she forced into an institution? Did she go on to live a relatively happy life?
I have no answers to these questions.
I hope Edith Taylor lived a long, happy life. I hope she wasn’t forced into an institution; I can imagine how traumatic it would be to be forced to live somewhere against one’s will, with no freedom to go where one pleases or do what one likes.
Edith is probably long gone, but there are people who are currently incarcerated for their addictions that deserve our compassion and assistance. When addiction is treated as a moral failing instead of as a medical disorder, we end up treating people inhumanely. We can do better. We must do better.