Yda Hillis Addis (born 1857, disappeared 1902 in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, U.S.) was the first American writer to translate
ancient Mexican oral stories and
histories
Histories or, in Latin, Historiae may refer to:
* the plural of history
* ''Histories'' (Herodotus), by Herodotus
* ''The Histories'', by Timaeus
* ''The Histories'' (Polybius), by Polybius
* ''Histories'' by Gaius Sallustius Crispus (Sallust) ...
into English, some of which she submitted to
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
-based newspaper ''
The Argonaut
''The Argonaut'' was a newspaper based in San Francisco, California from 1878 to 1956. It was founded by Frank Somers, and soon taken over by Frank M. Pixley, who built it into a highly regarded publication. Under Pixley's stewardship it was ...
''.
[ The most widely popular of her more than 100 stories are ''Roman's Romance'' and ''Roger's Luck''.][
]
Early life
Addis was born in 1857 in Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States. Part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, Leavenworth is located on the west bank of the Missouri River, on the site o ...
, and moved with her family to Chihuahua, Mexico, at the start of the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
.[ The daughter of an itinerant photographer, Alfred Shea Addis, she roamed the Western frontier and Mexican wilderness, into indigenous villages, miners' camps, and other locations, mostly in Mexico and California, assisting her father. When she was 15, Addis and her family moved to ]Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, where she graduated with the first class of Los Angeles High School
Los Angeles High School is the oldest public high school in the Southern California region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its colors are royal blue and white and the teams are called the Romans.
Los Angeles High School is a publ ...
, a graduating class of seven students.[ She also began teaching seven-year-olds.
]
Career
Fiction-writing
Addis wrote many short stories, drawn from Mexican oral sources, as well as original fiction. Her writings included ghost stories, visitations of the unseen, tragic love triangles, and stories that presaged American feminism
Feminism is aimed at defining, establishing, and defending a state of equal political, economic, cultural, and social rights for women. It has had a massive influence on American politics. Feminism in the United States is often divided chron ...
. In 1880 Addis submitted her stories of heroines, such as ''Poetic Justice'' and ''Señorita Santos'', to ''The Argonaut
''The Argonaut'' was a newspaper based in San Francisco, California from 1878 to 1956. It was founded by Frank Somers, and soon taken over by Frank M. Pixley, who built it into a highly regarded publication. Under Pixley's stewardship it was ...
'',[ a bi-monthly San Francisco journal founded by Frank M. Pixley. Soon, her work was printed in other publications such as ''The Californian'', ''The Overland Monthly'', '']Harper's Monthly
''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...
'', the San Francisco ''Chronicle
A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events ...
'' and ''Examiner
Examiner or The Examiner may refer to:
Occupations
* Bank examiner, a kind of auditor
* Examiner (Roman Catholicism), a type of office in the Roman Catholic Church
* Examinership, a concept in Irish law
* Medical examiner
* Patent examiner
* ...
'', the ''Los Angeles Herald
The ''Los Angeles Herald'' or the ''Evening Herald'' was a newspaper published in Los Angeles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1873 by Charles A. Storke, the newspaper was acquired by William Randolph Hearst in 1931. It ...
'', the ''St. Louis Dispatch
The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-Democrat' ...
'', the ''Chicago Times
The ''Chicago Times'' was a newspaper in Chicago from 1854 to 1895, when it merged with the ''Chicago Herald'', to become the ''Chicago Times-Herald''. The ''Times-Herald'' effectively disappeared in 1901 when it merged with the ''Chicago Recor ...
'', the ''Philadelphia Press
''The Philadelphia Press'' (or ''The Press'') is a defunct newspaper that was published from August 1, 1857, to October 1, 1920.
The paper was founded by John Weiss Forney. Charles Emory Smith was editor and owned a stake in the paper from 1880 ...
'', ''McClure's'' magazine, and many Mexican newspapers and periodicals.
Travel writing
When the editors of the various publications to which Addis was connected discovered that she was often going out of the country, they took advantage of the opportunity to employ her as a travel writer
The genre of travel literature or travelogue encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs.
History
Early examples of travel literature include the '' Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (generally considered ...
. Most 19th century readers were unfamiliar with her travel dispatches; her travel literature and articles have only resurfaced of late.
Personal life
Pixley introduced Addis to his good friend John G. Downey, a former governor of California
The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The Governor (United States), governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard.
Established in the Constit ...
, in his late sixties. When Downey's sisters discovered that he and Addis had become engaged, they shanghaied Downey to Ireland, leading Addis to sue for breach of promise
Breach of promise is a common-law tort, abolished in many jurisdictions. It was also called breach of contract to marry,N.Y. Civil Rights Act article 8, §§ 80-A to 84. and the remedy awarded was known as heart balm.
From at least the Middle ...
. Before the trial date, Addis left San Francisco for Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
to write for the bilingual newspaper '' Two Republics'', owned by J. Magtella Clark. When the editor, Theodore Gesterfeld, reportedly became distracted by Addis' wit and charm, the editor's wife, Ursula, sued for divorce and named Addis a co-defendant. In Gesterfeld's testimony, he admitted to committing adultery, but not with Addis.
With this unfavorable publicity, Addis left Mexico for Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...
, and began collecting material about prominent people of the area for a book of biographies to be published by Lewis Publishing Company
Edward Gardner Lewis (March 4, 1869 – August 10, 1950) was an American magazine publisher, land development promoter, and political activist. He was the founder of two planned communities that are now cities: University City, Missouri, and Atas ...
. During one of her interviews, she met Charles A. Storke, a local attorney and owner of the ''Santa Barbara News-Press
The ''Santa Barbara News-Press'' was a broadsheet newspaper based in Santa Barbara, California. It was founded in 1868 as the ''Post'' and merged with the rival ''News'' to form the ''News-Press'' in 1932. On July 21, 2023, it filed for bankrupt ...
'', whom she married shortly thereafter. Storke was reportedly attracted to Addis for her quick mind, her good social standing and her fame as a writer. Addis may have viewed Storke as a man who could offer her financial security. They were married on September 10, 1890.
Addis' history of Santa Barbara, her only book, was published in 1891. However, Addis claimed she was treated badly by both Storke and his teenage son Tommy, accusing Storke of peculiar intimate behaviors and violence toward her. Storke retaliated with a divorce complaint on the grounds that Addis was insane
Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors caused by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to other ...
. On January 24, 1894 she was involved in a trial with Cottage Hospital over the sum of $225.00 () for medical treatment which she lost. On December 28, 1894, in the divorce suit of ''Charles Storke vs Yda Storke'', the trial was resolved in favor of the plaintiff.
During the divorce Addis discovered that her attorney, Grant Jackson, was assisting Storke. Addis subsequently broke into Jackson's home one night carrying two .38
.38 caliber is a frequently used name for the caliber of firearms and firearm cartridges.
The .38 caliber is a large firearm cartridge (anything larger than .32 caliber is considered a large caliber).Wright, James D.; Rossi, Peter H.; Daly, K ...
revolver
A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...
s and threatened to shoot him. One bullet was fired, which passed through the floor. Jackson overpowered Addis and called for the police, and she was placed in jail. Addis spent eight months in prison. In February 1900, she was sentenced to serve a year in the Santa Barbara County Jail in a libel
Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
case. After serving ten months she was released in May 1900 with two months credit time. In June 1901 in the case of C.A. Storke vs Ada Storke order dismissing motion for new trial.
When Addis was released from jail, her divorce from Storke was not final and she requested alimony
Alimony, also called aliment (Scotland), maintenance (England, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Canada, New Zealand), spousal support (U.S., Canada) and spouse maintenance (Australia), is a legal obligation on a person to provide ...
. At this time Clara Shortridge Foltz
Clara Shortridge Foltz (July 16, 1849 – September 2, 1934) was an American lawyer, the first female lawyer on the West Coast, and the pioneer of the idea of the public defender. The Criminal Courts Building in downtown Los Angeles was renam ...
stepped in briefly to defend Addis. Storke refused to pay the $500 a month that Addis requested and instead had Addis committed to an insane asylum
The lunatic asylum, insane asylum or mental asylum was an institution where people with mental illness were confined. It was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital.
Modern psychiatric hospitals evolved from and eventually replace ...
. Addis later escaped from the asylum, and disappeared.
While it was long assumed that Addis disappeared in 1901, with some sources claiming she was committed by Storke to an asylum, from which she escaped, research by Ashley C. Short suggests that Addis reinvented herself as Adelayda Hillis Jackson, taking a name from her mother's family and that of her purported second husband Grant Jackson while tacking on "Yda" to her new first name, and spent nearly thirty years in Texas (after perhaps living in San Francisco and México). Mainly residing in San Antonio, Adelayda Hillis Jackson spent the last decade of her life committed in the state hospital in that city and died in 1941.
See also
* List of people who disappeared
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Addis, Yda Hillis
1857 births
1900s missing person cases
19th-century American short story writers
19th-century American women writers
American expatriates in Mexico
American women short story writers
Missing person cases in California
19th-century American translators
Year of death unknown