Yda Hillis Addis

Yda Hillis Addis, (born 1857,[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] disappeared 1902) was the first American writer to translate ancient Mexican oral stories and histories into English, some of which she submitted to The Argonaut.[1] The most widely popular of her more than 100 stories are Roman's Romance and Roger's Luck.[2]

Yda Hillis Addis
Yda Addis
Born1857 (1857)
Leavenworth, Kansas, U.S.
OccupationWriter
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1890⁠–⁠1894)​
div no children
ParentsAlfred Shea Addis
Disappeared1902
California
Statusdead
Other names
Yda Addis Storke

Early background

Addis was born in 1857 in Leavenworth, Kansas,[2] and moved with her family to Chihuahua, Mexico, at the start of the American Civil War.[1] The daughter of an itinerant photographer, Alfred Shea Addis, she roamed the Western frontier and Mexican wilderness, into Indian villages, miners' camps, and other exotic locations, mostly in California and Mexico, assisting her father. When she was 15, she and her family moved to Los Angeles where she graduated with the first class of Los Angeles High School; a graduating class of seven students.[1] She also began teaching 7-year-olds.

Fiction-writing career

Addis wrote many short stories, drawn from Mexican oral sources, as well as original fiction. Her writings included ghost tales, visitations of the unseen, tragic love triangles, and stories that presaged American feminism. In 1880 she submitted her stories of heroines, such as Poetic Justice and Señorita Santos, to The Argonaut,[1] a bi-monthly San Francisco journal, founded by Frank M. Pixley. Soon her work was appearing in other publications such as The Californian, The Overland Monthly, Harper's Monthly, San Francisco Chronicle, Examiner, Los Angeles Herald, St. Louis Dispatch, Chicago Times, Philadelphia Press, McClure Syndicate and many Mexican newspapers and periodicals.

Travel writing

When the editors of the various journals, tabloids, and newspapers of which she was connected, discovered that she was going out of the country often they took advantage of the opportunity to employ her to write about what she discovered or experienced. Most 19th century readers were unfamiliar with her travel dispatches; her travel literature and articles have only surfaced of late. These unvarnished views of her adventures could offend some present day readers due to her 19th century vocabulary; for instance her article entitled "Queer Mexicans" modernly could raise a quizzical brow. But if one considered the evolution of the meaning of queer from strange or peculiar to the 20th century connotation, some of her words were a voyage of their own. However, Yda Addis's 19th century title was not referring to humans.

Personal life

Pixley introduced her to his good friend and former California governor John G. Downey, in his late sixties. When Downey's sisters discovered that he and Addis had become engaged, they shanghaied him to Ireland leaving Addis to sue for breach of promise.[3] Before the trial date, Addis left San Francisco for Mexico City to write for the bilingual newspaper Two Republics, owned by J. Magtella Clark. When the editor, Theodore Gesterfeld, became distracted with 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, and began collecting material about prominent citizenry of the area for a book of biographies to be published by Lewis Publishing Company. During one of her interviews she met and shortly afterward married Charles A. Storke, a local attorney and owner of the Santa Barbara News-Press. Storke was attracted to Addis for her quick mind, her good social standing and her fame as a writer. Addis, on the other hand, saw Storke as a man who could offer her financial security. They were married on September 10, 1890.[4] Addis' history of Santa Barbara, her only book, was published in 1891.[1] Addis said she was treated badly by her husband and his teenage son Tommy. She accused Storke of some peculiar intimate behaviors and violence toward her.[5] Storke retaliated with a divorce complaint on the grounds that Addis was insane.[6] 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.[7] On December 28, 1894 in the divorce suit of Charles Storke vs Yda Storke the trial was resolved in favor of the plaintiff.[8]

During the divorce Addis discovered that her attorney, Grant Jackson, esq., was in duplicity with Storke. The Daily Independent reported on July 11, 1898: "Grant Jackson and Yda Addis, the present warriors of Santa Barbara, were at one time dear friends, but their hearts no longer beat as one, but corporeally speaking, they beat at each other."

When Addis discovered Jackson's duplicity between him and her husband, Addis broke into his home one night carrying two .38 revolvers, and threatened to shoot him.[9][10] One bullet was fired, which passed through the floor.[9][11] Jackson overpowered Addis and called for the police, and Addis was placed in jail.[10][11] She also claimed to have been married to him under a contract in January 1895.[12] Jackson survived and she spent eight months in prison. In February 1900 she was sentenced to serve a year in the Santa Barbara County Jail in a libel case.[13] After serving 10 months she was released in May 1900 with two months credit time.[14] In June 1901 in the case of C.A. Storke vs Ada Storke order dismissing motion for new trial.[15]

When she was released, the divorce was not final and Addis requested alimony. At this time Clara Shortridge Foltz 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. Addis later escaped from the asylum, and disappeared.[16]

See also

Notes
  1. One authority suggests 1859 as the year of her birth. See "Addis, Alfred Shea", in Palmquist; et al. (2005). Pioneer Photographers from the Mississippi to the Continental Divide. p. 68. ISBN 9780804740579.
  2. her death certificate indicates her birth was October 3, 1857

References
  1. Rasmussen, Cecilia (October 22, 2006). "A 19th century firecracker flames out in her private life". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  2. Mighels, Ella Sterling (1893). The story of the files: a review of California writers and literature. San Francisco: Cooperative Printing Co. pp. 225–226. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  3. San Francisco Examiner. July 28, 1887. p. 1. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. "Storke-Addis Wedding in Santa Barbara". San Francisco Morning Call. September 15, 1890.
  5. Starr, Kevin (1991). Material Dreams: Southern California Through the 1920s. Americans and the California dream. Oxford University Press, United States. p. 290. ISBN 0-19-507260-X.
  6. "Mrs. Storke's Statement". Los Angeles Herald. August 14, 1891. p. 5. Retrieved July 18, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  7. "25 Years Ago". Morning Press. 47 (122). January 24, 1919.
  8. "25 Years Ago". Morning Press. 48 (102). December 28, 1919.
  9. "Yda Storke charged with attempted murder". San Jose Mercury News. July 10, 1899 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  10. "Well Armed for Her Purpose". Alexandria Gazette. July 10, 1899. p. 2. Retrieved July 18, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  11. "Tried To Kill An Attorney". San Francisco Chronicle. July 10, 1899. p. 1. Retrieved July 18, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  12. "Yda Addis Sentenced". Santa Cruz, California: Evening Sentinel. July 12, 1899. p. 3. Retrieved July 18, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  13. "Must Serve Her Term". San Francisco Morning Call. February 22, 1900.
  14. "Yda Addis Storke is free". Santa Cruz Sentinel. May 12, 1900.
  15. Morning Press. June 18, 1901. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. Tompkins, Walker A. (1983). Santa Barbara History Makers. Santa Barbara: McNally & Loftin. pp. 190–191. ISBN 0-87461-059-1.

Further reading
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