In 1908, Mrs. Mira Elizabeth Ingalls, a white woman, discovered that her husband was having a sexual relationship with Dora Jones, their then-17-year-old African-American maid. After divorcing her husband, Ingalls blackmailed Jones into continuing to work as her maid. Ingalls told Jones that if she tried to leave, she would have her arrested.
Ernest Tolin, the assistant attorney who prosecuted the case, quoted Mrs. Ingalls telling Jones – "You owe me your life because you have ruined mine." Authorities claimed that Mrs. and Mr. Ingalls had not paid Jones any compensation since 1909 and that Jones' sleeping quarters were so cold "a subsequent tenant would not keep her cat in the room." The abuse spanned a total of 37 years and across different places, including
San Diego,
Boston,
Washington, and
Chicago. In 1946, Mrs. Helen Roberts, Mrs. Ingalls's daughter, encouraged Jones to tell Berkeley authorities of her treatment after seeing that Jones' was “thin, tired looking, and her ankles were badly swollen” during a visit from her mother, stepfather, and Jones. == Decision ==