Woman Goes On 48-Day Hunger Strike To Try And Force Her Husband To Attend Church
In 1921, an Illinois woman went to extreme measures to try and force her husband to find religion
Romantic couples generally try to please their partner, even if the road to a resolution can be rocky. However, there can also be lines in the sand that will not be crossed no matter how much arguing and cajoling occurs. That’s exactly what happened in the 1920s when a woman went on a much publicized 48-day hunger strike in her efforts to try and make her husband attend church with her.
In 1921 Danville, Illinois, Sadie Harrington was a faithful member of her local Baptist church. However, her piety was conducted on her own, as her husband refused to attend services with her. She tried everything she could think of to get him to change her mind without success. Finally, she landed on a more drastic strategy — embarking on a hunger strike until her spouse acquiesced to her wishes.
Unfortunately, for Mrs. Harrington, she underestimated her husband’s determination to not find religion. By the time her strike exceeded a month, the story became fodder for newspapers all over the country.
By Day 38, she had still not eaten. She allowed herself to be examined by a doctor but…
