Mary Ann Page’s life started off during harrowing times in Arizona and ended just as traumatically 30 years later.
Sylvester Mowry’s Patagonia Mine in Sonoita Valley was one of the few safe havens for settlers during the tumultuous 1860s when Apache attacks threatened the lives of anyone living in Southern Arizona. On Sept. 4, 1861, Mary was born in the mine during one of these raids. Her mother, Larcena Pennington Page, had already endured her own hardships in 1860 when she was captured by Apaches and left for dead in the Santa Rita Mountains. Only through her own strong will to live did Larcena survive by crawling down the mountain to safety.
Mary never knew her father, John Hempstead Page, as he was killed by Apaches the March before her birth.
And shortly after she was born, smallpox invaded the Patagonia Mine, infecting both Mary and Larcena.
For several years, Mary and her mother lived with Larcena’s family members scattered across the territory, moving wherever there was space for them — Santa Cruz Valley, Calabasas, Tubac, Sópori.
In 1870, Larcena married flour mill owner William Fisher Scott. Nine-year-old Mary at last had a permanent, stable home as the family settled in Tucson. The next few years were the only happy times the child would know.
Mary attended school at St. Joseph’s Convent and Academy for Females. By the time she was 15, she was a strikingly beautiful and gracious child who attracted many admirers.
One of those enamored by Mary’s good looks and charm was local doctor John Charles Handy, considered the best physician in Tucson. Mary’s parents had little doubt it would be an advantageous union for their daughter, and on July 17, 1878, a few months before her 17th birthday, Mary wed 34-year-old Dr. Handy.
Over the next few years, Mary had four children in quick succession. Charles arrived in 1879 followed by Mabel in 1880, William in 1881 and John in 1883.
It was a busy household but not a happy one. Not until a few years later did Mary reveal that her husband continually abused her and locked her in the house when he was away. In July 1888, she gave birth to her fifth child, Spencer, and that December, she filed for divorce.
But Dr. Handy, who was known to have a quick and violent temper, threatened to kill any attorney or judge who took Mary’s case. Within a month, Mary dropped her suit.
Mary had a series of health issues and started taking morphine to alleviate her suffering. Where and how she acquired the drug is a debatable issue. At the time, morphine did not require a prescription and was freely available at local pharmacies. It is also possible that another doctor prescribed the drug for her ailments.
And then there were the rumors that Dr. Handy was forcefully giving Mary morphine to keep her sedated. Seems he was having an affair with another woman and may have had a child with her. Townspeople said he would gleefully drive his mistress up and down the street so that Mary could see them together.
One day, Handy unlocked the door to Mary’s room and presented her with a deed to the house for her to sign. He told Mary he had sent their four children to live with his mother, Roseanna, and sister, Cornelia, in Oakland, California, and that he had just sent their newborn son there also. He informed Mary that she would never see her children again if she did not sign the house over to his mother. Mary, weak and in a state of “delirium or … stupor” (Mary’s words), signed the document.
In actuality, baby Spencer was still in Tucson and would remain there for the next year, although Mary never knew he was close by.
In July 1890, Handy filed for divorce from Mary. He packed up and left the family home although, according to Mary, he showed up whenever he pleased to threaten and beat her.
Desperate to find an attorney to represent her in the divorce, Mary finally acquired the services of Francis (Frank) Heney. Dr. Handy immediately threatened Heney that if he continued to represent his wife, the doctor would kill the attorney.
Handy’s divorce was finalized in 1891. He was awarded custody of their five children, who now all resided in California. He was ordered to pay Mary $30 a month in alimony.
In July 1891, Handy tried to evict Mary from her home, producing the deed Mary had signed several years earlier. Frank Heney again represented Mary and Handy renewed his threats to kill the attorney.
On Sept. 24, 1891, Dr. Handy and attorney Heney met on the streets of Tucson. A fight ensued that left the doctor with a bullet in his side and Heney arrested for the shooting. Handy died the next day, shortly after revising his will, leaving custody of his children to his sister Cordelia in California. Heney was cleared of the charges as it was determined he had shot Handy in self-defense.
Mary sued Roseanna Handy to have the house returned to her and then sued Cordelia for the return of her children. She testified in court she had not signed the deed voluntarily and that she was imprisoned by her husband at the time as well as under the influence of morphine. She claimed she had no idea what she was signing.
The court awarded Mary possession of the house but the children remained in California.
By now, Mary was ill with cancer. She survived an operation but the cancer returned within a few months. She asked Dr. Handy’s sister if she would allow the children to visit one last time, but Cordelia refused.
Mary died Jan. 28, 1893. She was 31 years old.
The Arizona Weekly Citizen lauded Mary “for her sterling qualities of mind, and heart, and her great fortitude in tribulation.”
In 1907, the cemetery where Mary had been buried was abandoned. She was reinterred in Tucson’s Evergreen Cemetery next to her mother and stepfather.
Take our latest video quiz to test your knowledge of Tucson history and facts.
