A statue of St. Rita of Cascia, patron saint of abused women, stands in a niche at Mission San Luis Obispo.
St. Rita endured 18 years of insults, physical abuse and infidelities in her marriage. Her husband was stabbed to death by his own neighbors. Later, Rita’s own sons mistreated her. St. Rita’s statue has a red dot on her forehead, representing the spot where she was pierced by Christ’s crown of thorns.
Similar abuse exists in San Luis Obispo history. Famed late 19th century osteopathic physician Thomas A. Still of La Panza had nine children. Two of his daughters married abusive men, only to return to the Still Ranch in Annette.
Ellen Still became a teacher on the Carrisa Plains and happily married Earl Newsome. Dabirma Still Maclean became the postmistress at La Panza, where her son Othar listened to stories of the ranch hands and miners and wrote about them under the name Angus Maclean. He told us how his father had gambled, drank and beat Dabirma.
Most women didn’t have nearby families to provide refuge. As late as the mid-1970s, when women would seek assistance from city and county authorities there was little that could be done.
