"A Jury of Her Peers" was adapted from Glaspell’s 1916 play [Trifles] (https://www.owleyes.org/text/plays/ "Trifles"). The play features the same general characters, themes, and plot, with very minor differences in dialogue or details. It is uncertain why Glaspell changed the title from Trifles to "A Jury of Her Peers," but Mr. Hale’s dialogue here is an exact quote taken from the original play.
The telephone was invented in 1876, and "A Jury of Her Peers" is set somewhere around the time of its publication in 1917. As such, the telephone was still a rather exciting invention, and was now affordable for many. Note that Mr. Hale says that the telephone was of particular interest to “women-folks” because of the “lonesome stretch of road” in this rural area. He suggests that women in particular did not get many opportunities for social interaction. Women were expected to be homemakers, while men went to work. Life on a rural farm could thus be particularly lonely for women. That Minnie’s husband refused to install one might indicate to the careful reader that Mr. Wright did not take his wife’s feelings into consideration.
