The Sun.
London, England, 1837-12-29 00:00:00

HOW A ROGUISH HUSBAND

BURNT HIS FINGERS.

The Northampton (Masiachussetts) Courier of Wed-
nesday furnishes a very amusing account of a recent trans-
action in that village, involving several families residing in
Northampton County; in which the matrimonial tide did
not flow exactly with streamlike smoothness. The deve-
lopement of the facts was produced last week before the
Court of Common Pleas, on the trial of James Pelton for
an attempt to extort money from one Lyman Thayer, of
Pittsfield. It appeared in the course of the legal investiga-
tion, that Thayer, having become tired of matrimonial servi-
tude, was casting about to find some one of the softer sex
who was in an equally bad box. In an evil hour he
learned that the "better half" of Osman Pelton of North-
ampton had found the hymeneal yoke somewhat galling,
and would gladly back out of it. Well, Thayer, a sort of
gay deceiver among the women, anxious to learn the exact
bearing of Mrs. Pelton's mind, and whether she would like
to leave her " bed and board" and cleave to him, dropped
her ladyship a letter. This letter, it seems, fell into the
hands of her husband's brother, James Pelton, who, in con-
junction with Captain Timothy Mather, cooked up a dish
by which they intended to fleece Thayar out of some money.
These two individuals, it appears, opened subsequently a cor-
respondence with Thayer, assuming the character and name
of Mrs. Osman Pelton, and finally, after settling prelimina-
ries, an interview between them was decided to be held at
Williamsburg. Thayer was punctually there at the appoin-
ted time and place, but not finding his lady love, he kept
on to Northampton. He must needs pass the house where
she resides, but he could'nt resist dropping in a moment, as
he said, when cornered up by the counsel for Pelton, merely
for " auld acquaintance sake." Well, after a little social
chat with Mrs. Pelton, Thayer drove into the village. put
up at the American Hotel, and when about to sally forth,.
he was met by Mativr and Felton, who had scented his
arrival. They accosted him with perfect apparent friend-
ship, and at their request he stepped with them into a private
room. " Mr. Thayer," said Mr. Pelton, as he cloned the
door and placed the key in his pocket, " you have done me
a deep injury [hem] ; you have committed a state prison
offence [hem !] and -- you, if you don't settle the matter,
I shall send you there ;" and forthwith Felton produced the
correspondence of Thayer with Mrs. Osman Pelton, whom
he called his wife ! Thayer shook like an aspen leaf, and
could hardly articulate, and as the injured Pelton poured
forth his indignant feelings in successive " blasts," and his
wounded affections flashed out like the sparks from his own
anvil, our gay Lothario began to think he had " waked up
the wrong passenger." A long scene of Yankee bargaining
in relation to the satisfaction money succeeded, which re-
sulted in Thayer's giving the pretended injured husband of
Mrs. Osman Pelton a note for 200 dollars and his watch.
To finish up the matter and prevent suspicion, a receipt was
given Thayer by James, who affected to be Osman Pelton,
for ever exculpating him from further charges or danger of
prosecution for having wounded him in his body and estate,
in attempting to induce his wife to leave her household
gods, thus injuring him in his tender affections ! Thayer,
it may well be supposed, was glad to escape with a whole
skin and a sound head, and after he had got liberated
from his warm bath, he fled precipitately from Northamp-
ton. In the sequel the affair leaked out, but Thayer was
ignorant of the joke, until Pelton was arraigned for some
other act of dishonesty, when the whole subject was brought
up for legal investigation. The jury found Pelton guilty
of an attempt to extort money from Thayer under false
pretences, but the case was carried up to a higher court
for decision. The ‘s hole affair is an admonitory lesson to
dissatisfied married g;:iitkinen !—Netv York Sun.