Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-08-17
A YANKEE WOMAN SOLD FOR A DOL
From the New fiaven Palladium

YANKEE WOMAN SOLD FOR A DOL
LAR
tFrom the New Haven Palladium ..
Lucy WOleOtt alias Cass, whose divorce case,
now pending at Hartford, was mentioned by us
yesterday, seems to be a remsrkable woman.
She is the legal wife of Oliver wolcott. of w est
Avon. There has been all sorts of trou bles be :.
tween them. The facts Of cruelty and neglect
on ms part, shown in the testimony at Hartford.
are almost incredible. He has constantly
abused her, never bought her but one dress
auring all their union. left her and her ehIl-
dren In want of the simplest necessaries of life.
and caused her TO hate him most bitterly. and
We think, most justly. True, there is, we be-
lleVe no evidence to the origin Of the trouble:
out Wolcott is brute, and he is 60 years old,
while she IS but 30. May and December can
never agree" In the absence of any claim that
she has brought this treatment u BON herself by
lnhdehty or other fault, we cannot but think
the blame for this terrible state of things rests
Win sher cruel and heartless husband
sEsfeopie who wish TO know how heartless and
.IeTuAi thls man was, have abundant opportupity
m feaAing the following remark kable document.
oscott sets his wife Lucy-the wife whom be
8 vowed to love and cherish till death-to Salmon
% .obSease, OF Simsbury, for one dollar, The doc
amentls very Ingenious mesh of legal phrases,
intended to evade the real nature OF the trans
action, and yet binding on the parties and is
mpurport, simply bill of sale, by which VOL
sscott trades OF his wife for one dollar We would
particularly like to know who was the 90 foul
attorney who the loathsOme fee did earn" but
his name does not appear.
TEE DOCUMENT
m,nordHdHm Of I'D agTsenl.nt rln1s this Istk
day OF iTgESf, ID 1855, Bettcssn OIir,y WoL
ou C Aron, IA rae Stats Of Connecticut, ana
Ltcy, fcUe Of sad OLirtr, aad Salmon ID tCaS,
OF StnISoHTy, IN the STATE Of Cosnsctient =
whereas, unhappy differences have arisen
between said Oliver and his wi e, and the said
Lucy has for long time lived separate from
.iIer sald husband without charge or expense to
MN, and the said Case has agreed to empIoy
Lucy, and for her services has agreed and doth
hereby agree, to furnish her with all necessar ries
dHrlng his natural life now for the purpose of
securing the said wife her wearing apparel and
Sther property from the interference and con-
or hsr SAID husband, in consideration of 81
y paid by said Case, the receipt of which is here
Z, BY scknowledged, and other considerations. the
said Oliver doth hereby sell and convey to said
Case, IN trust of said Lucy all her wearing an
ret.and all articles Of jewelry and ornamen nt
no. used, or that have been used or worn by her
ana All the furniture of every description which
-n1s been given to her purchased from the
evalls OF her personal labor, to have and to hold
the same to said Case in trust for said Lucy and
ner children by me, forever And said Oliver
covenants and agrees with said Case and said
Lucy that he will not at any time hereafter
compel his said wife to cOhabit with him, or
molest or trouble her for such living separate
and apart from him, or any other person or per
sons lot receiving, harbOring, or entertaining
her; nor shall or will, without the consent Of
SAID Lucy, visit her or knowingly come into
any house or place where she may dwell. re-
side, or be; nor send or cause to be sent any
letter or message to her nor shall he the said
Oliver, at any time hereafter, claim or demand
any Of the money or property of any description
winch the said Lucy has In her custody ar
Ehieh shall be devised or given to her, or which
she may otherwise acquire, and that she shall
and may enjoy and dispose Of the same as if she
were femme sole
And the said Case, in consideration of the said
divers agreement, above written, and of the
agreement OF the said wife, covenants and
agrees with the said Oliver and his wife that he
Will maintain and support the said Lucy durin
ms natural life, and furnish her with all neces.
sarles In sickness aud in health on eJnsidera-
ton that she shall remain with him at his housa
and serve him as his housekeeper at any place
or places within the limits of the States of Mas
sachusetts or Connecticut
And the said Lucy, Voluntarily and without
lear or eomPulslon of her said husband, CON
sents and agrees to serve the said Case "a his
hOusekeeper in the States aforesaid. durinoLis
natural life, and for the consideration afore
ssld and Tor her support and maintenance to
De furnished by said Case, hereby agrees that
said Case shall have all her earnings while
employed In the house and family of said Case
but not Tor services performed in other families
or for other persons.
And said Oliver and his wife aforesaid mutu
ally agree to live separat, and apart from each
other, aud the said Lucy is forever to be free
from the control Of said husband
In witness whereof We have hereunto set our
hands and seals
OLIVER WOLcorr, lseaI.I
LUCY WOLCOTT, seal
SALMON ID. CASE. lseal
In presence Of j. NJ SrEBBIss. -
1t is plain enough that wolcott was the
prime mover in the above nice little arrange
msnt- Neither Case nor Lucy seem To have
had any suspicion that the bargain was not a
perfectly legal one, or that the document was
not absolutely binding all the parties wbs
signedit. They have already paid dearly for
thtir.share in the affair. Case is now serving
out term in the State prison for the offeuse
Lucy also served with him for "A time bat was
-PardOued cut She once wrote to The Times
very feeling letter, declaring that she desired
I, TO remain IN prison as long as Case remained
there. aud to share her fortunes with him oood
or bad She seems to be simple hearted w.
Ilan, who hates WolcOtt ith ali her soul while
she has been won by the kindness Of Case ani
loves. him as she ought to love husband only.
/ "A more pItitul ease than hers, as il seems To-
Us, has rarely been made the subject of Iesal
.1nyestigauon IN Connecticut The cCnduct' of
Wotc0tt deserves punishment a thousand-f,ld
more severe than that which the law has in
hseted upon Case or Lucy. who have been the
H Victims Of his cruelty and meanness and vet
~ the law seems ~ have no hold on him whatever.
q Lacy appears in court at this time asking
. only for a divorce from the man who has caused
her suffering, shame and imprisonment, and
with whom she cannot and ought not u live Ms
n wife another hour. She has done much
wrong; hut all must feel that her sins are as
white as snOw compared with those of woIcott,
who, instead OF her loving husband has becn
her brutal tyrant, and who, instead OF protect
ing and cherishing her, has done whatever he
could to blaeken her name, degrade her char
setter, and prostitute her person Whatever
else may be just, she ought to be set free from
-seryitude to THIs husband
=, The result Of her petition is not vet an
pOunced; but We think our readers will apre.
that stranger case than this rarely appears
the courts OF tLis land Of steady habits.'