Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-01-12
A woman Returns tO Claim
her Husbandi after ian Alb
sence Of Forty Years.

A Woman Returns to Claim
her .Husbandi after an Alb
sence Of Forty Years.
From the Providence Press, Dec. %
"A case has recently ranspred liz
Newport which has given rise to no lit
tie gossip in circles where it has become
known, being the return Of the lawful
ly welded wife Of man, after an alb
senes of forty years, to assert her ma
rita. rights. The rtory IS related is in
substance IS follows: Some forty years
ago report says forty-two,) young
man and . maiden in thst city were
united to each other in the bonds Of
wedlock. However smoothly the
course Of true love nay have been be-
fore the act matrimonial, it.appears to
have become strangely ruf1sd quite
soon after. A brief period, report
says two or three days, the blooming
bride, the echo of her marriage vows
having scarce died away, in a clandes-
tine manner and for no known cause,
left him whom she had vowed to love
and cherish, and fed to pants unknown.
For two years nothing Was beard from
or of her, when all At once she pre-
sented herself to the astonished gaze
of her deserted husband. The latter,
it may readily be supposed. was not
overjoyed to see her after such unac-
countabls behavior on her part. tie
gave her to understand that he was not
in readiness to resume marital relations
with her, when she retorted that be
need give himself no further uneasiness
on that score as she had obtained d.
vorce. The husband replied that he
was rejoieed to learn that, IS il had
saved him the trouble and expense Of
taking measures to procure divorce
on bis own account as be had intended
doing. The pair then drifted apart,
she disappearing again FROM tins region,
while he resumed the even tenor of bis
way. Feeling that be vas freed from
the bonds of matrimony, and not favor
ing life of "single blesseduess," he
sought out fair townswoman of bis,
wooed and won her, and for the second
tune becaIe a married man. The Sec
ond matrimonial alliance was attended
with better results than the 6rst.-
Children we're born to them as the
years rolled on, and being Industrious
and frugal, the pair accumulated snug
little property, and few years ago, be-
ing in in6rm health, the husband gave
up active employ ment, and has since
been deriving as much comfort as usu-
ally falls to the lot of man under
such circumstances. He had never
heard from the. woman he had formerly
called his wife since their last inter-
view, and, believing himself entirely
free from her, gave himself no further
uneasiness concerning her. Forty years
have elapsed since that time What
was his astonisbment when one day
short time since ring at his door bell,
and, on being sdmitted, introduced her.
self to the household as the wife of its
head. Here was a scene. Wife No.
2 was aware of this previous marriage,
but believed it to have been abrogated
by decree Of divorce The husband,
too, withstood her claim, adducing IN
support, her own story Of divorce re-
lated forty years ago. She admitted
having thus informed him, but claimed
that it was all q sham, that she was
still his lawful wife, and was here to
claim her rights and privileges under
that head. This is the status d mat.
ters in this particular household at the
present writing. Where she has kept
herself in all these years does not
readily appear, but it is quite too ap-
parent to the parties concerned that
she is here now. rfi