The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-03-26
A DUBIOUS DEAL.

A DUBIOUS DEAL
Fwo:Alen Trade Wives. and After
Enjoying the Advancement for
Eight Years Attempt TO Swap
Back.
Upton Conservative
Some eight or nine years ago, 10
Michigan, two men named q. y.
Stevens, and Andrew Kepler. rrspec-
lively, for and in consideration Of q
payment of 500 to the first named.
traded wives. the women agreeing and
submitting to the arrangement. By
the terms of the contract Stevens
wife and Kepler gained possession Of
all the children, leaving the other
newly-oreanized family without any.
Kepier and his family finally drifted
into Iowa and took up their abode
near Independence. and . little over
two years ago Stevens and his alleged
wife. came to this place and opened .
restaurant. They were quiet sort OF
people, attended to their own business,
and if they didn't make many friends.
made no enemies that We ever heard
Of Their restaurant enjoyed . fair
share of business, and the general i'm
preston seemed to be that they were
making some money. At one time it
was limited, and the impression may
have remained, for aught We know,
that there was something wrong about
the relations sustained by these parties.
but nothing occurred to interrupt
them until recently.
Along about the FIRST of the year
Stevens concluded to leave Upton and
made two trips westward for the
alleged purpose of looking up a Local
ton. On the 7th Of January he
shipped the best part Of his goods to
Marshalltown, in his wife's name. and
the next day followed them. promising
TO return in two weeks. The object of
the early removal of the goods he
claimed, was to keep Chicago creditors
from Selling them, and with this ex-
PLANTATION Mrs. Stevens seems to have
been satisfied for . time. But she
subsequently had misgivings. and
wrote to Marshalltown and Cedar
Falls for information relative to the
goods. which it seems. belonged to her.
A letter from the former place con-
viewed the information that Stevens
had receipted for the goods at thu;
station and taken them away. On
the 4th of this month, having received
no tidings from her man, Mrs. S.
called on Adney Langhman and de-
sired that he hunt him up. Langham
wrote the marshal Of Marshalltown,
and received word by return mail that
the man was there, and on the 9Th
Mrs. S. started for that place. On
application to the marshal she found
that Stevens had rented a house in
the north part of the town, and with
a woman claiming to be his wife, was
occupying it. The proper complaint
was made, q warrant issued and an
officer sent to serve it. This w:s the
first intimatiou that Stevens had that
his wife was in town, and he was
slightly disconnected. For . time he
refused to 90 with the officer, but
eventually changed his mind. and
went to the law Office where his wife
was waiting. She, it seems. was not
anxious to prosecute, but rather than
to lose her property would do 90. She
was ready and anxious to take the
prodical back, If he would promise to
stay in the fold. Whether the out.
look dismayed or the ''husks" had
soured on him, We do not know, but
at any rate he fell in with the o. er:
lures of mercy. and gave the required
promise, thereby stopping further
proceedings.
The woman who had been keeping
house for him at Marshalltown wa
none other than the wife he had trad
ed off 80 many years before. but who
still seemed to retain considerable
affection for him. Before Stevens left
Upton arrangements had been made
with his former wife and Kepler to 60
back to frst principles, and it was in
pursuance Of this arrangement that
Stevens had brought the wom1h to
Marshalltown. But according to Mrs.
Stevens version Of the matter she had
not been consulted about the proposed
swap. and when it was suggested to
her she refused to comply with the
terms. This upset the trade, and the
woman known as Mrs. Kepler was
sent to her father in Illinois. Stevens
retaining their two children which she
had brought with her from Indepen-
dence. As matters now stand Kepler
Il out Q wife, but has possession Of bis
own children, while the woman known
Is Mrs. Kepler, is minus both husband
and children. The Stevenses have not
only held their own in the scuffle but
are ahead two children, one of whom
. boy about IL years old, Was 10 Tip.
ton q few days ago, With Mrs. Stevens.
Nrs. Abraham Lincoln.
n Y. Sun.
Its q sad fact that Mrs. Abraham
Lincoln, the widow of the late Preei.
dent Lincoln, is living q secluded life
in an interior town in France, and de-
clines to. return to America lest she
may again be placed in q lunatic
asylum. 1t 70 said in France she still
indulges in her propensity for buying
things for which she has no use, and
filing closets with articles wholly I'M
necessary.