Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-13
A DUBIOUS DEAL.
1W0 Hen Trade Wtves, and after Enjoying
the Arrangement for Eight Years, Attens1t
to S,yap Buck.

of 800 to the first named, traded wives, the
women agreeing and submitting to the ar
rangemnnt. By the terms of the contract,
Stevens wife and Kepler gained possession
Of all the children, leaving the other newly
organized family without any. Kepler and
his family finally drifted to 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 IT they didn't make many friends, made
no enemies that we ever heard of. Their
restaurant enjoyed a fair share of business,
and the general impression 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 oc
CURED 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 location. On the 7th of Janu-
airy 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 re-
moval of the goods, he claimed was to keep
Chicago creditors from seizlng them, and
with this explanation Mrs. Stevens seems
to have been satisfied for time. But she
subsequently had misgivings, and wrote to
Marshalltown and Cedar Falls for informa-
ton relative to the goods, which, it seems,
belonged to her. "A lettef from the former
place conveyed the information that Stevens
had receipted for the goods at that station,
and taken them away. On the 4th of this
month, having received no tidings from her
man, Mrs. s. called on Adney Langham and
desired that he hunt him up. Langham
wrote the marshal of Marshalltown, and re-
ceived word by return mail that the man was
there, and on the 9th Mrs. $. started for that
place. On application to the marshal, she
found that Stevens had rented house in the
north part of the town, and with woman
claiming to be his wife, was occupying it.
The proper complaint was made,
warrant issued, and an officer sent to serve
it. This was the first intimation Stevens
had that his wife was in town, and he was
slightly disconnected. For time he refused
to go 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
WV AVA EASIoAVJ WOuAA SO oOs AA0 Wds5
ready and anxious to take the prodigal back.
If he would promise to stay in the fold.
Whether the outlook dismayed or the
"husks" had soured on him, we do not
know, but at any rate he fell in with the
overtures of mercy, and gave the required
promise, thereby stopping further proceed
ings.
The woman who had been keeping house
for him at Marshalltown was none other
than the wife he had traded off so 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 90
back to first principles, and it was in pur-
suance of this arrangement that Stevens had
brought the woman to Marshalltown. But
according to Mrs. Stevens version of the mat
ter, she had not been consulted about the pro-
posed swap, and when it was suggested to her
refused to comply with the terms. This up
set 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 is out
a wife, but has possession of his own chill
dre1l, while the woman known as Mrs. K. is
minus both husband and children The
Stevenses have not only held their own in
the scuf1e but are ahead two children, one
of whom, q boy about twelve years old, was
in Upton a few days ago, with Mrs. Stevens.