Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-10-25
SELLING A Wife for fun.
SERIOUS PHASE OF A NEW YORK
HUSBANDS LITTLE JOKE.
New York Times.

which the latter is tne Qe1enOant.
The circumstances of the suit are pc
culiar. 1t was begun in the Supreme
Court in August, and was sent to q
referee for trial. Mrs. Lauten did not
appear before the referee, and he rem
'ered report in favor Of the plaintiff,
having found that Mrs. Lauten was
guilty of wrong doing in the company
of Ferdinand Jansen. Before the re-
feree's report was presented to the
court for confirmation, Mrs. Lauten's
counsel, Mr.. F. S. Kahn, moved be-
fore Judge Barrett, in Supreme Court,
Chambers, to set aside all the pro-
ceedings previously had in the case,
and to allow her to put in an answer.
In her affidavit Mrs. Lauten admitted
that she had acted as she was charged
with acting with Jansen, but asserted
that her husband connived as her acts.
In explanation of her statement she
said that in June last her husband
sold her to Ferdinand Jansen for ST.,
and she presented to the court
the contracts of which the following
are copies:
Mourn VERNON, Jane 3, 1871,
Mary Lanten, of this place, hereto
fore the wife of Edward A. Lauten,
consent to be sold to +. Jansen for the
consideration of 81 legal money.
MARY E. LAUTEN.
Received of F. Jansen 81 consider
alton money, for which transfer all
my rights to said Mary E. Lauten.
EDWARD Z. LAUTEN.
1t was also asserted by Mrs Lauten
that her husband condoned her often
SEES with Jansen. The motion to open
the default of Mrs. Lauten and allow
her to defend herself in the suit was
opposed by Mr. George F. Laughsin,
Lauten's counsel. He presented an
affidavit in which Lauten declared
that the sale of his wife to Jansen was
q joke and not means by which he
conceived as acts dishonoring him and
his family. He averred that one Sun
day in June Jansen, while sitting
upon the .veranda of his house at
Mount Vernon with him and his fam
lily, sai,, that he had read in a news
paper a story of a man in the West
who sold his wife for $3.50. While his
hearers were laughing at the tale,
Jansen, apparently in jest, turned to
him (Lauten) and said; 81 will give
you so cents, for your wife" Lauten
answered, laughingly, "That is not
enough: make it dollar
Mrs. Lauten listenedto the remarks
with great earnestness, and then said
to her husband: II want to see
whether you are man enough to sell
me for a dollar" Saying this, She
arose and ran hurriedly up stairs,
from where she returned with writing
materials, Jansen, still laughing, said
he wanted written contract, and
Lauten wrote out the bill of sale, his
children looking on and lau ching
with him. Jansen took the paper,
and when asked to return it. made
excuses. Having learned that his
wife and Jansen had staid together
for three days as man and wife, at
Farmingdale, Long Island, Lauten
consulted Lawyer Langbern about
procuring a divorce, and was advised.
in order to save the good name of his
family, to separate from his wife, but
to allow her to live in his house, on
condition that she would not again
cOnsort with Jansen. Mrs. Lauten
was taken to the lawyers Office to
ratify an agreement Of separation,
and she there said she would keep
away from Jansen, but it would be
hard task, because she loved him.
She violated this agreement. Jansen
would appear near her house and she
would 60 away with him. The first
time this happened she told her hus-
band and children she would 90 down
to the garden gate and send Jansen
away, but Lauten AYERS she not only
sent him away, but went with him
and was absent several hours. She
finally said she loved Jansen, and
could not abandon him. Her chill
dren then turned against her. They
insisted that she should NOT be allow