The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-11-14
THAT SALE OF A WIFE.
A Practical Joke and Its Singular
Consequences.
Becoming the Owner of His
Fr,end's Wife-The Lady Re
turns to Her Husband, but
is Sent Away.

1 40 SOhI 0"oy.
The new developments of The pas
week in a scandal which year ago
began to be whispered at social gather
ings in Mount Vernon. are as strange
as they are interesting. The few fact;
which then got out were very much
distorted, but in spite of the many
shapes they assumed. the aggregate
IF fiction failed to make a story one.
half az sensational as that which has
been cleaned by Mercury represent
alive. Edward A. Lsuten is manu-.
facturingn jeweler, doing business in
New York and residing at Mount
Vernon. He has been married for
about twenty-faur years and has five
children, the eldest of whom. son, is
TWENTY-FIVE years old. In 1881 Mr..
Lautea
DECIDED TO BUILD A HOUSE
of more pre'entious appearance than
the one he then resided in. Among
the number Of his acquaintance was
+. Jansen, a carpenter and builder OF
Farmingdale, l. ] To him the Cell
tract was given. Jansen WAS a mar
ried man. but just before undertaking
the Mount Vern"n contract. his wife
a woman originally of delicate cOnsti-
tuition, broke down and went f.,r
treatment 70 q weii-known New York
institution. He had no children and he
very seon found considerable plea urc
in his visits TO the home OF Lauten
Mrs Lauten was large, well, proper
toned, fine looking woman, weighing
about two hundred pounds. and Jan
sen being about the same height and
weight, and having the advantage I'll
being a handsome man, very warm
mutual interest was the result. Mrs
Lauten had much to say i'm regard tn
the arrangement of space In the new
house, and this necessarially threw her
very frequently in the society of JAN
sen. While her husband was absent
during the day, Jansen had the field
all to himself. He was frequently
PRESENT at THE FAMILY LUNCHEONS
and usually found opportunity to en-
Joy a tete-a-tete with Mrs. Lauten aiter
the removal of the cloth. He made
no concealment of bis king. and it
was regarded by the family with the
utmost good nature The building
went on to the satisfaction of all who
were interested i'm it, and was just on
the eve of being finished when re.
markable scene was enacted on the
front veraDda of the old homestead.
The weather was balmy, and as Jansen
aud Lauten smoked their pipes they
conversed on the various topics of the
day. The subject of husbands and
wives was reac ell just before tea time
and Lauten jokin;ly remarked that
Mrs. Lauten WAS just the SORT f woman
Jansen ought to have married. Jansen
admitted the force of the remark, and
one word followed another until he he.
gan to relate the main points of a case
in which a husband had
SOLD HIS WIFE FOR FIFTY CENTS.
"That." said Lauten, with a good
humored smile, "was not a legal trans
action. Fifty cents is not a lawful
sum of money TO make the sale strictly
binding. The amount should not be
less than one dollar" "Oh," replied
Jansen, in a bantering tone, the differ.
ence would not be much. | would be
willing to give one dollar for Mrs.
Lauten." "Then you can have her, u
said Lauten. Mrs. Lauten was pres.
ent and listened to the banter with a
flushed face and eager ewes. II will
soon put you to the test" said she to
her husband, "and we shall see whether
you are man enough TO keep your
word" She then entered the house,
and presently appeared with pen and
paper. These she placed upon a small
table beside Lautep and directed him
to draw up
THE DEED OF SURRENDER.
The fun had now reached its height
and Lauten. not to spoil sport. took
the pen and deliberately wrote the fol-
lowing document:
Mount Vernon. June 3, 1881.
/, Mary E. Lauten. of this place,
heretofore the wife of Edward A. Lau
ten, consent to be sold to +. Jansen.
the consideration to be one dollar legal
money.
"Now," said he, "sign that" hand
ing the paper to Mrs. Lauten. She
instantly complied, and having ap-
pended her signature, handed back
the paper to her husband. aud he
with equal celebrity, added his approx
al i'm these word: "Received from E.