St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-09-20
A VERMONT WIFE SOLD FOR

One Four-Year-OId Cow and Heifer.
Near the close of the last century
physician living in the vicinity of Bur-
lington left his young wife and child to
make visit to Germany. AS he did
not return for some years and no It'd
ings came from him, his wife, suppos-
ing him to be dead, was Joined in mar
riage to Abel Castle of Burlington.
Not long after this marriage, very I'M
expectedly and unheralded, Frederick
Aubrey, the doctor referred to above,
made his appearance in town and de-
sired to meet his wife. Of course,
when this startling announcement was
made to the then scattered homes and
people of Essex, there was an unusual
commOtiOn and excitement, and every
body was eager to know the outcome.
Will Mr.. Castle give up his new wife 2
Will she return to her former husband2
were the inquiries so often and anx-
iously proposed. Soon it was announc-
ed that meeting of the parties would
occur. Mr.. Castle in his usual mag
nanimity of soul having consented
thereto, promising also that Mrs. Cas-
tie might resume her former relations,
in case, at the interview, she should so
desire. We can hardly, however, give
him the unqualified credit his wonder
full and unusual self-sacrifce and de-
NAL in the case seems to require and
which many did give. We rather in
cline to the opinion that the probabili-
ties had previously been so closely
canvassed that the outcome was not a
question of doubt, but an already as
sured victory. When the magnani-
| Al,
was given, however, in due time the
parties met, and the wife said to Mr.
Aubrey, as her final decision in the
case, "she had buried him once, anC
should never bury him again." Mr.
Aubrey departed a sad, if not wise
man, but it would seem that his sad
ness was somewhat relieved by sub
stantial addition to his worldly posses
sions soon after. When the presen
writer was visiting recently at the lat,
f home of Mrs. Esther Ingraham o
Wheaton, ILL.,, daughter of Abel Cas-
4 tie, lie was shown a receipt which wa
! found among her papers, a copy o
4 which is here given as written:
Received, Essex, Aug. III, 1871, o
, Mr.. Abel Castle, certain obligation
for one COW A years old, and heifer
q years old, and when paid in full of al
. demands of whatsoever name or ma
ture soever from the beginning of tn
world to the date hereof, or of any de
mand on the woman that said Castle i
. now married to, which was once m,
!, lawful wife, say received by me.
= FREDERICK AUBREY.
Nathin Castle.
. The above consideration, one Gov
= and heifer, received by the bereave
husband, was in those days prObabl
regarded as very generous equivalen
. for wife and it is certainly Target
;, in excess of what Kansas man latel
!, received in exchange for his wife
> which was only "$2 in cash and a yal
> Ter dog"
- Mrs. Ingraham, above named, wa
the wife of Rev. Chester Ingraham {
= Essex, and the young child referred
- was named John F. Aubery and live
u; in after years on Cough street in BuI
lington. GrandsOns and other rela
tives of Mr.. Abel Castle are now Twin
= in Essex and Jericho. In the cemeter
=, at Essex, on n plain tombstone, is til
~ record concerning the wife referred t
above: "Sarah Castle, wife of Alb
R Castle, died April 5, 1861, aged
years"