New-York tribune., 1889-12-23
ENOCH .ARDENc.

II is doubtful If there is any one thing which
is reported with greater regularity in the press
of this country than the appearance of EnOch
Ardens Five or six times each year some man
returns TO the bosom of his family after trihing
absence Of from ten to forty years and finds his
faithful wife welded to another. The past three
months has been especially prolific of Enoch Ar
dcns They have been reported seemingly in
half the States of the Union, varying from the
Maine man who had been gone five years and got
so from the second husband to go away and
stay another five to the Missouri man who had
been away since the first year of the war and
found that his wife had her second husband and
was chased of the premises by strange dog.
The last case reported was some two weeks
ago. and was we believe, not far from Toronto
for Canada has her Enoch Ardens as we'll as
this country. This delinquent Canadian had been
gone ten years. lie had originally gone to Mani
toba on little prospecting tour, but finding that
the climate agreed with him he pushed on to
Medicine Hat Northwest Territory. where he went
into the lucrative business of gathering and ship
ping the bones of the defunct buffalo. He
neglected to write to his wife from day to day
until ten years had passed. Then it occurred to
him to make her little Sist. and see how she
was getting along. He found her prospcring
finely, haYing been married to another man for
some four years. He Shed few tears at first.
but speedily dried them, and said that he cared
very little after all, he welded to the bone
business anyhow, and took the evening train back
10 Medicine Hat.
This Canadian was not so fortunate as Ken
lucky man, Of whom our readers will remember
seeing an account in the latter part of October.
if mistake not. The Kentuckan wandered
away from home in 1878, while temporarily
insane, and neglected TO return after he recovered
c worked for fourteen years on the lower Missis-
sppi steamboats,, and then went home to look
after his family and see if they needed anything
in the way of groceries or other supplies. He
found that his wife had mOuIned him faithfully
for six years and then given him up for dead
and married another Kentuckan. The return
ing husband was a man of spirit, and pointed
TO the door and told No. . to go, which this
gentleman did He gave the elected husband little
hope however, by telling him that when he had
been away fourteen years to return and possibly
he might talk with him. The result, if not the
preliminaries was much the same in the case OF
the Michigan man who came back after an alb
sencc of dozen years and found that his wife
had solaccd herself with another. On
learning this the returning husband smiled
knowingly. but the other reached for his hat, and
said lie was willing to go. 1t should be stated
hcre that the lady had a reputation for temper
surpassed by few. The first husband started up
at this and said emphatically that No. should
not move on his account that he had only come
bacl, after an overcoat and pair of boots which
bo had forrotten when he went away; but No.
ronlied that he had worn out these articles OF
drss several wears before and that he must insist
ON Going: which he did, leaving the other TO his
fate.
Rut nerhaps the saddest case is that OF the
,t;ssouri man mentioned before. One day In 1851
his wife sent him out to get an arlnfnl OF wood'
brt no walked to the village, where he enlisted
ord vent away to the war. When TINS closed he
Jr;,tod % California and Mexico His wife waited
evo or six years, concluded he was deaa anu
r,orried again. This man died in 1879, ana In
,oeo she led another bushing groom to the altar'
Ct month ago the original husband came
| i,,u,borinr back But there was no siau smiIe
w. Lin, His wife looked over her shoulder at
,i., from, where she sat by the stove, ana asked
,i., - be had got that wood yet linen the
md or rather third, husband came H. anu
ia him 70 make tracks, an make EN- lively
" rr,iltv. - exclaimed the first husband lhy name
= ,yoman!a Then he went oat' ana 'le .hlru
husbands dog chased HIM TO 'he loiNS Vi 'ne
road. -..oo. bo,oro ne to gay
With these recent lhs''ho'9 "
nothing Of many others which mishV "c oi.o'' INV
-e.ol,sion which can be arrived at is that
:. =. ,-or- dangerous for a man to 20 away ana
% lie wife for any great number Of years with
rc"' Lost writing to her. lie may think 1t a
ouV little Joke to stay away twenty years and
H., in some day in time for dinner and sur
.;ao his wife. but the chances are that ne VIII
po more surprised than she. If you are tempted
" Lron out of sight for couple OF decades, re-
.oo,her the fate of the Missouri man who was gone
,n1, eighteen years and was chased half a mile oy
= dog he had never seen before