St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-06
An English Practice of Ear
lier Times Revived in the
New Land.
A Man in Wisconsin Contracts
to Bring Out Wives at
Low Rates.
Comes to Grief, but Has Sew
eral Daughters Nearly
Old Enough.
Special to the Globe.

AhdtleI oI record lnat IN the beginning
OF the nineteenth century an English
man, III the highly civilized country of
old England, sold his wife, small child
and some furniture for II shillings. As
the bill of merchandise was not item
lied, it is not possible to know at how
much value the woman was rated. In
the same year, it is said, & butcher sold
his wife at auction for alittle more than
81 at Hereford and ON market day,
and another year man sold his wife at
kronesborough for six pence and a quid
of tobacco. And the records of Arapa-
hoe county, Colorado, show that in
May, 1882, ''in consideration of So, and
the further valuation of one yellow dog,
John Howard sold. devised and Quilted
claim unto John Doe all his right, title
and interest to and in his wife, Rebecca
Howard, together with all and single
the improvements and heraditements
therein or thereon"
These events. however, occurred in
the dawn of our present state of civili-
cation, or on the outskirts of it; but
case has come under the observation of
your correspondent which shows that
even in the present we are living in the
past.
The county physician OF Lac Moure
county was called upon during last Jan
! uary to exercise his medical skill upon
family living in the north part of the
county. He responded to the call, and
found rather deplorable state of
poverty existing in the family and
a queer condition of social ethics
existing in the mind of the old
man, the husband and father of
the family. August Glitfe by name,
who came to this county from W1scon,
| sin few years ago. In the summer of
| 1887 he secured from young man with
whom he was lahOring $50, for which
he agreed to deliver up to him for a
wife
ONE OF HIS GIRLS,
who was at this time in Wisconsin. In
| due time the family of Gliffe, including
| this young lady whom he had bargained
away, came out to this country, and
shortly after, it is said by some, fell in
love with another young man and de-
sired to marry him, while it is said by
others that this second young man paid
IS for her. However this may be, this
second young man secured the girl and
married her, which independent action
so angered the old man that he Dor
| rOWed shotgun to try to convince his
| daughter that consideration of $50 was
a sum of money not to be trifled about.
| When the $50 young man found he could
not get the girl. he demanded his money
OF the old man, and, not getting it.,
gave him sound thrashing. About
this time, also, some of his neighbors
objected to his shotgun policy. and the
old man thought it would be healthier
for him to live somewhere else for a
time, and took his departure for Brown
county. He still had an eye for bust
ness, however, as he soon returned.
and last summer entered into another
Wife-brokerage contract. This time he
''bargained, contracted and agreed fol-
and in consideration Of $25 cash, and
the further consideration Of lone white
and red cow, nine years DID," to &C
down to the Badger state and bring
back for one of his neighborS, young
man, "comely woman for a wife,
At the same time he entered into ar
agreement to bring another
NEIGHBOR A WIFE
for two barrels of flour and some Dota
toes, not to be received until the woman
was produced and found acceptable
and according to verbal representation
During the harvest season two sons o.
Gliffe had worked Ior neighbors an(
earned about S15 in cash, which wa:
turned over to him at the same time TX
received this S25 from neighbours wife
With this 800 cash he started towarC
the land of many maidens, arriving il
Fargo, CaSs county. OAK, some tim,
in November. He divulged his secre
to some of the good people of this saint
ly city, and they were immadiatel,
cfrIn Of fhn rl,+
so much good money going out of th,
i territory, and the sequence was it dit
not 60 out of the territory. nor did tn
old man. This red snd white COW
nine yeors Old,' which was part O
the consideration for one of the women
was in CaSs county, in the possession o
brother of the man who
WANTED A WIFE.
Gliffe now went to him and mis-
! represented the bargain to him, an,
| secured the COW and returned to thi
county in rather Respondent frame o
mind. He was minus the cash. mimi
the women for wives, and in possession
of COW he had not earned. The yOun.
: man from whom he had received tn
S25 cash went to him and, with ruth
less hand, led away the red and whit
cow" but has not got his none,
back, and is still baking his own breaI
and sewing on his buttons IN hi
bachelor home, while the woud-b
philanthropist, Glitfe, is county charg
: at present; but affiuence stares him il
the face, as he has several daughter
growing up toward that valuabl
womanhood when he can again hop
for potatoes and cows in exchange fo
them. Hereafter, however, he mus
deliver the goods before the cash is pu
| up, X Y H.