Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-01-01
A FARM FOR A WIFE.
An illustration of an Incident Where
Truth Is Stranger than Fiction"

An illustration of an Incident Where
Truth is Stranger than Fiction"
The details of ore of the most singular
trades ever contaminated IL this part of
the country have just come to light
through the filing for record of a deed
to tract of land III the western part of
the country. The deed is from Chris
Christensen to Nils Jensen, and conveys
but the remarkable part of the deed is
the consideration given for the land.
1t reads as follows:
''For and In consideration of one wom-
an to wit: The wife of Nils Jensen"
The queer document caused an investiga-
ton to be made, and the following TO-
mantle story was learned by the curious
newspaper man who went TO the farm of
Christ ensen.
Nine years ago Christensen left Swe-
Deb for this country to make his fortune,
and when he started he left in the old
country a young woman who was to be
| his wife as soon as he became able to send
for her
This girl, Nina Peterson was the
daughter of poor drunken shoemaker,
who led his family a dogs life, and was
cont1n ually on the verge OF starvation.
After Christensen left, Nina expected
| to hear from him constantly, but no let
ter ever reached her, and she had no idea
to what part of the United States he
went She could not write to him
Among the young men of the town was
| Jensen, who also looked with loving eyes
upon Nina, but she would have nothing
to do with him for her heart was true to
Chris. AS year after year went by with
| no word from her absent lover, the maid
came to the conclusion that he was rec
reant, and this idea was fostered as much
as possible by Jensen, who was at last
successful in getting Mina's consent to
marry him.
| The drunken father also insisted that
the wedding should come off, and more
to get away from such an unhappy home
than through love of Jenson, Nina con-
sented and they were married. This was
five years ago. After two years of hard
times in the old country, Jensen deter
mined to try his fortune In America, and
with his wife and one child he started for
| the new world.
After wandering about for some time
they landed In Nebraska with no money
Jensen obtained work on farms in differ
ent parts of the state, but was unable to
! get ahead financially.
The man and wife drifted over the
state, doing work at such places as they
could get employment, until at last they
reached this city, and about month ago
they heard that man and woman were
wanted to work on a farm in the western
part of the country. Jensen applied for
| the place, and as chance would have it
the man and woman were employed on
the farm of Christensen, but the people
were so changed that no recognition was
had.
| Something familiar in the woman's ap-
pearance led Christensen to make in
quiries, and he discovered that it was ns
Jensen or his wife, but few shrewd
questions showed him that Jensen knew
more about the reason for his letters
never reaching Nina than the husband
was willing to acknowledge.
| One evening he began telling a story
to his hired man and wife, and recounted
the story of his life from beginning to
| the present. He told how Jensen had
taken the letters from the postofice and
destroyed them, and when he got
| through the latter was so overcome with
what he thought was Christensen s
| knowledge that he confessed mis- infamy.
The three talked long into the night
about the matter, and before the morning
came it was decided that Jensen would
give up the woman, who openly said she
| did not love him, and he agreed to get
divorce and give up his wife and child
| if Christensen would give him a start in
| the world. Nina was willing and anxious,
and the result was thai the deed TO the
eighty acres of land was passed and the
| woman is now living as the wife If
Christensen. A divorce was procured and
the marriage followed on the same even
ing. Jensen lives at the farm until he
can build house, and the whole lot seem
happy over the new turn of Pf9irs.-