Year: 1875

Detroit Free Press


About four years ago a family named
Wymans, consisting Of the husband, wife
and three children, took upa homestead
near Baldwin, Lake county, and up to
some four weeks ago, pursued the even
tenor of their way, in no manner doing
aught to attract public attention. They
conducted themselves in all things as
good citizens. 1t was known, of course,
in their neighborhood that they were in
straitened circumstances, but, as they
were doing apparently as well as the
general run of new settlers, no one
thought the worse of them for this.


A short time ago they moved to Bald
win, and Wymans, the husband, went to
work for James Tinney, cutting logs, ETC.,
while the industrious wife gave her best
assistance toward supporting the family
by taking in washing and doing such
other work as came to hand. Not long
after taking up their residence at Bald
win, Tinney came to board and took up
his quarters with the Wymans family.
Then 1t becathe apparent to the husband,
and the idea grew more and more obtru-
sive, that the demeanor of his wife and
of Tinney was not consistent with pro-
priety, to say nothing of virtue. Final
ly Wymans mustered courage to free his
mind and spoke to his wife about her
conduct in the friendliest manner in the
world. Not to be outdore in civility, she
frankly replied that her affections were
firmly and irrevocably centered on Tin
ney and that she greatly preferred living
with him. Wymans is philosopher
he realized that the discarded man who
suffered himself to be deluded with the
hope that he can revive the affections OF
a false or tickle woman Is fool. Once
let conjugal life become contaminated
with infidelity and there is not in the
whole chemistry of love an agent power
full enough to eliminate debasiDg sus-
piciOns of criminality, or restore conf
dence in that purity which of all things
else goes to make up perfect domestic
union. Wymans had thought ofall this,
and Immediately, without showing a
feeling of passion, proposed separation,
saying if she loved Tinney best, and
wanted him, he would sign over all right,
title and interest which he had in her to
Tinney, provided the latter would cove
nant to take good care of the children
and allow him to visit them as often and
stay as long as he desired. The alien
ated wife, with a flushed precipitancy,
undertook to procure Tinney's signature
to a contract of that nature. That very
forenoon she accomplished her desire,
and the contract was signed and deliv-
cred. The three parties concerned
leaving out the children-being then
disposed to amicably arrange matters
between them. Tinney suggested that il
would be the proper thing to record the
transaction by a bill of sale, an instru.
ment whose undisputed validity would
prevent any after claps, should either
side repent of the bargain. There was
some higgling as to the terms, none what
ever to the proposition per Sc. The con.
versation ended in a document being
drawn up and signed which specified
that, for and in consideration of fifty
dollars in hand paid, Wymans conveyed
to Tinney the woman, his wife, his three
children and also cow and one calf
The woman was described by name and
age with almost rs much particularly al
the cow and calf. This bill of sale is re
corded in the Township Clerks Office, il
the township of Pleasant Plains, Lake
county. Tinney and Mrs. Wymans art
now living together.