Two divorce cases will prove of more than ordinary interest to people of northern Chippewa county and southern Barron county when they are heard in the Circuit Court here in Chippewa Falls.
The cases are those of Mrs. William Brown against William Brown and Edward Heidelberger against Mrs. Lizzie Heidelberger. The cases will be of unusual interest because they are expected to help straighten out the involved domestic relations of the two families.
For the last six or seven weeks, Mrs. Brown has been keeping house for Mr. Heidelberger and Mrs. Heidelberger has been keeping house for Mr. Brown. Not only that, but when Mrs. Brown moved into the Heidelberger home, she took her three boys and most of her furniture with her. One girl, Mary is working in New Auburn, and another, Bessie, is married.
And when Mrs. Heidelberger moved into the Brown home, she took all six of her children and most of her furniture with her. The exchange took place about six weeks ago and all appear satisfied, including the children.
The engagement ring Brown gave Mrs. Brown 20 years ago now adorns Mrs. Heidelberger’s finger. Mrs. Brown says her husband gave her $5 for it, but she would have sold it to him for ten cents. Mrs. Brown wears no ring but Mrs. Heidelberger says she gave hers back to her husband. The Brown home is eight miles east of New Auburn and the Heidelberger home is three miles from the Brown’s.
Both Brown and Mrs. Brown were born in Chippewa County and have lived in this county all their lives. The Heidelberger’s moved from Minnesota about five years ago.
Brown, in addition to his duties around the farm, collects milk and delivers it at Bloomer twice a week.
Mrs. Brown says her husband told her one morning about six weeks ago that Mrs. Heidelberger was going to keep house for him and he wished she would go away. She went to see Mr. Heidelberger, she says, and he told her she might as well keep house for him.
Both families still maintain amicable relations, it is said, and during the furniture moving, the two men pitched in and helped load the “heavier stuff”. None of the four principals will say what their plans are in the event the divorces are granted. In the meantime, Brown has been ordered to pay Mrs. Brown $25 a month to help take care of the children.
An article taken from The Chippewa Herald (Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin).
Author’s note: Local versions of this story tell that Mr. Heidelberger also gave Mr. Brown a cow to offset the difference in the number of children.
