On this date in 1889, the Bismarck Tribune reported that "Wahpeton has a large and juicy scandal for the delectation of gossip." A Fargo divorcée got off the train in Wahpeton to meet a prominent man for a romantic rendezvous. She had written a letter indicating the time and date.
But she was met with a stinging-hot surprise party. Mrs. Sunderhauf had intercepted the letter and was waiting at the depot, along with her brother, father, and a horsewhip. According to the Tribune, “a general punishment and fracas ensued, with a large crowd of spectators and tongue-waggers present.”
“There were revolvers flourished and arrests made, and all kinds of trouble created,” added the Jamestown paper.
The errant husband and the Fargo woman were charged with adultery, but the charges were dismissed. It was reported that Mr. and Mrs. A.E. Sunderhauf would separate but not divorce.
Mr. Sunderhauf, born in Austria, was a widely admired figure, an adventurer and an unrepentant cad. He was well-educated, spoke several languages, and held public offices, including County Auditor and Fire Department Chief. He practiced law and was appointed Register of the Fargo land office, living there for four years before returning to Wahpeton in 1898.
At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, he was appointed a lieutenant in Grigsby’s Rough Riders.
Shortly after his return, his wife died, leaving six children. Sunderhauf took them to Lidgerwood and left them with friends so he could go on a gold-hunting expedition to Alaska. He visited them once, for a few hours in 1901 and reportedly never saw or communicated with them again.
By 1905 and 1906, he was prospering in New York City with his second wife. But he was ordered back to Wahpeton and arrested on charges of bigamy, desertion, and non-support, brought by his once-close friend and former father-in-law, Adolph Bessie, the City Attorney.
Sunderhauf got off easy in court, with a small fine and a brief visit to his estranged children.
In the end, Mr. Bessie turned out to be the better man. His grandchildren were raised well, popular, cherished youngsters whose accomplishments were often reported in the local papers.
Dakota Datebook by Lise Erdrich
Sources:
- WAHPETON HAS A LARGE AND JUICY SCANDAL FOR THE DELECTATION OF GOSSIP. Bismarck Tribune, July 14, 1889
- WARM TIME AT WAHPETON Jamestown Weekly Alert, July 13, 1889
- SUNDERHAUF IN WAHPETON.
- Fargo Forum and Daily Republican, August 12, 1905
- The Sunderhauf Fiasco. Wahpeton Globe, August 24, 1906
- $100.00 FINE. A.E. Sunderhauf Gets Off By Paying That Much and $400.00 to the Children.
- Wahpeton Gazette, February 15, 1906
- FORMER OFFICIAL IN JAIL. Sunderhauf Is Returned to North Dakota. The Evening Statesman, Walla Walla Washington August 18, 1905, Page 3
