National Affairs: Boredom in Michigan

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Clarence June, Michigan swamp farmer, had a wife, ten children, a cow, and a house (one-room). But somehow life had begun to pall on him. His friend, George Davis, Flint factory worker, with a wife and four small daughters, was bored too.

So they decided on a swap: for George's wife and daughters, George could have Clarence's wife, seven of the June children, and the cow. Their wives agreed, and the swap was made. They lived that way with less boredom, for three months.

But last week the deal was off. A shocked Circuit Court in Lapeer County, after listening to the testimony of the children, convicted all four parents of illegal cohabitation, released the mothers to take care of their children, held the fathers pending sentence.