Tower Hill 1/10/96 (1896)

Mr. Jno (John) Grogan

Dunnington Ind Dr Sir

As auld Father Time has just finished whetting his auld scapel preparatory to another year’s kaluvering (sp?), I deemed it prudent to write you a few lines as I go (on to discuss?) to this Venezuelan War, as it might be everlastingly too late, but Grover has hitched the rong-end of the mule to the cart I may find time for reflection while the commission is making an investigation, almost any Ass would have made the investigation first and then, if necessary, sounded the toxin of war. England is not going to war with the U.S. for the reason that she owns half of it now and has a heavy mortgage on the other half. England has 38,000,000$ of RR stock in the Country and it would not suit her to liquidate that by war. In the Illinois Central, alone, they have 106,000,000$, I presume that at least one half of it is water. Long drouth nor so as we then had squaw winter for about two weeks and Indian Summer up to Christmas. The wheat that was sown in dry clods in Sept did not germinate until the second week in Dec. I was under the impression that we would have to put corn in our wheat ground but now we have a good stand and in good condition. As Eastern Co. has secured a bonus of 1000 acres coal at, I, round, and about Tower Hill, and is preparing to sink shaft, so we have abundance of Pollacks and whiskey as they are the forerunners of Progress. Your old friend John Diunkel passed in his check day before Thanksgiving at 5 a.m. and his daughter, Em, Mrs., F (or J?) Michales was buried same day at 10 a.m. at Decatur. Our old Land Mark, the School House, went up in smoke on Thanksgiving, $640 insurance owned by Ina Pritzer. J.R. has not been here since Thanksgiving, can’t say where he is. Dora got judgement in Nov court at Taylorville for $3700 since that I see in Decator Review this Co. has applied for a new tryal whether they got the grant or not can’t say. The Land Boom is still on, Jim Himes bought John McKeevitz (?) Widow Shannon farm for $60 per acre. Our prices are corn 23 cents . Hogs 3.15. hay 72. Loose potatoes 40 cents. Butter and eggs 15 cents. Horses one to 80$. Oats – no offering. School teachers make a drop of 25 per q and have to keep Old Glory flying all day.

I wrote to you forepart of Nov making enquiries, but to date have not recvd reply. Our Hollidays past off very quietly having no one to disturb the quietness of our Sollitude. Hoping this may find ye all o.k.

I subsrcibe myself as ever