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STATE OF ILLINOIS
CHICAGO
Taylorville, Ill 12/16/1901

Mrs Sanford [sic]
San Francisco Cal.

Dear Madam

You may think it
very strange in receiving this letter
but the facts are this. I have made
a good living and collected togather [sic]
some little welth [sic] something like
$30000 but my wife has been in
poor health for a few years and bad
luck & misfortunres have met me on
all hands, until I was oblige to mort-
gage all of my property having to pay
7 per cts interest and small proceeds from
my land it has kept me a hustling to
meet my interest & keep my family so
today I am not able to pay any of the
debt. I have 2 young orchards of 140
acres 9 & 10 years old just beginning to
bear, and if I do not raise the money