Allison, Ill. March 18.
Dear Brother Charley. Well Charley I got Hamilton
on the run now and beffore Im threw with him he will be
hollering for help. Martin give me the idear and
its the best yet and its a grate thing to have Martin on
my side and helping me a long and it looks like now
Hamilton would come over pretty soon and ast me to let up
on him because I been pulling this for over 2 days and he
aint going to stand for it much longer with out hollering
for help.
Well Charley Martin told me a bout the
idear and heres what I been doing I been calling up
Hamiltons house on the phone all hrs. of the day and
night and when I get him on the phone I change my voice
like and talk in a diffrunt voice and ast him who is he
and when he says who he is I ast him some question like
why dont you come and hall a way the garbidge or why dont
you come and do this in that like he was the garbidge man
or the plummer or some body. I had to fix it up
with the girl down to the tellephone office and I told
her to not let Hamilton know who was calling him up and
tell him she for got who was it and she says at 1st she
wouldent do it but finely she says she would do it for a
couple of days because I told her I and Hamilton is the
best kind of frends and I was just playing a little joke
on him but it aint no joke with me Charley and if I and
him is friends so is 2 bull dogs only he aint no bull dog
but a hound that cant do nothing but wine. I can
see out of the window when he sets down to breakfast and
then I call him up and as soon is Ive said what I got to
say I start for the train so he sees me coming down the
st. and dont never suspect that its me calling him up and
then when I get home again I call him up at supper time
and 2 or 3 times in the evening and onct after I think
hes went to bed at night. Well Charley I bet Ive
got him crazy by this time and hes a bout ready to quit
because the last 2 times I called him up he wouldent come
to the phone but his higher girl says he wasent in and
she says if who ever it was kept on calling him he was
going to have them arrested. Fine chance hey
Charley. But it aint no good idear only for a
little wile because now he wont come to the phone and the
tellephone girl says its went on long enough and she
scarred she will get fired so it looks like Id half to
cut it out but I guess hes reddy to holler enough and
call evry thing quits but hes got it comeing to him
Charley. Give the devvil his do as they say and
best regards to Mary.
Your Brother,
Fred. A. Gross.
Allison, Ill.,
March 20.
Dear Brother Charley. Well Charley this will be a
supprise to you after what I been telling you right a
long and it was a supprise to me onily I kind a suspect
it all the wile that this here Martin was wrong. He
dident never act right some way so finding out a bout him
dident supprise me like it would of if I hadent of
suspect it him all the wile.
Well Charley it wasent Hamilton
that was pulling all the dirty work like sending me that
valentine and hanging krape on my door and so 4th. but it
was Martin all the time and I and Hamilton is good
friends now and he says he dident never mean no harm to
me and says both him and Mrs. Hamilton and there higher
girl thot the cat was geting enough to eat. And he
says he wouldent never think of mixxing up in no brall
with his neighbors so I and him feels the same way to
gather a bout it and they wont be no more trubble between
us.
Well Charley you wont hardily
beleive that a man could live as mean and nasty is this
here Martin trying to make trubble between neighbors and
I will tell you the reason why he done it Charley and you
will see what kind of a bum he is and no wonder I never
relay liked him. In the 1st. place he was sore at
Hamiltons because Mrs. Hamilton hadent payed no call on
Mrs. Martin and Hamilton says that him and his wife seen
right a way that Martin wasent no good and thats why Mrs.
Hamilton dident call on Mrs. Martin because she dident
want to get mixxed up with them and the Hamiltons is high
socitey here so Martin got sore because him and his wife
couldent horn in to the 4 hundred club. So he used
me for a Tool you might say and kept edgeing me on by
sane it was Hamilton that was doing all them things to me
and all the wile he was doing them him self so I would
think it was Hamilton and keep pestering him like I
done. Grace says at 1st. that may be Martin was
onily doing it for a joke but Hamiltons higher girl and
Martins higher girl is pals and Martins higher girl told
Hamiltons higher girl that Martin was sore at Hamiltons
and thats why he done it.
Well Charley between I and you they was an other reason
that Grace or Hamilton dont know nothing about it and I
will tell you a bout it onily dont say nothing even to
Mary. This here Martin was sore at me Charley on
acct. of the way his wife looked at me and thot may be I
was trying to steal his wife and you know Charley that I
aint in that kind of busness but I cant help it if a
womman looks at me onct in a wile and I noticed Mrs.
Martin myself so of corse her husband could see it to and
they couldent no body help from not noticeing it unlest
they was blind. But what could I do a bout it
nothing.
Well Charley it all come out
last night and we had some big time and I dont never want
an other time like it only Im glad that I and Hamilton
under stands each other and Hamilton says he will see
that the town pays for what ever dammige was did a round
my house. Martin was to yellow to stay home wile he
was pulling off his little trick and neither him or his
wifes been home sence yest. beffore supper and the house
is shut up but he needent be scarred Im going to do
nothing to him not now any way because Hamilton says for
me to lay lowe and pertend like I dident know the truth
and if Martin tries some thing more Hamilton will go in
with me and we will run him out of town and an other
reason is acct. of Im sorry for Mrs. Martin and to bad
shes got to be tide up to a man like he and you couldent
hardily blame her for looking at an other man onct in a
wile.
Well Charley I aint got much
time so I will hurry up and tell you what come off.
I and Grace went to bed early last night and we wasent
hardily no more then in bed when we heard the fire
whistle blown and of a sudden we herd the fire enjine and
hose cart out in front of the house and then the front
door bell rung like they was trying to wake up the town
and I thot may be the house was on fire so I run down in
my night gown and opened up the door and pretty near got
drownded. Well Charley the hose was turned right on
me and me with out nothing on only my night gown and they
give it to me full forse all over. Well I tride to
holler at them to quit but a man cant holler very good
with the hose turned in to your mouth and I guess it
would of been all off with me only for Hamilton comeing.
He grabed the a guys that was
holding the nozzle and busted 1 of them and told them if
they dident shut off the water insolently he would have
them all in jail and they seen who he was and shut it
off. Well Charley the hole lore flr. of the house
was under water pretty near and I was a reck. But I
had sence enough left to send Grace up stares beffore I
done any thing else. When she was out of the way
Hamilton come in and brung the fire men a long with him
and then he ast them what did it mean and at 1st. they
says it must of been a falts allarm but he says dont try
any monky busness with me and the best thing you can do
is tell the truth and then he told them right out what he
suspect it and they owned up to it and told us how Martin
had got them to do it and they thot it was just a joke
between frends or they wouldent of had nothing to do with
it.
Well Charley what do you think
of that. Martin give them a peace of money and got
a few drinks under there belt and then told them to pull
this off and says it was just a joke and that I and him
was frends. A fine frend hey Charley.
Well Hamilton give them a awfull
balling and then
told them to
beet it and if they ever done any thing like that again
he would get them and hes 1 of the bord that runs the
town so you can bet they payed a tension to what he says.
Then Hamilton come in and told
me to go up stares and get some dry close on because he
wanted to talk to me so I went up and finnished my bath
with a towl and put on a pare of pants and a shirt and
come down and I and Hamilton had a good long talk.
Well Hamilton says that him and
his wife had knew a bout what Martin was puting over on
me for sevrul days but they thot it wasent there busness
to but in unlest they was some real dammige done and when
Hamilton seen the fire dept. out in the front of my house
he thot it was a bout time to enter fear and I thanked
him and we talked it all over and had a drink
to gather and
shook hands and he went home onily he told me beffore he
went to not try and do nothing untill I could get Martin
good and to wait for Martin to make the next move.
Well Charley it looks like I and
Grace would be in right with the Hamiltons and the rest
of the 4 hundred club and may be Martin will know enough
to not try nothing more but if he does I and Hamilton
will have him drove out of town onily a man cant help
from feeling sorry for Mrs. Martin and I wont do nothing
to injur her because a womman cant be blamed for looking
at an other man onct in a wile.
Well Charley when Martin comes
back I guess he will be supprised to find I and Grace
hobbling a round with the Hamiltons and the other high
monky monks hey Charley.
Your Bro.
Fred A. Gross.
the
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