4-PAGE LETTER TO WASH PITT FROM T. J. TRAUGHBER
(as written; punctuation added and enclosed by parentheses)
October the 11th 1884
Bado P O Texas Co Mo
Mr Wash Pitt(,)
Dear friend(,)
I recived [sic] your kind letter the 9th of this month and was glad to know that I had one friend that had not forgotten me and was glad to hear from you(.) this leaves us all well at this righting and hope those few lins [sic] will reach and find you and family well(.) well(,) Wash you wanted to know what kind of a country this was(.) you told me nearer what kind of a country it was than I can myself(.) this is a very rough rockey [sic] broken country but some as good land here as I ever saw and a splendid range for hogs and cattle and spring water and generly [sic] good and is a very healthey [sic] country(.) I have not had any doctor bills to pay(.) cence [sic] I have bin here havent [sic] bin to but one burying and have not heard of but few deaths(.) Wash(,) I have the best crop I ever made this year(.) you can buy land from $1 to $10(.) there is not many well improved places in texas [sic] Co fro sale but plenty of unimproved(.) there is a place here clost [sic] to me that the oner [sic] offers to sell any amount a man wants from 10 to 200 acars [sic] at 10 dollars per acar(.) [sic] there is too of the 40 that has a log house on each one of them(.) Wash (,) if you would come out here and have a little capital(,) you would manage rite(.) Wash(,) I bought $44 worth of hogs and sold $100 worth and I have 18 head now(.) I have only had 2 to die(.) they was pigs(.) hogs is worth from 3½ to 4 cts goss (may be gross or guess misspelled) that is stock hogs(.) fat hogs is a little hier(.) [sic] Milk Cows from 25 to 35 dollars(;) very good horses and Mules from 75 to $100(.) So I must cose by saying right soon and let me know what you are going to do(.) excuse bad righting and spelling(.)
yours truly,
T. J. Traughber
To Mr Wash Pitt