The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1903-08-19
LETTER
From John Wesley Lee. of eseor-
gia, TO Sprague's Collecting
Hell's Half Acre, Georgia.
January 8. 1901

Hell's Half Acre, Georgia,
January 8. 1901.
Sprague's Collecting Agency,
Us La Sale ST, Chicago. III.
Sirs:-Your sulphurious letter
received. In reply will say that it
came open with one cent stamp
on it. 1t would have afforded the
boys much amusement had not the
melancholy thought come with it,
that you had no better sense than
to abuse SANDER and dun a gentle.
man in an open letter. You speak
of honor. If you are a lawyer,
you know not whereof you speak.
1t you ever saw an honorable law
yer he had hair on his teeth. You
speak of causing me considerable
trouble. Great Godl 1 have al
ready had enough trouble to send
whole brigade of you shysters to
hell fifty times. 1 will now give
you a history of the case, and then
If you are surprised at my actions
in regard to the Leader Oil Com
pany's claim you are undoubtedly
the worst set of dam fools on earth.
To begin with, in 1891 1 bought
a saw-mill on credit. In 1892 /
bought an OK team, timber tract,
pair of Texas ponies, a breeoh-
loading shot CUR, Winchester
rifle, a milch cow, a pair of fine
hogs and set of fine books, all on
the installment plan. and hired
hands to dig fish pond In 1898
my gin and corn mills burned fiat
to the ground and never left me a
dam thing One of my ponies died.
and l hired the other to an infer.
nal. insignificant. prognosticated,
circumcised son of a gun of a
Jew drummer. He killed him by
driving too hard. Then 1 Joined
the Farmers Alliance and the
Methodist Church, took advantage
of the homestead exemption and
the honest debtors relief law, and
then had my application written
out to join the Masons. In 1894
my father died and my mother
married niger, and my brother
Jim was lynohed for boss stealing.
In 1895 my sister choked to death
on button. and l had to pay her
funeral expenses. In 1896 Tgot
burned out again and took to drink,
and soon ran through with the in
terest of what owed, which was
about all 1 had left. Last year my
wife ran away with another man
and left me pair of nine months
old twins to take care of. 1 don't
give cuss for anybody, and moth
ing surprises me any more.
Now. if you feel like taokling me,
pitch in. I'll have to stand it, but
let me give you gentle hint, get
ting money from me is like stuff
ing butter in wild cats ears with
a hot anvil. You speak of my max
ing no effort to adjust this bill
What's the use? I'll swear if tur-
keys were worth ten cents apiece /
could not kiss jay birds tail.
You ask if 1 expect fair treat
ment from you under the oircum.
stances I answer no, by Judas
Priest-I do not expect anything
but to be pestered by lawyers, COL
lection sharks and other humbugs
and grafters until this pestilence
relieves me of their clutches. Be-
fore 1 die. though. 1 am going to
petition High Heaven for shower
of hell fire and destruction on the
whole bunch, and I'll particularly
pray that the storm may spend
most of it's fury at 218 La Sale St.
where you claim to get your mail.
Maliciously and disrespeotfully
yours.
(Sigue0 JOHN WESLEY LEE
New men and new issues promise