Big Patch april 21^st 1861

           

Long absent Brother and Sister

I say to you we are as well as common and moving on about as you would expect Some times in fine spirits and some times perplexed and vexed with the cares of this life we still live where you left us and own a little place down at James Town 7 miles distant from here so the old woman and me has got 2 little homes and not child in the world the boys have both got married and left us little George is with us He is a bad boy and growing verry fast I have not heard from Judy and little lula for some time I guess Stewart and her gets a long some how I have not been down in your old neighborhood for several years well Joshua now let me tell you a man by the name of Nicholas Thomas / a cornish man and said he wanted to clean out a rock shaft that had been sunk about 7 years about a ¼ of a mile east on the old Altizer range and when we got to the bottom it looked mighty hard but we went to blasting and in a bout 3 feet we broke into the opening and drifted south about 4 feet and struck good mineral 40 feet under solid rock well I to James Hollman in with me He paid me ½ wages which left me ¼ only the first sale of mineral I got $79 the second sale I got to my share 2.45 the mineral is good going west but move east all we have raised yet we got drifting east from the shaft But stop my share gets smaller yet when the boys would teach school in the winter they would pay me part wages and I never struck any thing so this time I hit him and I give them an equal share with me / they work our ¼ and divide the profits equal between us they can raise from 1 to 4000 pr day now but how long it will last I dont know you know the patch is B[?] mineral has been selling at 28 and yesterday it fell to 21 in consequence of the war prospects

 

            What shall we do Josh the whole country up this way is in motion the flags of our Fathers are waving all over the country and men swearing everlasting fidelity to its Stars and Stripes Kit Pass wants to see you all criminy how bad come and see us if you can I learned from your letter you had heard from John give our respects to evry body that wants them

                                                                                   

your friend and relative until Death

Geo. E. Cabanis /

 

Will you excuse the lines ive written

 

though fully they my love express

how could I gaze and not be smitten

With thy great beauty—could I less?

no my heart cannot so [faded]

 

July the 17 1862

I am a going to write you a few verses

Will you excuse the lines ive written?

though fully they my love express

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