[LM022224], Letter from Ezra Torrance Gilliland to Robert Gilliland, December 6th, 1888
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Title
[LM022224], Letter from Ezra Torrance Gilliland to Robert Gilliland, December 6th, 1888
Editor's Notes
"Yours of the 3rd inst. Received. Sorry to hear that you are sick but trust that you are fully recovered by this time. ### I am improving slowly and feel confident that I will come out all right and will probably be in fairly good health by the time we make our visit in Adrian. Lillian left a few days ago and is now in Indianapolis. I can’t say just when I will leave. If I can get away by the 15th, shall go by the way of Indianapolis and arrive in Adrian a day or two before Christmas. If not able to get away at that time, shall go direct from here to Adrian and she will go there from Indianapolis with her parents. ### I note what you say about money matters. As it is so near the time that I expect to get there, I think perhaps it would be well to let the matter rest until that time. ### I find in looking into the matter that I have no difficulty in getting good securities here which will pay 5^. Therefore there is nothing to be gained by putting it into the banks there at a 3% rate. I should like to let about a hundred thousand dollars and would prefer to have it in amounts of ten thousand dollars each. It makes so very many accounts to look after if it is in small sums of three to five thousand dollars as you suggest. Although in this I don’t intend to include Jean and Will, as they can have what they want. The party that you mentioned who would like to have five thousand dollars for five years, giving a mortgage on a brick block is the kind of loan that I would like to make. However, we can talk this all over and I wlll either send of bring with me about the amount that you mentioned. ### Tomlinson has seen Edison and talked in the presence of others, about the matters over which we have been quarrelling. Edison states that he has never said anything in any way derogatory to Mr. Tomlinson’s or my character. Of course this is not so. The result of this interview has shown that Edison’s only claim is a sentimental one; that is, we made too much money out of the transaction; that we should have been told in time so that he could have demanded that he be given a share of the proceeds of our trade. Of course this is a ridiculous proposition and amounts to this that Edison gave a contract to responsible parties, intending that if it failed to hold them responsible and if it was a success he proposed to take it away from them. This puts Edison in a very ridiculous light. The probabilities are, that nothing further will be done. He has probably got sense enough to see that he is making a fool of himself. If anything occurs between now and the time I leave, I will of course tell you [unclear]." With love to all, I remain, Your affectionate son, Ezra Gilliland
Author
Recipient
Mentioned
Date
1888-12-06
Type
Folder/Volume ID
LM022-F
Microfilm ID
143:1145
Document ID
LM022224
Publisher
Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University