[D8831AAB], Letter from William Preston Hix to Thomas Alva Edison, January 6th, 1888

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Title

[D8831AAB], Letter from William Preston Hix to Thomas Alva Edison, January 6th, 1888

Editor's Notes

"As you have always been my best friend ever since I have been with the Co I thought you would like know what I am doing. Mr. J.C. Richardson a very rich man [unclear] with Mathius Whitaker Brokus will organize the St. Louis Co at two million. Mathews + [unclear] taken have handled all that gas deals there. They have agreed to the terms provided Whitaker after his return from visiting our stations in the East is satisfied that the stock will pay [unclear] He leaves for the East [unclear] I have made a combine here with Col. Bennet Young formerly. Prest. Of the L + I R.R. and now Prest of the Southern RR Construction Co. He will be assisted by Maj. Stone Prest. Of the [unclear] RR they scheme as this; March the first the Construction Co. will have a large sum of money paid to it by the KY Southern RR which they are building [unclear] Young having the confidence of his stockholders will turn that money into an Edison Co of one million dollars so the outlook for these two cities at present is good I have just received a telegram from Johnson to go to Kansas City, at once as they want to increase that Co and have asked that I be sent there. I formed that Co. one year ago. I leave at once for there. ### I met McDonald [unclear] Ft. Wayne James Co. and Slattery here to day. McDonald says if I will leave the Edison Co. he will pay me more money than they are paying me, he does not care how made that is I told him I did not know Slatterlys system but I presumed it was the [unclear] as Meeting house I did not think much of it. Slattery said 'no it was not the same that he coupled up in [unclear] are and he could prove to me that he could get 10 lamps to H.P. over a circuit of six miles' I promised McDonald that if I left the Edison Co that I would give him the first chance to make a contract with me before I saw any one else. I also promised (when I had a chance) to investigate S's system McDonald also says he is just from New Orleans and its [unclear] Co. there is very sick of the Westinghouse system and Humbird + Doubleday are there now and they made several offices to him to combine against the [unclear] Edison CO. He told them they only proposition he would entertain 'was for the Brush Co. to throw out the Westinghouse and take Slattery system and he would get his arc Co. to agree to let the Brush Co. have all the incandescent business." ### While waiting on these people here for our answer to my proposition I made a water color scetch of a typical Kentuckian which I send you I agreed if he would sit to furnish all the 'Sour Mash' he wanted. He sat two houses and it took very expensive. I could not get him to look at me. He would turn his eyes to the door looking for the next drink. So you see it in the picture. ### If you care to hear from me once and a while I will let you know how things are progress in a my address in Kansas City will be care of Coats House. I have since the above facts to Johnson to day." Yours Hix

Date

1888-01-06

Type

Folder/Volume ID

D8831-F

Microfilm ID

123:128

Document ID

D8831AAB

Publisher

Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University
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