Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 7 (1891-1892)

Lt 53, 1891

Fulton, John

Petoskey, Michigan

June 2, 1891

Previously unpublished.

Dear Brother Fulton:

I received your letter with deeds today, and your putting of things in the way you do is confusion and perplexity to my mind. [I will do nothing] until I can see things more clearly and have a better presentation to give you than you have given me. Please to let matters stand as they are until I can see the right of justice and equity in your propositions, which I utterly fail to discern now. If I can discern righteousness in your business arrangement, then I will soon let you know. If I decide not to sell my place but to keep it, I will pay you the bills for what you have done on the place. 7LtMs, Lt 53, 1891, par. 1

Please tell me who has the benefit of the work done on the orchard. If it is the Health Retreat, then the profits of the orchard pays the bills for you. If I have the bills to pay, the proceeds of the orchard pays the bills for me, as last year. I have no manner of benefit of the work done on what was supposed to be your own place. If you consider this matter in the correct light as I view it, you would never have written me as you have done. But as Willie is not here, I must take time to consider all this business transaction. 7LtMs, Lt 53, 1891, par. 2

If I have the Lockwood place, the rent on the place will pay for the interest of the money sent to him and me for the place and the principal shall be passed in just as soon as I can decide what is the best thing for me to do. I certainly shall not sign any paper to deed away my place under existing circumstances until I understand matters better than I do. 7LtMs, Lt 53, 1891, par. 3

If I want to make a donation to the Health Retreat, I will make it and understand it to be this. If we are dealing in business relations, then we will look at it from a business standpoint, and I am not now where I can counsel with anyone. I do not intend to deal unrighteously with you; neither do I consider you would deal unrighteously with me. I want a clear understanding of matters. 7LtMs, Lt 53, 1891, par. 4

I wish to make a statement Elder Loughborough wrote me while in Europe, which statement may be, or ought to be, found on the books that the Health Retreat would pay me fifteen dollars per month for my cottage, keep up all repairs, keep the house painted and pay the taxes. After laying out much more expenses, building an addition costing one hundred and eighteen dollars, I wrote that I must have twenty dollars rent in order to pay interest on money that I was hiring. The word came to me that it was fair to do this, but they said nothing to me of any change in their agreement to pay taxes and keep up repairs. I found out that I had to pay the taxes and keep up the repairs. I have mentioned this to Elder Loughborough and to you. He claims to know nothing about it. 7LtMs, Lt 53, 1891, par. 5

Will you tell me who does know anything about it? Who arranged that matter so that the taxes were turned to me without having any understanding agreement with me to this effect? All I want is to know how these matters are managed and who did the managing after the plain statement was made to me by Elder Loughborough. 7LtMs, Lt 53, 1891, par. 6

When I thought I should have increase of rent for additional room, who made this arrangement in the business to have the rent stand as it was, by shouldering onto me the taxes and repairs? I want this matter straight, and as you mention these things now—repairs and taxes—I want to understand these things, and know who changed the order of things. But I will say no more on this subject. If Elder Loughborough, who was the manager, arranged this, I merely want to know this. 7LtMs, Lt 53, 1891, par. 7

For whom have you been doing the work in the orchard? You wrote me you would take this property. Was the work done for me or for yourselves. Seems to me things are mixed. If I pay for it, then I shall have to make that which the orchard produces pay its own bill, as I did last year. The bargain was made for the property, but by the law had not passed into your hands and therefore I paid the interest on the Cordivant note and I stated that the rent money would be paid to me. I may be so cloudy or dull of comprehension as not to see the matter clearly, but certainly I do not. You have not told me what was paid for the work on the orchard. You have not told me what the taxes were, but offset one against the other, putting taxes and charges of the orchard upon me. 7LtMs, Lt 53, 1891, par. 8

There is forty dollars which was to come to me from the notes of Sister Snook. Sister Ings will tell you all about this, but you make no mention of the matter. I have written several times in reference to it. Probably it has passed your mind, and then I thought you might possibly have paid her the interest. She sold my cow and used the money, and said the interest on money at the Health Retreat would settle the bill. I have waited one year for the forty dollars and have not received it yet. Please tell me about this interest on the money of Sister Snook’s. 7LtMs, Lt 53, 1891, par. 9

Talk with Sister Ings, for she knows all about this matter. 7LtMs, Lt 53, 1891, par. 10

You made the statement in regard to furniture. The bedstead, lounge, and several chairs in Brother Lockwood’s house are mine. I had more than two bedsteads in my house of my own, lounge, bed-lounge, one cheap bureau and chairs, wash-stands, tables, and I cannot tell all the items. 7LtMs, Lt 53, 1891, par. 11

[P.S.] I thought the matter of taxes and repairs I would not mention again, but it hurt me and leaves a disagreeable impression on my mind that someone has done me wrong. If they did not accept my proposition of rent, why did they not say as much. Who went away from and discarded the agreement made with me by Elder Loughborough? Did he do this, or someone [else] do it, who did not have an understanding of the agreement between us? It was with regret I sold my place, or thought I sold it, on the hillside and do not feel that I am very anxious to get rid of the property. If you think you are doing a great favor to Sister White in buying it, then you need not take it. I am determined to make haste slowly. I shall be at California this fall. If it is not possible for us to come to a right understanding, we will wait until fall when we can see each other face to face and can communicate so much better than with pen and ink. 7LtMs, Lt 53, 1891, par. 12

Much love to your wife and dear ones. 7LtMs, Lt 53, 1891, par. 13