Correspondence and Receipts for purchases made on Gertrude Bass Warner's behalf [f1] [005]
Item
Title
Correspondence and Receipts for purchases made on Gertrude Bass Warner's behalf [f1] [005]
Author
Ferguson, John C. (John Calvin), 1866-1945
Recipient
Warner, Murray, 1869-1920
Date
1915-09-03
Identifier
UA022_b005_f002_027_034
Description
Correspondence between John C. Ferguson and Murray Warner
Transcript:
91 Arlington Street,
Newton, Massachusetts
September 3, 1915
My dear Mr. Warner:
Your letter of August 9th, together with the cheque book and bank book, arrived just as I was going away for four days vacation. After returning, I went at once to Middletown to attend the Annual conference of the Chinese Students’ Alliance, and for these reasons my reply has been delayed. I had a most enjoyable time at the Conference, which was held at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. I made an address to the boys and girls on “Chinese Art”, and also acted as a judge in their debate, which was held in the Chinese language. About 150 young men and women were there, and it was truly inspiring to see the new blood of China. The son and daughter of Mr. C. J. Soong were present. Both seemed to be doing well. The daughter [Soong Mei-ling] is an especially charming girl, and seems to be a general favorite.
I am enclosing a resume of the accounts, dividing them, as you see, into two periods as far as the accounts of Murray Warner are concerned, and eliminating my own personal account. From the first period, which covered the transactions with the Flour Mill, you will see that there was a profit to me of Tls.156.83. From the second transaction, which covered the collection $2000 from Zee Foh Sue, you will see that there was a profit of Tls.1101.82. Together, these two items agree with the total of Tls.1258.65 which I used on my own personal account.
As I understand the situation, you desired me to keep the Tls.156.83. Against the receipt of $2000, which equals Tls.1468, I have set off the amounts used for the business. The first item was to the French lawyer, Cucherousset, for services in attempting to collect your notes against Lemiere. There is another item paid to Ellis & Hays for the same purpose. You also asked me to give Mr. Soong a commission, if I succeeded in collecting the amount from Mr. Zee. I thought that $100 was about right for his services, and paid him that amount. There are two other items for cablegrams. The item paid to Yeh Fang-yü for services was in connection with trying to get the contract for a battleship. I could not go to Peking at the time and it seemed that Mr. Yeh might be able to do something for us. I was in constant communication with the Fairfield Shipbuilding Co. in the hope that some business might be obtained. This Tls.200 was spent by me for the business, but I am quite prepared to have it charged to my account, if you so desire. If the original profit of Tls.156.83 is to go to me, and if you agree to the expenditure of Tls.200 for Yeh’s services, the balance due to you now would be Tls.1101.82. However, as I said in a previous letter, I am quite willing to forego the small profit of Tls.156.83, and am also prepared to pay Yeh’s expenses, if you so desire. Please let me know your wishes in this matter.
This account would have been sent to you three years ago, if I had had any idea at the time that the money collected from Zee was on your own personal account. I drew on this account, as you will see, very leisurely, always hoping that some business would develop so that the balance on hand could be sued for Company purposes, but at the same time with the understanding that the whole of it belonged to me. I had no thought of this not being the case until I surmised from the spirit of your letter, rather than from anything you said, that you were not feeling comfortable about the matter. I did not know the reason, but thought the best way to handle the matter situation would be to forward you the bank book and cheque book, and leave the whole matter in your hands. Now that I understand your wishes in the matter, the adjustment of the account is a small matter.
You will notice from the accounts that I did not collect the amount that young Middleton owes you. I have noticed from recent Shanghai papers that all of the three Middleton boys have gone to England to join the colors; so that probably your claim against Middletown will be hard to collect. The two notes from Lemiere are among my papers in my safe in Peking. I will send them to you when I return to China. I have written to the Taiping Rubber Company, asking them to send me a blank transfer, and when this comes I will sign it and send it on to you, so that the 187 shares may be transferred to your name.
I had hoped to go to China this autumn, but I am still uncertain. Things are so disturbed here and business is so bad that I am undecided as to where I can be of the greatest service to my own interests. It is still quite possible that I may go this fall, in which case I will have the opportunity of seeing you and Mrs. Warner.
My wife and I both join in kindest regards.
Yours sincerely,
John C. Ferguson
End of transcript.
Transcribed by Tom Fischer.
Transcript:
91 Arlington Street,
Newton, Massachusetts
September 3, 1915
My dear Mr. Warner:
Your letter of August 9th, together with the cheque book and bank book, arrived just as I was going away for four days vacation. After returning, I went at once to Middletown to attend the Annual conference of the Chinese Students’ Alliance, and for these reasons my reply has been delayed. I had a most enjoyable time at the Conference, which was held at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. I made an address to the boys and girls on “Chinese Art”, and also acted as a judge in their debate, which was held in the Chinese language. About 150 young men and women were there, and it was truly inspiring to see the new blood of China. The son and daughter of Mr. C. J. Soong were present. Both seemed to be doing well. The daughter [Soong Mei-ling] is an especially charming girl, and seems to be a general favorite.
I am enclosing a resume of the accounts, dividing them, as you see, into two periods as far as the accounts of Murray Warner are concerned, and eliminating my own personal account. From the first period, which covered the transactions with the Flour Mill, you will see that there was a profit to me of Tls.156.83. From the second transaction, which covered the collection $2000 from Zee Foh Sue, you will see that there was a profit of Tls.1101.82. Together, these two items agree with the total of Tls.1258.65 which I used on my own personal account.
As I understand the situation, you desired me to keep the Tls.156.83. Against the receipt of $2000, which equals Tls.1468, I have set off the amounts used for the business. The first item was to the French lawyer, Cucherousset, for services in attempting to collect your notes against Lemiere. There is another item paid to Ellis & Hays for the same purpose. You also asked me to give Mr. Soong a commission, if I succeeded in collecting the amount from Mr. Zee. I thought that $100 was about right for his services, and paid him that amount. There are two other items for cablegrams. The item paid to Yeh Fang-yü for services was in connection with trying to get the contract for a battleship. I could not go to Peking at the time and it seemed that Mr. Yeh might be able to do something for us. I was in constant communication with the Fairfield Shipbuilding Co. in the hope that some business might be obtained. This Tls.200 was spent by me for the business, but I am quite prepared to have it charged to my account, if you so desire. If the original profit of Tls.156.83 is to go to me, and if you agree to the expenditure of Tls.200 for Yeh’s services, the balance due to you now would be Tls.1101.82. However, as I said in a previous letter, I am quite willing to forego the small profit of Tls.156.83, and am also prepared to pay Yeh’s expenses, if you so desire. Please let me know your wishes in this matter.
This account would have been sent to you three years ago, if I had had any idea at the time that the money collected from Zee was on your own personal account. I drew on this account, as you will see, very leisurely, always hoping that some business would develop so that the balance on hand could be sued for Company purposes, but at the same time with the understanding that the whole of it belonged to me. I had no thought of this not being the case until I surmised from the spirit of your letter, rather than from anything you said, that you were not feeling comfortable about the matter. I did not know the reason, but thought the best way to handle the matter situation would be to forward you the bank book and cheque book, and leave the whole matter in your hands. Now that I understand your wishes in the matter, the adjustment of the account is a small matter.
You will notice from the accounts that I did not collect the amount that young Middleton owes you. I have noticed from recent Shanghai papers that all of the three Middleton boys have gone to England to join the colors; so that probably your claim against Middletown will be hard to collect. The two notes from Lemiere are among my papers in my safe in Peking. I will send them to you when I return to China. I have written to the Taiping Rubber Company, asking them to send me a blank transfer, and when this comes I will sign it and send it on to you, so that the 187 shares may be transferred to your name.
I had hoped to go to China this autumn, but I am still uncertain. Things are so disturbed here and business is so bad that I am undecided as to where I can be of the greatest service to my own interests. It is still quite possible that I may go this fall, in which case I will have the opportunity of seeing you and Mrs. Warner.
My wife and I both join in kindest regards.
Yours sincerely,
John C. Ferguson
End of transcript.
Transcribed by Tom Fischer.
Source
Gertrude Bass Warner Papers, 1879-1954
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
Institution
University of Oregon
Type
Text
Format
application/pdf
Rights
Rights Reserved - Free Access
Rights Holder
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives