Letter from William F. Cody to George T. Beck

[drawing]

Apartments.
European Plan.
American Plan.
Auditorium Hotel
Breslin & Southgate
R. H. Southgate, Manager. Chicago,

Mar. 10 1899 My Dear Beck

Yours recd Buffalo parties [1] dont seem to feel like putting up Any more money. I have written them about the bridge [2] .

I dont beleive Salsbury will put up a dollar- for he Says the money is so badly handeled. If I ask him to put up with me to bring water to Cody & flats [3] . He will say who is to take charge of work- You know George that heretofore no money has been properly used

[drawing]

Apartments.
European Plan.
American Plan.
Auditorium Hotel
Breslin & Southgate
R. H. Southgate, Manager. Chicago, __________189___

that is the men hired to do work have not been managed right. No boss— no one to lay their work out for them or stay with them to see that they do an honest days work— That decd canal has been done on a widow womans way of getting work out of men. If you are to take charge of it which no one could do better that is if you would stay with the men and see that their work is lay out

[drawing]

Apartments.
European Plan.
American Plan.
Auditorium Hotel
Breslin & Southgate
R. H. Southgate, Manager. Chicago, __________189___

their work— be with them in the mornings and see that they work go over the ditch your self- and see what it needs &c- If you will write Salsbury that you will do this, I will guarntee that the $1000 be placed to your credit at once

If you g will get down to business and write us that you will be on the job the money will be at Carbon Co Bank [4] - But we wont stand any more slip-

[drawing]

Apartments.
European Plan.
American Plan.
Auditorium Hotel
Breslin & Southgate
R. H. Southgate, Manager. Chicago, __________189___

shod way of haveing our money wasted. I should think that you would want water for your own farm and would be willing to use every energy to get it there. We have to work hard for our money and I dont blame our stock holders refuseing to put up. When the men who handle it wont work—

Very truly yours W. F. Cody

Note 1: "Buffalo parties" refers to the investors from Buffalo, N.Y., primarily Bleistein, Gerrans, and Rumsey. [back]

Note 2: "Bridge" refers to Cody's efforts to finance building a bridge over the Shoshone River near Cody. [back]

Note 3: "Flats" refers to acreage in the South Fork valley south of Cody, Wyoming, that would later become known as "Irma Flats," named after William F. Cody's youngest daughter. [back]

Note 4: Carbon County Bank was located in Red Lodge, Montana, the county seat; the bank was built before 1900. [back]