stefansson-wrangel-09-20-059-001 1

Maurer

November 27, 1923.

Dear Delphine:

There is no money in the treasury of our
company, everything having been used to meet the most pressing
of the bills incurred by Noice in Alaska. I am writing Mr. Taylor
to find out how much is due to you on Fred's account, asking him
to bring a memorandum with him when he comes down to New York to
see me December 2nd. I will then send you from here a personal
check.

I am writing this because Mr. Anderson has for-
warded me a copy of your recent letter to him.

I might as well tell you now that as soon as we
have got rid of those legal obligations of the company that must
be met to avoid lawsuits, I shall write you outlining what I hope
to be able to do in the way of meeting my moral obligations. One
of these will be the redemption of the shares in the company which
Fred held. As soon as I can I shall buy them in at par with
reasonable interest.

Noice spent our money and pledged credit with
unbelievable recklessness while he was in Alaska. I suppose my
debts on account of the Wrangell Island enterprise are now some-
thing between twenty and thirty thousand dollars. Of course, most
of them are the debts of a joint stock company and there is a legal
way of avoiding them. Doing so is unthinkable, however, and I
shall meet the obligations as fast as I can earn money for that
purpose.

Mrs. F. W. Maurer,
911 Robbins Avenue,
Niles, Ohio.