stefansson-wrangel-09-20-086

Maurer

December 13, 1924.

Dear Mr. Maurer:

I had been hoping that at the end of my lecture tour I would be able either to stop in New Philadelphia on the way east or ro arrange for a meeting in Cleveland as you had suggested. However, it was very pressing that I should return immediately to New York. One reason is that Mr. Noice has been threatening a law suit. It does seem that the grounds for it are absurd and wholly made up out of his imagination, but still some of my friends in New York thought he was serious about it. He has also been making certain threats which are in the nature of blackmail and which had alarmed some of my friends. These and many other things made me hurry east.

I think it is just an over-night ride from your home to New York. If you do not happen to be very busy just now, could you not come to New York and be my guest for a day or two, preferably probably about a week or ten days from now when Mr. Taylor will be coming down from Toronto? I should like to pay the expense of the trip because the relative expense would be the same as if I went to see you, the difference being that you would be doing me a favour in saving a day or two of my time - and also there would be the advantage of meeting Mr. Taylor. Both he and I are very anxious that you and all Fred's relatives shall understand thoroughly how everything is and how everything is going.

Meantime, won't you let me know briefly how your family feels about the publucation of Fred's letter to his wife in view of the strong urging of the Crawfords that it should be published. You have, of course, expressed yourself already. I am only asking if you have changed your mind at all recently. As I told you before, my own feeling was against publishing the letter and I think you had the same reasons in mind that I had.

I have not written Mrs. Fred Maurer directly about this as yet, partly because I did not want to be responsible for any dissension between you and her. It would be awkward to have a letter from her urging publication and one from you opposing it. On the other hand, if your entire family and I can agree between ourselves that the letter ought not to be published, I think my explaining that to her will incline her to agree with us. Probably she does agree with us in any case. The book must go to press now within a week or ten days. Everything has to be settled before then. The text of the chapter on the documents in the case has been greatly altered from what you saw. This was necessary after we received Mr. Noice's retraction.

Mr. John Maurer, New Philadelphia, Ohio.