Salt Lake City, U.T.
Nov. 23/68
Dear bror. Shearman,
It seems to devolve upon me to endeavor to write a reply to your favor of 10th inst directed to bro Schettler concerning your freight account with the P.E. Fund Co and some items connected with said account. I could have wished you would have communicated with me before taking the step of returning to President Young a letter written by bro Schettler to yourself, with a complaint that he "does not seem disposed to "give the matter that careful attention, nor to treat me (you) "with that courtesy which I think both merit."
I will say that I directed bro. Schettler to charge you with frt. of all mdse hauled of yours by the P.E.F. teams from this city up to Logan, and to send the bill to you. Your freight was taken off Seely's train because he has to return to Sanpete & it was checked by the Way bill in E. & C. yard, but was afterwards I learned taken aboard Molen's train & hauled to Cache, and inasmuch as the Captain & all the teamsters & guards, are paid large wages & often the best of pay is taken out of the T. Offices throughout the country to remunerate those persons as well as the owners of the teams and wagons, as employees of said Co we are bound to charge all persons having freight aboard and if possible prevent the teamsters or others from collecting freight bills & appropriating the means to their own use which seems to be the case in this instance. I instructed him to say that it was correct for us to charge you with said frt to Logan, but he made a too sweeping statement, because it was well understood that you were to report about the box of hardware when you got matters straightened. And now bro Shearman, allow me to say a word for bro Schettler -- he is by birth & education a german and not so fully and perfectly familiar with the nicest use of the english <as a native> and it seems rather too much to make him an offender for a word, or two, and arraign him before the highest Officer in the Church first, without giving him a previous chance for explanation or apology. In making the erroneous assertion that the a/c was correct & just, he was simply making a mistake, -- he had not wronged you out of a cent for you had not paid it, & none was urging it, -- he had not stolen your money and cabbaged your cloth like a tailor did by me last month and as for assuming to be 'judge & jury', you for the moment must have forgotten that he referred you, if you had any objections to the acct to the President, and it was unadvised in <your> doing so to accuse <him> of lack of courtesy to his employer as it is a tender point, and affects one's bread and dinner directly. Perhaps if he did wrong to you -- even of discourtesy, it were right to complain "between thee and him alone" & if not made right, there are the teachers, bishops and other authorities properly organized to settle difficulties, -- a man's employer is not perhaps the legitimate & first person to lay the matter before <of a personal discourtesy> unless there be a desire to correct a person at the risk of deeply injuring him in the eyes of his employer and you would not do that unless without due reflection, as we are all apt to act sometimes, unadvisedly. It is true that your goods were checked off in E. & C. yard, but until you shipped them again on the P.E.F. train I paid a night guard every night to watch your goods & the last night or two -- yours only, so that they should not be stolen. I paid (David Hilton & Jno Lee) $3.00 per night for this service, because I was not sure that they were off our hands & I could not get to see you to say that you had received them, and it was generally understood that if Molines train came along in time they were to go along, but press of business prevented my seeing after it as closely as I wished -- there is so much to do & so much bustle when a large train arrives.
I would be very much obliged if you will give me the names of those persons to whom you paid freight of your goods in Church train to Logan -- so that we can deduct it from their pay or credit. & we will chge to them & credit you. If you cannot do so, we will throw off that frt, anyhow, as also you can have the weight charged at your own figures, as the President is willing to have it so. To make the matter right in a business point of view you shd have credit for all damages & lack occurring while on board the train. Of course you shd not be chgd with the frt of goods by that wagon that did not belong to the train but I supposed you would report when you got to Logan how much the Chh teams had hauled up for you altogether. I had no idea that you were paying the teamsters until it appeared so afterwards when I directed bro Schettler to send the bill at once so as to forstal any one's drawing that pay who had no right to do so. You will readily see that we cannot collect the pay back from those teamsters unless you let us know who they are, & from what settlement they came.
I always used to think that freighters were too exacting to ask pay according to the way bill, but they universally get it <if they check up right> so far as my acquaintance has gone, & perhaps clerks are not to be blamed for following the usual practice. You will readily admit that the goods were heavier when loaded than when unshipped as they had been aboard for several weeks in the hot weather. The Railroad collected freight from McGath at more than the true weight <when delivered> & this obtains & will continue when the RR arrives doubtless.
Hoping these explanations will be satisfactory and that the matter will be settled without further difficulty, and that as bro Schettler was not so much to blame as might be inferred from his letter -- if at all, as, if there was any one to blame it must be my self; you will entirely exonerate him, I remain
Your brother in the Gospel of Peace
T.W. Ellerbeck
P.E.F. Co's Office
Salt Lake City UT