Chas. M. Renaud
Dealer in General Merchandise
Courtland, Arizona

Lumber, ranch, and mining supplies

Edwin S. Blanke
Courtland, Arizona
March 2, 1913

Mr. T. L. Blanke 

Dear Brother Theodore:- 

I received your letter today of Feb. 24th. You have no doubt received my other 
letter of a week ago, explaining things. That Pa wants to go, but not Tillie. 
She is doing fine. Had 4 inches of snow Friday morning, and it sure was cold 
Tue., Wed., & Thurs., but after the snow friday, it got warm. Nice and warm 
yesterday and today, but looks like rain now. 

This is getting to be a bad place. Girl won't let me stay out late nights here 
any more, and said I wouldn't dare go to Gleason at night any more. For a while 
I made two trips a week at between 11 P.M. and 1 A.M. The butcher of Gleason was
driving over here at mid-day, Wednesday, last week, and one mile out of Gleason,
he was robbed and murdered. Tied a rope around his neck and stabbed him with a 
thin but long knife, twice in the neck and three times in the heart. Tied rope 
to wagon & around his neck. Tied horse up too. Haven't caught the fellows yet. 

A month ago a saloon keeper was shot by a nigger, in the back. Two weeks ago, a 
fellow was hit in the head with a rock early in the evening, but he got away. 
Out run the fellow. Douglas (town) just called up Central Tel. and said the 
Mexicans were fighting on the border. One policeman was killed and several 
wounded this (4 P.M. P.M. Now). I wish I was down there to see it. It's 35 miles
from here. Mexicans up here have been buying lots of guns and ammunition lately.
Just about every white man around here carries a gun now.

The house looks good as any in the valley, but it's simply too small. I wish I 
would have built it 20' x 16' and made 3 rooms out of it. My horses do look 
awful tough. No shelter in this bad weather and lots of work. Am out of hay too,
so all they get is what they find, except grain. That's daffey about costing 
three times as much when you are married. Four of the fellows here in the Store 
got married lately, and each one's account shows that it don't cost quite as 
much, and all are saving more. Average cost of two (store & meat bill) is $26.00
per month. One fellow's is only $24.00. Why kid, I am paying the Store bill and 
there is Pa, Tillie, Art, & a hired fellow, who has been grubbing stumps since 
the first part of Dec., and their Store bill (they buy beef & goat meat & ham) 
don't run over $35. at the most. Only $25. generally. Art has lots of company 
too, Pa & Tillie will tell you that. It's buying grain for the horses that runs 
up the Store bill. I don’t know if I told you that I ordered a Disc Harrow, this
month. 

I'm getting some frau too. I'll tell you! I don’t want the job at Pearce. Just 
like vacation this month again. No night work. Start at 8 A.M. only. No boss & 
nothing to worry about. No statements to get out. Fine business. 

Will write more next time. Got to go next door now and bother HER.

Best wishes. 
Your brother, 
Edwin 

P.S. 
6:30 P.M. 3/2/13 
Thirteen Mexicans and two white men killed, so far, at Douglas, Arizona.