Scope and Contents

Thinks she goes to too much trouble in writing himsuch long letters so often; encloses a letter from the brother of their two servants [not present]; thinks Sarah should stay with her while she is gone; thinks she should go to Sarah's house and Sarah should stay in New York; is staying with Mary Bold and Laura; when Elizabeth comes back, he will probably go stay with Tom Bold instead; went to see Tom and Jessie and their sons today; got a favorable impression of Jessie; Tom might come to New York next year; Tom and his business partners all offered to let him use a desk in their office for writing letters; Tom does not believe Rutson is married, as he is supposed to be; told him what he knew about the matter; when Tom was in Newton, he saw the Rev[erend] Mr. Leigh, who was also a friend of Rutson's; Mr. Leigh did not think Rutson was married and had heard he had run off with a woman, possibly his former landlady; the woman is now keeping a house elsewhere, so he does not think she is the woman Rutson is married to; Tom thinks that if Rutson in married it happend recently, not three years ago; Mr. L[eigh] said that Rutson was seeing a younger woman in Newton until the man she was staying with kicked Rutson out of his house; thinks Rutson's marriage was a forced one and thinks that it happened after Rutson's daughter was born; decided to go to Newton with Tom to talk to Mr. Leigh; Tom did not know Rutson's wife's maiden name was Vaughan; hopes to find out something about her relatives from Mr. Leigh; tried to visit Horatio Hughes, but his office was closed; took her letter to Mrs. Cropper on Monday evening; saw Mrs. Briggs the other day; he has enough clothing and looks well; Tom Bold heard from an editor of the London Times that the English and French intended to mediate between the North and SOuth; Tom told Littledale to sell cotton; the "Manasses disaster"[Battle of Bull Run] ruined this plan; asks her to show Matthew that paragraph; news of friends; (19 August) went to Newton with Tom Bold; saw a stout woman who, Tom said, had been the first person to make him think Rutson was not married; talked to her about the subject; she had said that Rutson stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Stall and visited Miss Gregory;  asked if sheknew anything about the person Rutson was supposed to be married to or if she knew anyone named Vaughan, and she referred her to Mr. Mercer; spoke to Mr. Leigh, who felt that Rutson had not been married because he visited Miss Gregory; he [RM] said that Rutson had girlfriends everywhere he went; Mr. Leigh knew that Rutson had not been married in his church, but he could have married elsewhere; asked him if he knew anyone with the maiden name Vaughan; James Maury told him that Rutson's wife was a Miss Vaughan who was staying with the Stalls; thinks that Rutson's wife is somehow related to Mrs. Stall;  would not be surprised if Rutson was not married until he went to England this past time; went to talk to Mr. Mercer; did not have time to speak to him but assumed that he was the man that Miss Gregory was a governess for; thinks that Mrs. Stall could explain some things, but does not want to meet her; asked Rutson to show him his marriage certificate, but he has not done so; until he sees the certificate he will not believe Rutson has been married as long as he says he has; does not think Rutson would claim to the family she was his wife is she is not; is glad he went to Newton although he did not really learn very much; did not tell Mary Bold why he went to Newton; met Mr. Hargraves, who had made a prttrait for his [RM] nephew; there was a mix-up about the payment, and he [RM] asks Anne to straighten it out; (20 August) Tom Bold talked to Mr. Mercer after he left Newton [RM]; Miss Gregory did not live at his house but he knew and liked her; Mr. Mercer and Rutson were close; but when Rutson became to wild, Mr. Mercer stopped associating with him; Mr. Mercer does not think Rutson is married, but he has no proof; talked to Mr. Torr about the cotton; does not exect for the conflict between the North and South to be resolved before the next session of Congress, but expects that a decision will be made during that session; told him that New Yorkers were not financially distressed; news of friends and business acquantinces; asks her to tell Walker he is pleased with his speech and to tell Mytton that is note is acceptable; (23 August) more news of friends. 16pp. ALS