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Letter from Horace Hotchkiss, 13 September 1841

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property I sold being a “deathly sickly hole” and the “extortionate price I exacted” was I presume written without reflection— I cannot immagine why it should be more unhealthy than the lands immediatley adjoining and if reasons <​causes of sickness​> exist there that do not in other portions of what are those reasons <​causes​>?— The price for this property was at the time has been since and I beleive always will be considered exceedingly reasonable and you will unquestionably remember that I proposed at the time retaining every other lot and only selling one half the property— Does this look like extortion?— But how could I extort?— And what could I exact?— You had then made no purchase of me and I neither exacted or extorted any thing from you but offered you property at a certain price which property you examined to your entire satisfaction and after this e[x]amination agreed to pay the price asked— A free and voluntary act on your part most assuredly— My dear sir I beg you will not accuse me of extortion in such a transaction as this— Nothing on earth can be more remote from exaction— Was there any compulsion?
You allude again to the proposal of our taking lands in the Atlantic states which will yeild six pr. ct. interest— You will do me the justice to acknowledge that I some time since wrote you that I had consulted and that we would receive payment if you chose for our whole debt in that manner— I have been at the expense of two journies to — thrown in the interest upon the debt and been twice to and have never yet recd. from you one dollar and still <​you​> complain of my goading without cause and attempting to crush you before you have acquired strength for carrying a burthen— Why you cannot be serious— There is not the slightest foundation for such charges— Is it not right that I should be paid my interest? And may I not in kindness suggest the methods by which it can be accomplished?— ’Tis not credible that you can object to this— Do you doubt my being a friend because I want my money for family expenses?— We view things differently here
Yours Truly [p. [3]]
property I sold being a “deathly sickly hole” and the “extortionate price I exacted” was I presume written without reflection— I cannot immagine why it should be more unhealthy than the lands immediatley adjoining and if causes of sickness exist there that do not in other portions of what are those causes?— The price for this property was at the time has been since and I beleive always will be considered exceedingly reasonable and you will unquestionably remember that I proposed at the time retaining every other lot and only selling one half the property— Does this look like extortion?— But how could I extort?— And what could I exact?— You had then made no purchase of me and I neither exacted or extorted any thing from you but offered you property at a certain price which property you examined to your entire satisfaction and after this examination agreed to pay the price asked— A free and voluntary act on your part most assuredly— My dear sir I beg you will not accuse me of extortion in such a transaction as this— Nothing on earth can be more remote from exaction— Was there any compulsion?
You allude again to the proposal of our taking lands in the Atlantic states which will yeild six pr. ct. interest— You will do me the justice to acknowledge that I some time since wrote you that I had consulted and that we would receive payment if you chose for our whole debt in that manner— I have been at the expense of two journies to — thrown in the interest upon the debt and been twice to and have never yet recd. from you one dollar and still you complain of my goading without cause and attempting to crush you before you have acquired strength for carrying a burthen— Why you cannot be serious— There is not the slightest foundation for such charges— Is it not right that I should be paid my interest? And may I not in kindness suggest the methods by which it can be accomplished?— ’Tis not credible that you can object to this— Do you doubt my being a friend because I want my money for family expenses?— We view things differently here
Yours Truly [p. [3]]
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