20

Caswell Court House Jany 10th 1822

Dr Sir

you have probably heard from some of your
friends in this part of the Country of the total ruin
of our worthy friend A. D. Murphy Esqr & of the very large
sums of money which I have paid and shall have
to pay as his surety - They are of such magnitude
as to induce in me serious apprehensions of meeting with
the same fate which has befallen him -

In his endeavours to give me some small indemnity
for & security against my losses, he assigned to me in
June last your Bond to him for Ten Thousand
Dollars in the whole. As none of the Bonds will be
[gap] several years, I did not feel at liberty to
mention them to you or ask for any payment.
Nor should I now do so were it not for my pressing
necessities & for the very heavy demands, exceeding forty
thousand Dollars which I shall have to meet with in
a short time - Considering the mode in which I unde
-rstood your Debt to him was incured & knowing that
his Debt to me, towards the discharge of which he let
me have these Bonds arose in the same way & hoping
from the prosperity which I learn has befallen you of
late, that you might conveniently make an advance
upon them, I have with great reluctance concluded
to request such afavour - I know that I have no
legal right to demand payment before the Bonds
fall due - & it is with great difficulty that I have
[page torn] myself to it & only after satisfying myself