Colonel Kerr is somewhat improved altho the improvement is not marked & is slow Has nervous attacks & fits of depression.

I do not expect a perfect recovery or a permanent one altho I expect him to get up & around and will probably be able to do office work in a few months.

You will be pleased to know that I have gotten together enough funds ($296.00) and Dr Pratt has paid off all the indebteness contracted on the Hickory Nut Gap Road before the state convicts left. We have a clean sheet & a good road. I have begged enough funds & have in bank $163.00 with which to rebuild two abutments on Hickory Creek which washed away owing to poor construction under Valentine. And about which much unnecessary fuss has been made. I am going to Bat Cave to-day & will let the contract to the lowest responsible bidder for building these two abutments. I have a good commissioner (Mr Oates with whom we ate dinner) from Henderson. Buncombe & Henderson have each appropriated $300.00 for the upkeep of the road for the first year. Rutherford has not made any appropriation nor appointed a commissioner.

We have had a patrolman on the 7.6 miles of road for a month, got the best man over there that we could find & had the dardest rebellion you ever heard of because we did not let the $35.00 per month job to the lowest bidder. One applicant even offered Mr Oates $10.00 in cash if he would get the job for him. (Something to graft on of course). I insisted that we wanted efficiency rather than a cheap loafer would prefer to have a civil service ex rather than the lowest bid.

I want to thank you again for giving us the best possible road through Hickory Nut Gap & for standing by the project. Mr Sol Gallert never sent a penny.—