July 28, 1899

Dear Jack,

It's me Crutchie again. I hope you're doing okay. I still haven't heard anything from you or anyone else even though these letters are going out. How is the strike going? I bet Pulitzer is close to giving up.

I hope you ain't sick like Frog. I hope he doesn't have polio like I got. Maybe we'll be naming him something like Crutchie too. He ain't jumping so much anymore, he's sleeping a lot and he don't want to eat. I've been helping like I remember though and making him eat. I'm telling him about Santa Fe though and he wants to go with you and me when I escape here.

We really gotta go there. If my leg weren't bad like it is a lot of things would be different. I'm waiting to run in pretty green fields and ride Palominos and swim the Rio Grande with you. I hope you're waiting for that too. Soon we're gonna be able to do it!

I ain't been able to escape yet cause Spider's good at soaking and it really hurts to get hit with a crutch.

We'll be fine, good as new. Frog and I are gonna get all healed up and take off outta here like a shot.

Santa Fe is gonna help and we're gonna be there before we know it.

The end

Your brother,

Crutchie