Letter to Vera Renfrow Cowart from Julius T. Long, Lawyer, Shreveport, LA

May 28, 1937

Mrs. Vera Renfrow Cowart

Jonesville, La.

Dear Mrs. Cowart:-

I wish you would tell me what address is best to use in writing you in order to know that you get your mail the quickest way.

Now, there is absolutely nothing to your fears about your not getting all to which you are entitled. The Smith child when attys. fees are taken out for it, would get the same you are to get; and if no curator or attys. fees are charged against it, that does not change your contract to pay me one-half. It gets for ots (?) part just the same you get, and out of each of you comes attorney’s fees of one-half. I put up all costs, and doubt that what I get out of it will give me my money back.

Any lease made upon this land before we filed the suit is good, for whoever took same did it on the face of the record and was an innocent third buyer.

I am now at the first of knowing that you have minor brother and minor sister; and of course their signatures are not worth the paper upon which it is written. If your father is their tutor and will sign for them all right, if he does not want to sign, then again all right. He will not collect one cent from me through any sale to me of their rights, I did not take the case to buy anyone’s part, and will not do that. I play the game fairly, and above board, and will not let others force me to do more than that by them.

This talk about some one paying your father $500.00 for _____ or both those minors is too ridiculous to think of. I cannot conceive of how anyone can think that on such a small matter any one would pay such an amount. I would not pay more than $60. 00 each if I were in the market, and I am not in the market at all.

Now, you say you thought you should have a half interest in 160 acres of land. We only sued for a 5/24 interest for all of you. Figure that out. That is all you can possibly recover.

I run into just such matters as you are making here, but there is nothing doing above what we sued for, and what we are trying to settle for. If we do not accept, I fear we will get nothing. You all will have the 15 acres together, provided we can insert the interest of those minors with your father’s consent; and unless he has been made a tutor for the, we would have to do that before we can close the matter. Now, I will not take up much more time writing about this plain matter. I have worked and spent my money upon it, and will not quit the case unless what we have done is paid for at reasonable price. But we have 1/2 interest, and will sell our parts to your father, who wants $1,000.00 for much less than $250.00, and he will be glad to get it. We will close the whole matter out, and then transfer your own 15 acre interest for $300.00 and our money back, and that is only about $30.00. Now, here is a real bargain. He wants $1,000.00 for the two minors half, let him but much more for about $330.00. I know he will not do it, and that no other person will do any such.

Yours truly,
Julius T. Long