The Superior Court.

Boston. Feb. 5, 1900. 189__

My Dear Mr. Sheldon:-

I was glad to hear from you this morning
although upon the subject of an inroad into Deerfield.

I should endeavor to make friends with the Mammon
of Unrighteousness, and see if a route across the home lots east
of the old street would not be satisfactory to the promoters of
the railroad. If the residents on the main street would say that
they could as readily take the cars upon that route as if the
track were laid in the street itself, and if the right of way
could be obtained without great expense to the road, this ought to
prevail.

In our case in Newton the land owners combined and
furnished to the electric road a right of way upon a new street
laid out. This was at large expense but the land owners hope
to recoup something from having land upon the new street to sell.
In your case it would perhaps be different, i.e. the line
through the rear of the home lots might be laid out as a street
or might be furnished for the road alone. I think there is an
admirable opportunity to do this in Deerfield and obtain a
straighter line through for the electric cars than by following
the line of the street itself which involves a bend. It seems to
me that all will depend on how much enterprise there is, and how
much good temper and sense is displayed. I should try to avoid

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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Robert R. Bishop writes his February 5, 1900 letter on a typewriter and the stationery has a Superior Court heading. In it he promises George Sheldon of Deerfield that he will make an effort to persuade the promoters of the railroad to place the line at the rear of the homelots. His tone is friendly and near the end of the letter he says, "I do not exactly understand why the matter should come before the Legislature at all, but of course there is some reason that I do not understand."

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