555 PARK AVENUE

March 21, 1950

Dear Mr. Burroughs,

I have just read of the death of your distinguished father, my old friend of many years ago. I hasten to express to you my deep sympathy. He lived his life well, will be long remembered and greatly missed. 

We were associated in a private car trip from Chicago, to New York, Quebec, Toronto and back to Chicago in the summer of 1899 as the guests of Colonel L. M. Martin, father of your father's old friend the late Frank Martin.

You may have heard of the brawl we had in Toronto with some Canadian hoodlums in the course of which Ed was rapped on the head and had to be taken to the hospital to have the wound sewed up. This was about two o'clock in the morning and I will never forget the

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Hospital when, in reply to the inquiry as to where we were staying in Toronto, your father replied "in our private car down in the Grand Trunk Station". This seemed dubious in view of the fact that Ed was spattered with blood and his five O'clock shadow had become midnight. The Doctor became very severe with us and next morning came down to the station to see whether or not we were there. 

I saw him only occassionaly after the trip; the last time in Los Angeles in 1935 when we had a pleasant reunion. 

You have my deepest sympathy and I am very sorry indeed to lose a friend.

Sincerely,
                R. H. Patchin

Mr. John Burroughs,
Tarzana, Calif
 
 

 
Dear Mr. Patchin:

Thank you for the kind note of sympathy at the passing of my father. 

It was less than a year ago that Dad was recalling that private car trip of which you wrote. He mentioned your name and the occasion of the brawl. He suffered for a number of years with bad headaches from the blow he received in that fight, and attributed one or two subsequent short periods of amnesia to the rap. I remember the scar was quite evident on his forehead when we were children, but it seemed to disappear in his later life. Mother used to jokingly attribute his success to that blow -- and I used to think that perhaps if I could get one I would be more like him.

Dad also recalled that on the same trip, a colored porter would knock on the stateroom doors the first thing every morning. The porter bore a silver tray upon which was a choice of "eye-openers". According to DAD, this went on over different parts of the private car during the rest of the days and into the evenings. "It was one of the most interesting train trips that I have ever taken," Dad would remark.

We are hearing from many of his old friends, like yourself; and it is a pleasure, indeed to read their letters, hear the interesting anecdotes of his early life -- and above all to be reminded of the high regard in which he was held by all who knew him personally or through his works.

Sincerely, 

(John Coleman Burroughs)