Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to Mr. Theodore T. Wong, April 24, 1915
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to Mr. Theodore T. Wong, April 24, 1915
Subject
Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to Mr. Theodore T. Wong, April 24, 1915
Description
Typed letter sent from Alfred E. Stearns to Theodore T. Wong. Received Wong's letter too late. Sent balance remainder of 821.21 to Sun. Explained Sun wrote a few weeks ago asking for balance, which Stearns wouldn't send without Wong's authorization. Received letter from Y.C. Lee stating his father had talked with Mr. Sun Senior, who authorized sending the balance. Received Wong's letter with instructions to send the balance to Wong a day late. Hopes Wong can explain matters to Mr. Sun Senior. Apologizes for the mistake.
Transcription
My dear Mr. Wong:
I thank you for both your telegram and letter. Apparently I have been playing a part in, a comedy, of errors, and after flattering myself that I had been a match for Sun Fayuen’s shrewdness, must now acknowledge that the boy has decidedly got the better of me and won his point. Unfortunately your letter reached me too late, for I had only the day before telegraphed to Fayuen in San Francisco the balance of the funds in my possession remaining on the account of the Sun brothers. The amount sent was $821.21. Just what Fayuen will do with this I can’t imagine, though I only hope he will be decent enough to return it to his father, to whom it properly belongs.
A week or two ago Fayuen wrote me asking me to send him the balance in question. I told him that I was not willing to do this without your authorisation, in which case I would forward the money to you and ask you, to pass it on to the boy and return to me a receipt. Fayuen insisted that his father wished me to send the money direct to him. Not hearing further I concluded that he had been unwilling to adopt my suggestion. Two or three days ago I received a letter from Y. C. Lee at Yale telling me that his father had been interviewed by Mr. Sun, Sr., and that the latter has instructed him to authorize me to pay over the balance of this fund direct Fayuen in order to meet the latter’s expenses home. The day I received Lee’s letter I also received a telegram from Fayuen in San Francisco asking me to send him the money at once. Under the circumstances I did not see how I could do otherwise than comply, as this appeared to me to be clearly the father’s wish. I wired you, therefore, to secure if I could Fayuen’s San Francisco's address, which he had not given me. Before receiving your reply and in the belief that the boy might be in desperate need and that in withholding the money longer I would be acting contrary to his father’s expressed wishes, I telegraphed the amount in question to San Francisco, as the Western Union office assured me that it would doubtless be called for by the boy, and if not, the sum would be returned. The day after I wired the money your letter arrived. Naturally its contents disturbed me greatly.
As I have never known the address of Mr. Sun, Sr., I shall have to count on you to explain the situation to him. Will you also kindly forward him the enclosed statement of accounts, which brings the account down to the present date.
Regretting deeply that I seem to have bungled matters in this last step, and with kindest personal regards, believe me,
Yours very sincerely,
Enclosure.
I thank you for both your telegram and letter. Apparently I have been playing a part in, a comedy, of errors, and after flattering myself that I had been a match for Sun Fayuen’s shrewdness, must now acknowledge that the boy has decidedly got the better of me and won his point. Unfortunately your letter reached me too late, for I had only the day before telegraphed to Fayuen in San Francisco the balance of the funds in my possession remaining on the account of the Sun brothers. The amount sent was $821.21. Just what Fayuen will do with this I can’t imagine, though I only hope he will be decent enough to return it to his father, to whom it properly belongs.
A week or two ago Fayuen wrote me asking me to send him the balance in question. I told him that I was not willing to do this without your authorisation, in which case I would forward the money to you and ask you, to pass it on to the boy and return to me a receipt. Fayuen insisted that his father wished me to send the money direct to him. Not hearing further I concluded that he had been unwilling to adopt my suggestion. Two or three days ago I received a letter from Y. C. Lee at Yale telling me that his father had been interviewed by Mr. Sun, Sr., and that the latter has instructed him to authorize me to pay over the balance of this fund direct Fayuen in order to meet the latter’s expenses home. The day I received Lee’s letter I also received a telegram from Fayuen in San Francisco asking me to send him the money at once. Under the circumstances I did not see how I could do otherwise than comply, as this appeared to me to be clearly the father’s wish. I wired you, therefore, to secure if I could Fayuen’s San Francisco's address, which he had not given me. Before receiving your reply and in the belief that the boy might be in desperate need and that in withholding the money longer I would be acting contrary to his father’s expressed wishes, I telegraphed the amount in question to San Francisco, as the Western Union office assured me that it would doubtless be called for by the boy, and if not, the sum would be returned. The day after I wired the money your letter arrived. Naturally its contents disturbed me greatly.
As I have never known the address of Mr. Sun, Sr., I shall have to count on you to explain the situation to him. Will you also kindly forward him the enclosed statement of accounts, which brings the account down to the present date.
Regretting deeply that I seem to have bungled matters in this last step, and with kindest personal regards, believe me,
Yours very sincerely,
Enclosure.
Creator
Dr. Alfred E. Stearns
Publisher
Phillips Academy
Date
April 24, 1915
Rights
All Rights Reserved By Phillips Academy
Language
English
Type
Correspondence