Dear Manahan:

It is said Fredericksburg and tobacco is captured. I feared
this.

Have written to Maddox and sent him a copy of contract. I
enclose yours.

Now it is for you to go to work at once and see that this
property is taken care of. I believe you will both do it; see
to it that no innocent parties suffer. Act promptly, for I
assured my friends that the property was safe at that point,
and I did it on your representations. Let me hear from you,
care of Burnett & Funkhouser, this city.

Yours truly, M. E. MARTIN.

Baltimore, Md.,
Dec. 8th, 1864.

I hereby agree to deliver to Mess. Maddox & Manahan, during
the month of Feby. and March, 1865, at Fredericksburg,
Virginia, on the Rappahannock River, Four Thousand Boxes
(4,000) of good sound merchantable tobacco, to be paid for on
delivery, by my Agents at said point, in United States
currency, at the rate of Forty-seven and a half (47-1/2) Cents
per pound.

Said tobacco to be of the quality known as good manufactured
Virginia Leaf. I reserve to myself the privilege of increasing
the quantity to 5,000 boxes, if I see proper.

(Signed) M. E. MARTIN.

Manahan was of the firm of J. F. Manahan & Co., No. 17 South Charles
Street, Baltimore, Md. This letter, by mistake, fell into my hands on
March 12th. It was necessary to act quickly in order to intercept
communication twixt Martin and Manahan, and for that purpose I left
Baltimore on the 12th, and had my man wire to Martin, as follows:

Baltimore, Md., Mch. 13, 1865.

M. E. Martin,
c/o Burnett & Funkhouser,
New York.

"Your letter here. Shaffer, my friend, will call to-day. Let
me know the result by telegraph immediately."

MANAHAN,
Maltby House.

I assumed that if Martin wanted to reach Manahan, he would address him
at the Maltby House, the telegraph office there was in my possession.

I at the same time had myself wired to as follows:

Baltimore, Md., Mch. 13, 1865.

I. K. Shaffer,
Merchants Hotel,
New York.

"Call on Martin immediately, I have his letter of 10th."

Manahan,
Maltby House.

This wire was to be my introduction to Martin. I located Martin and
Burnett & Funkhouser in Broad Street near Beaver. I did not call on him
immediately, as I wanted him to get anxious to see