It was very fortunate for Mrs Crane to find a relative in the army, and one so kind too; the masses of the people of the South are to be pitied; there are many noble, loyal hearts that have to suffer equally with the traitorous ones; O! the depth of suffering will never be known, that this fratricidal war has caused; Woe be to those who have been the cause of the shedding of so much blood; I sent you sometime ago a Chicago Tribune giving an account of an outbreak of Northern traitors; I fear there will be trouble next summer and fall, in view of the Presidential election; not that the rebel element is likely to be too strong for us, but it is the last hope of a dying rebellion, and a very forlorn hope it is too, and it is impossible for them to give up with a good grace all their cherished hopes of power, and pelf.  But we, that is the Republicans, Unionists feel confident of success, and hope to see "Honest Abe" at the helm for the next four years, when he will indeed "swing our country back on its old accustomed track" but not quite "as easy as he used to swing his maul". Since I wrote you last I have received a letter from Wm Braden of Indianapolis, who was about buying that land of mine three or four years ago; a gentleman of his acquaintance living in Spencer Co, where the land lies wishes to buy it; and got him to write to me.  He proposes to give me $75 for a quit claim deed, or $100 for a Warrentee Deed.  The land has been sold repeatedly for taxes, and there has not been any tax paid on it to my knowledge for fifteen years; I send by this mail for my deed, which I left at home; I hardly know what would be best to do about the matter and, it will take too long to get an answer from you in regard to it.  There is a cousin on my fathers living in Danville, who is a lawyer and a very good, reliable man and who would be willing I am sure to assist me in any way and I thought of getting him to attend to the matter for me I think I ought to have at least $100 for a quit Claim deed; as I understand it; a Warrentee deed, is one to free it from all incumbrance in the way of tax or costs of any kind, and a quit claim deed is to merely give up my right or title to the land as it is.  If I give a deed it will have to have your signature of course; I must do what I do, soon; I will write you what I decide on; I got such a good letter from father last week; it was written the 14th of April, they were all well.  Emma had just got a letter from you written the 21st of March, I must get some more paper
