Letter from Poultney Bigelow, Vichy, to Major John Moore Gawne, 1900 April 30 : autograph manuscript signed.

Announcing that he is writing on April 30 from Vichy, where he has gone in a "last desperate effort" to be treated for the bout of dysentery which has plagued him since the 24th of last October; providing a brief description of the character of Spencer Wilkinson, who lives opposite Bigelow in Chelsea; stating that if Gawne would furnish him "with proofs of what you say about Wildman", he would "publish it for the good of the service", further commenting that he has "heard nothing good of him yet."; counseling Gawne to have patience, as he "would be treated much worse" if he were a West Pointer in the U.S. Army, and recounting the experience of his brother, Captain John Bigelow, 10th U.S. Cavalry, who, after service in the American West and the Spanish American War, "goes back to his army post like the rest of his fellow West Pointers to do just about what he did 20 years ago - no promotion not a penny added to his pay.", adding, "All the glory in this war has gone to Bum politicians - Bum Volunteers & Bum journalists - which shows that in the U.S. we have unchained too much Democracy along with our war dogs."; sending his best regards to Mrs. Gawne ("I look back with much pleasure upon the pleasant scrambles we had together in Hong Kong"), and recommending that Gawne read (G.F.R.) Henderson's biography of Stonewall Jackson.