Letter from the Hawn Family Collection, transcribed and submitted by Lee Hawn of San Francisco.

The original document was donated to the McClung Historical Collection, Knoxville.

Please see other transcriptions from the collection on this Web site.

Office Superintendent Public Instruction
County of Knox
Knoxville, Tenn.

September October 7th, 1878

Mr Wm Hawn

     My Dear Sir I received your card this morning contents noted.  I have as best I could looked over the whole ground in that disagreeable matter and I have concluded that it is rather cruel to revoke the certificate of Mr Tarwater.  He is young and if guilty no doubt acted alone by the promptings of ambition of which I am fully persuaded that he would now gladly undo what he has done.  If it should be that he is not guilty it would be absolute cruelty to thus punish him.

Respectfully yours

[H.C.] [Harnsted]