H.I. Bettis to J. Ross Clark p 6

J.R.C.-6Another plan would be to wait until the tracks are connected and ship them to California, as this is the best market.Referring to the wild horses, of which Dr. Bracken states there are probably 200 on the range, he advised that these be shot on the range, as they are eating the feed needed for the cattle. Mr. Bancroft, whom I met at the ranch, stated that the horses shown him by Bracken as range horses were better than those which have been shipped out of Idaho during the past year or two, and if so they are marketable. Several have been broken and are in use on the ranch. The horses should be handled in same way as the cattle.As to the disposition of the store: You will see that during the past ten months it has but little more than paid expenses, and while the sales are larger now than heretofore, this will not continue long,-First, because as soon as the townsite is opened and lots are sold and built on, our store, in its present location, will be too far away to enable it to compete with others in the town; Second, there are two other stores now located on the Stewart property near our store and nearer to the people; and another store has recently opened nearer the proposed town-site. The persons running these stores are working for themselves and give their stores their sole attention, while Dr. Bracken's time is divided between the management of a store, a hotel and a ranch, the latter being of primary importance and the others incidental.With the profits as small as they are, we cannot afford to continue a business with a stock of goods subject to entire loss by fire and partial loss by theft of either goods or funds, especially as Dr. Bracken's plan would be to increase the value of stock to about $10,000.00 or $15,000.00. The store stock should be disposed of as soon as possible