Gusman, A.L., Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Bishop Francis Xavier Leray, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1880 November 23

Gusman writes in regard to promissory notes given by Archbishop Napoleon Joseph Perché to the late William S. Pike and secured by mortgage upon the St. Joseph Catholic Church of Baton Rouge . After Pike's death in January, 1875, they became the property of his widow and children, but seem to have come to the nominal possession of Hezakiah S. Bell, a retainer of the Pikes and manifestly an interposed party between them and their creditors. Gusman asks Leray to turn a deaf ear to all demands for payment. He is the liquidation commissioner of an insurance company that has a judgment against the Pikes for over $115,000 and $60,000 of interest. In 1873 Pike appropriated to his own use some $237,000 which he held for the company as its Treasurer. This embezzlement was facilitated by the glaring malfeasance of one of the trustees who, being informed at the time by Pike, tacitly condoned the offense upon the promise of Pike that as soon as the then prevailing crisis was over and his business would permit he would return the funds. Gusman believes Pike was sincere, but since his death his widow and children have done all they could to solidify the at least quasi theft into an actual theft. The insurance company's judgment is now nearly two years old and only $1200 have been realized upon it. He also has a Catholic view to present which he could not omit without feeling that he was doing an injustice to Father Cyril Delacroix . If Leray arranges with the Pikes for the payment of the notes, it will cause serious trouble to and within the congregation. Leray expects the congregation to furnish the wherewith to pay the notes since they were given for the congregation. Their people are willing to subscribe liberally towards completing the church and towards Catholic objects and works, but as to the Pike debt nothing, for they reason that it stands neither in equity nor in common sense that they should make sacrifices to pay leprous individuals who cavalierly propose to plunder more than 100 Catholics of the Parish and twice that many Protestants. :: VI-3-b A.L.S. 8pp. 4to.