A Lost Scrap of a Letter from an Old Sheriff in the Wild West

Good morning from the West!

I write for my descendants blessed.

The West is wild; I’ll write with zest!

For happy, trusting, joyful zeal is the best!

Today, I sit on my front porch in Arizona;

Today, I sit here in 1872.

I know this won’t be read for a while,

But when it is, I hope it is read by you.

What I’ve said I’ve written for you!

I’m a sheriff and life is… new around here;

All kinds of people coming for all kinds of reasons.

You have to be lighthearted and stouthearted at the same time,

No matter what the season.

Because in any given day you may need to sing with your grandchildren in the morning, and in the evening shoot an outlaw! Many lawman and outlaws roaming about… and many times they’re the same people!

Here’s my advice to you, if you’re gonna do that some day,

This may seem a little silly, but I beg you to trust what I say:

If you’re young, you may think you’re invincible… Confidence, if it is based on competence is good if it’s not proud, but you have to take care of yourself. You have to be humble enough to realize that there is a way that things work, and if you keep breaking the natural law, it is going to break you, and you will not be a good lawman. Listen closely. If I could give you a million dollars to write this down, carry it with you wherever you go, and truly believe it, I would. The first thing that I want to say is that you must try to get sufficient sleep. It is vain to stay up late and get up early all the time. Treat midnight like it is supposed to be treated: as the middle of the night, not the beginning. There will be days when duty demands you to stay up very late, so you must try to sleep well whenever you can. A couple hours after the sun sets, lay down and close your eyes. Sleep equals energy and energy is required for labor and for self control.

You must try to get sufficient sleep,

If not, your mind and body will weep!

Even Jesus Himself napped;

Without sleep, your strength is zapped.

Paul the apostle lists sleeplessness in his list of hardships along with being beaten by rods three times, being stoned, and shipwrecking three times. Sleep is a serious thing and in as much as possible, we ought to take it seriously and delight in deep sleep’s rest; it is not laziness unless we are neglecting our duties. God gives His beloved sleep and we ought to receive it, enjoy it, and thank Him for it.

(from here, the letter is illegible from what seem to be several coffee stains…)