Death of children, consolation through spiritualism

              Virginia City, August 19th, 1860
Dear Wife,
I received your letters of June 2nd and May 18th, this week past.  I will not attempt to describe my feelings.  You can imagine better than my pen can describe.  I have [illegible] and hope for the time when we might meet once more a happy family  but the chain is again broken.  I wake frequently and think it all a Dream for the past ten years but no its all real  our Dear Children have gone and left us to mourn over their early graves.  I have had a desire to see our lovely May which I can not account for.  But we should not wish them back here on Earth.  They are so happy in the spirit wourld and we will believe them our guardian Angels and their spirits will always be with us guiding and cheering us on through this wourld of trouble to meet them in their happy home  the First Wourld  Dear Jane I may surprise you when I tell you I believe in what is usually called spiritualism  I have had communications from them frequently and within the last few months I have paid some attention to the spirits who are always about me  in July while sitting with a few friends at the table in San Frisco we got some good communications.  A new spirit wished to talk with me and I asked several Names  It answered