Vol 3 Section 0090

The San Francisco Examiner, p. 1 and 4, published more from Sam on Queen Victoria’s Jubilee: “All

Nations Pay Homage to Victoria.” It was reprinted in the 1923 Europe and Elsewhere [AMT-1: 706]. Note:

see also June 20.

June 24 Thursday – At 23 Tedworth Square in London, Sam wrote to James Gordon Bennett, Jr. in Paris, France, thinking that his letter of June 19 failed to reach him (he learned on June 25 that it had not; see letter that day to H.H. Rogers). Sam repeated his request to “close the subscription list” made for his relief [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Percy Mitchell of the Herald bureau in Paris, enclosing “the substance of that letter,” the one he’d sent to Bennett and the NY Herald to announce he wished the relief fund closed and refunded to givers. Sam asked if Mitchell would cable it to NY immediately [MTP]. Note: Sam’s letter appeared in the NY Herald on June 27 [MTHHR 289n1]. It also ran in the July 3 issue of The Critic [Tenney: “A Reference Guide Second Annual Supplement,” American Literary Realism, Autumn 1978 p. 170].

The New York Herald announced the fund for Mark Twain now stood at $2,601.65—a figure which must have underwhelmed Sam, since Andrew Carnegie and the paper had started the fund with a thousand each [J. Kaplan 349].

James R. Clemens likely visited Sam in the evening [June 25 to James R. Clemens].

June 25 Friday – Percy Mitchell in the Paris, France office of the NY Herald, sent a telegram to Sam, which he mentioned in the following letter to Rogers: “Mr. Bennett says he has not received any letter from you if important will you not kindly repeat it to him as he says glad to do anything” [MTP]. Note: James Gordon Bennett, Jr., of the Herald.

At 23 Tedworth Square in London, Sam wrote to H.H. Rogers, about Livy being “strong in her approbation” of the Herald fund for his relief, and of his writing Bennett on June 19, asking him to stop the drive.

I wrote [Percy] Mitchell yesterday, & learn today by telegram that my letter had not been received by Bennett, but B. would be glad to do anything he could. So I wrote Bennett the following; today I asked him to cable it to the Herald.

I suppose that will appear in the Herald in New York day after tomorrow June 27 & close the incident.

But I send you this copy so that you may know just what I did write, in case any cable mistakes occur.

Mrs. Clemens had an operation performed on her eye today & is ill in consequence. But it had to be done, & we hope she will get benefit from it. I am too solicitous about her to be able to worry much about this other distress [MTHHR 288-9]. Note: the doctor who operated on Livy is unknown. See source n3 for a critical editorial of Sam’s published letter by The Outlook on July 15.

Sam wrote again to James Gordon Bennett, Jr., enclosing the “brief letter” he wished published. This is marked “copy” so may be a draft of the one written June 24 [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Dr. James R. Clemens, addressing him as “Dear Junior”:

I find that my rupture (four years old—groin) is bulging very much. If no harm, I want to do nothing with it till we reach Vienna in September. Give me your surgical advice now, & in return you shall have all the literary advice you want [MTP]. Note: Sam’s wish that he hoped his cousin “got home all right last night” implies a visit by James on June 24.

SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.