Vol 3 Section 0232

September 5 Monday

September 6 Tuesday – Sam’s notebook:

Am sending to Bok “My Platonic Sweetheart” (about 9,000 words—price $1000). Am writing him if he doesn’t (or does) want it, inform Mr. Rogers.

Am sending “Concerning the Jews” to Mr. Rogers. If Bok keeps the above send this one to Harper. But if Bok declines, send both to Harper, let him have his choice, then send the remaining one to Century [NB 40 TS 32].

September 7 Wednesday

September 8 Thursday

September 9 Friday – Sam’s notebook:

“Sept. 9. Man hanged himself today, leaving wife & 2 chn & nothing else. He had lost 28 gulden gambling. Countess Wydenbruck took up a collection. Result, 180 gulden—just ten times what he lost

————

Man is fearfully & wonderfully made out of microbes” [NB 40 TS 32].

September 10 Saturday – Elisabeth of Bavaria (“Sisi”), Empress of Austria (1837-1898) was assassinated in Geneva by young anarchist Luigi Lucheni, who wanted to kill any royal, and had been unable to find a prince from the House of Orleans. Clemens would write on Sept. 13 to Joe Twichell of Elisabeth as, “That good and unoffending lady,” and that he was “living in the midst of world-history again.”

To have a personal friend of the wearer of the crown burst in at the gate in the deep dusk of the evening & say in a voice broken with tears, “My God the Empress is murdered,” & fly toward her home before we can utter a question—why, it brings the giant event home to you, makes a part of it & personally interested: it is as if your neighbor Antony should come flying & say “Caesar is butchered—the head of the world is fallen!” [Sept. 13 to Twichell].

Sam’s notebook:

K. Sept. 10. In answer, wrote Lt. Col. F.B. Bowyer-Lane [letter not extant] I should be satisfied with any arrangement he might make with Stoker.

Also, I didn’t know whether Stoker had ever consented to act for America, in which case I should be glad if B.L. would take hold of it.

I quoted p.3 of my contract which allows my agent 10 per cent.

————

Sept. 10. News came at 6 p.m. that the Empress was assassinated at Geneva just after noon [NB 40 TS 32-3]. Note: F. B. Bowyer-Lane, with the Nimrod Club. See July 6, Sept. 25 entries.

September 11 Sunday – Livy wrote to Susan L. Crane:

Of course all Austria is in grief over the terrible news of the assassination of he Empress. What a hideous thing it is!

Yesterday afternoon the Countess Wydenbruck took tea with us at the Water Cure, then came up here & we all sat about a table in the yard, crocheting: a little after seven she went away to get her supper, the children were to join here at eight…She was not gone more than 15 minutes when she came running back, saying “oh such terrible, terrible news, our Empress is murdered.” She looked so white & was so breathless that I thought she would faint. I gave her some brandy to steady her a little…

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