Vol 3 Section 0881

Sam’s notebook: “Century Club 7.30 / Chas. Fairchild” [NB 46 TS 10].

February 7 Saturday – Albert Levering’s article “The Man Who Corrupted Eddyville. Being Some Account of the Troubles which Beset Mark Twain During His Quest for Mrs. Eddy’s Book,” ran in Harper’s Weekly, p.215. Tenney: “A cartoon sequence in which several Christian Scientist booksellers and Mary Baker Eddy herself refuse to sell or give a copy of Science and Health to MT, who appears disguised as various characters from his books” [38].

William D. McCrackan wrote from NYC to Sam. “I am very much touched by your note of yesterday, just arrived. I cannot show myself worthy in a measure of your conduct without returning at once the two letters, which I enclose. Perhaps you will allow me to treat this as a demonstration of love on your part, and ask you to remember of these letters that ‘they never happened.’”[MTP]. Sam wrote on the env. “McCracken is a very fine man.”

February 8 Sunday

February 9 Monday – In Riverdale, N.Y. Sam wrote per Isabel Lyon to William Dean Howells. “I don’t hear anything from anybody about the “Tom Sawyer” play. In the meantime has Paul Kester ever looked at the “American Claimant” as the basis for a play? [MTP; Not in MTHL].

Sam’s notebook:

Re-expressed Mrs. Woodbury’s box of Xn Science books & her fragment (marked vii) of type-written MS back to her. We did not break the seal of the box—(the express’s leaden seal.[)] That woman intruded her offers upon me, & now she wanted to sell me that stuff. What did she think it worth? She sent me a list of books, & I have that [NB 46 TS 10]. Note: see Feb. 3 and 6 entries from J.C. Woodbury.

William Dean Howells answered Sam’s inquiry about the proposed play, Tom Sawyer. He would send Sam’s note to Kester (Howells’ cousin), who was not in town, and whom Howells had not seen for some time. Howells had another matter on his mind—two atrocities committed in the Philippines by U.S. officers. He enclosed a note from Matthew K. Sniffen of the Philadelphia weekly City and State asking for Howells’ help in exposing the deeds. Clearly, Howells understood the power of Sam’s pen:

Enclosed is a note from a man who wants you to take up the atrocity defended in the U.S. Senate, which was committed by a U.S. officer. I wish to heaven you would. You can get the whole story in the Congressional Record. You could do humanity such service as no one else could, and yourself honor [MTHL 2: 761-2]. Note: see source note 2. Howells would mail documents concerning the case on Feb. 10.

February 10 Tuesday – In Riverdale, N.Y. Sam wrote to Paul Kester in Accotink, Va. Only the envelope survives, but the subject matter was undoubtedly the same as he put to Howells on Feb. 9 [MTP].

Sam’s notebook: “American Mechanical Cashier Co., 3 p.m. Annual meeting. #15 Exchange Place Jersey City, / To elect Directors. / [Horiz. Line separator] / N.Y. Office, 40 Wall st. / [Horiz. Line separator] / Telephone, 4710 & 11 John” [NB 46 TS 10]. Note: Sam, at the urging of Charles Fairchild , had invested $16,000 for 400 shares in the Cashier Co., a competitor to National Cash Register Co. See Dec. 26 1901 entry, and others.

William Dean Howells wrote from NYC to Sam, enclosing a typed synopsis of the court-martial following the death of Private Edward C. Richter, two pamphlets from the Congressional Record for Jan. 29 about the death of Father Augustine, and newspaper clippings on atrocities by American military in the Philippines (none are in the letter file at MTP): “Here is the report in full of that torture matter. If you cannot take it up, will you return the documents? [MTHL 2: 763&n1; MTP].

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