April 1 Thursday — Sam was in New York, having spent the night at the home of H.H. Rogers. A 3 p.m. he caught the steamer Jefferson for Norfolk, Va. to attend a banquet honoring H.H. Rogers for opening a new railroad there [Mar, 28 to Nunnally]. The New York Times, p.1, Apr. 2, 1909 reported their departure:
H.H. ROGERS OFF TO VIRGINIA.
Mark Twain and Others Accompany Him to the Opening of His Railway.
H.H. Rogers, accompanied by Mark Twain and a party of railroad men, sailed yesterday [Apr. 1] for Norfolk on the Old Dominion liner Jefferson. They are to be present at the formal opening of the Virginian Railroad, of which Mr. Rogers is President and principal stockholder.
On their arrival to-day, the party will be entertained by a local committee and in the evening a dinner will be given to Mr. Rogers, whose enterprise and capital made possible the construction of the new line. Other guests will be Gov. Swanson of Virginia, Senator John W. Daniel, Thomas Martin, and others prominent in Virginia and elsewhere.
Besides Mark Twain, those accompanying Mr, Rogers were U. Broughton, H.H. Rogers, Jr., James M. Beck, Melville E. Stone, Charles Lancaster, W.R. Coe, W.E. Benjamin, G.H. Church, J.S. Hopkins, and R. Ashcroft.
Sam recorded the trip and the continued controversy about the firing of Horace Hazen:
We went by boat, sailing at 3 p.m., along with the other guests. We were together, & even so content & comfortable until midnight, when he [Ashcroft] tucked me in, placed my books, tobacco, pipes, cigars, matches, & hot-whisky outfit conveniently, then went his way. We had sat together at dinner; we sat together at breakfast in the morning; we drove together to the hotel in Norfolk; we were inseparable in all our goings & comings that day. It was all exceedingly pleasant & sociable.
Then came an incident. Toward dinner time he came into my room with an open letter in his hand, & astonished me by saying,
“Miss Clemens has discharged Horace!”
“No such thing; she’s done nothing of the kind.” :
“Yes, but she as!” & his little rat-eyes twinkled with malicious joy.
“How do you know she has?” —
“Horace says so. This letter is from Horace, & he says just that; uses that expression.
“Does his saying so make it so?”
“Yes it does, because Horace is absolutely truthful in absolutely. He doesn’t know how to lie.
“He has lied this time, all the same, unless something has been happening since I left to cause his discharge.”
“Well, he wasn’t going to stay, anyway.”
“He wasn’t? How do you know?” , ”
“He told me so, himself He said he would not serve under Miss Clemens for any1 wages in the world
“He said that to you?
"Yes."
“Did you recognise that he had insulted vou? Did vou trv to knock him down?
(Ashcroft’s silence meant no.) “Where you skunk enough to take that?” (Some more silence.) “When did he tell you these things?”
“The night before you left.”
“Why, you were in New York! You went down that morning,”
That seemed to embarrass him for a moment or two, then he said, “I had to go back to attend to some things.”
“Then Horace must have told you those things in my house, Did he?”
Yes.”
“You knew my daughter & I were going away in the morning. Why didn’t you report that conversation to me, so that we could secure a butler in New York?”
He was getting pretty uncomfortable; words did not flow easily with him. He finally made out to say he hadn’t believed Horace was in real earnest, but was only irritated about something & would cool off & change his mind, Then he added:
“But it didn’t happen. He has been discharged; & as it was without notice, he is entitled to a month’s wages & wants it.”
“Wants it, merely on his testimony, uncorroborated, that he has been peremptorily discharged? Well, he won't get it right away. That I know.”
Those rat-eyes glinted again joyfully, & Ashcroft said—
“He’s already got it!”
“What do you mean?”
“That was his check that you signed this morning, & I sent it off in the noon mail.”
“Well, upon my word! You do seem to be in a most extravagant hurry. You are my salaried business conscience, my business adviser, my business nurse, my business sentinel on the watch-tower to see that nobody slips up on me with an undocumented & unverified claim, & this is your first official act! Why,
Ashcroft, child as I am, I know more about business than that, my self. Get that check back! And don’t lose any time about it,”
He pretty meekly confessed that perhaps he had been a little premature, & said he would go at once & telegraph Horace.
I would give a good deal if I had kept still & allowed that check to be collected. But I didn’t know Ashcroft then, & so I lost my chance. to jail him.
I took Horace’s letter, read it, & put it in my pocket. There was no envelop. There had never been one, but I didn’t know that. I insert it here. For certain good & sufficient reasons, it is an interesting document.
([Horace’s Letter follows:]
Redding Conn.
Mar 31st 09
Mr S. L. Clemens,
Dear Sir: having been discharged from your services on this 31st day of Match 1909 by Miss Clara Clemens but having agreed to stay until April 5th 1909 according to my contract I am entitled to a months salar[y] for which I would consider a fvor if you would send me on or before that time.
No words, can express my gratitude for your kindness shown me since being in your employment and beleive me my dear sir I feel greatly indibeted to you.
Again thanking you and hoping to hear and see you often.
I beg to remain
Your humble servent.
H.W. Hazen [MTP: L-A MS XI].
F, Lyman Browne for Consolidated Typewriter Exchange wrote to Isabel Lyon about the “exact kind of paper” wanted to fill her order of five reams [MTP].
Steven Henry Thayer for The Author’s Club, NYC wrote that they were engaged in obtaining “as full a representation” of each author’s works “as is practicable”’ and then listed Twain’s works that they had, desiring those missing [MTP].