February 1 Saturday – In Hartford Sam went to the bank for some necessary items in his safety deposit box. He likely called on Franklin G. Whitmore as well. After a 24 hour trip, he returned to New York and arrived back in Riverdale at 7:15 p.m. [Jan. 29, Feb. 2 to Whitmore; Jan. 31 to Rogers].
Livy and probably one or both Clemens girls, went to N.Y.C. to see a matinee performace of Harriet Ford’s play, A Gentleman of France. Livy lost an emerald and diamond ring somewhere during the day [Feb. 10 to Marbury]. Note: the play was at Wallack’s Theatre – see insert. Sam would write Elisabeth Marbury on Feb. 10 asking if she knew the proprietor of the theatre and would she get Livy’s ring.
Henry J. Magonigle for the Players Club sent a form letter asking for Sam to pay his dues [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env. “No attention paid to this idiot. / SLC”
February 1 ca. – In Riverdale, N.Y. Sam wrote to Clara L. Spaulding about his suppression of the “25 distinguished authors” scheme. In part:
They advertised that they had invited 25 distinguished authors to contribute a story each to a proposed volume of short stories, these stories to be published anonymously; that “12 of the 25 accepted, & each told one story.”
They advertised that these following were the invited authors—which is policy-shop veracity, & subject to the usual trade-discount. Several of the authors named were not invited.
[He listed authors.]
This scheme was merely a lottery—that is all it was; no verbal embroideries can get around that prosaic fact. Lotteries are unlawful; this scheme was a breach of the law. This lottery used the mails for the dissemination of its advertisements. That was another breach of the law.
Very well, when a firm has made up its mind to break two laws, why not go on & break another one, if there’s money in it? That is what this one did. They made off with some unwatched property (the names of the authors not represented in the volume of stories), and used it to assist in advertising the volume & increasing its sales.
Without my knowledge, & without any consent, they used my name for that purpose—& without doubt would have taken my clothes & used them in the same way if I had not had new locks & new bolts put upon the house at about that time, for I remember now that the dwellings of my neighbors in Riverdale were entered & stripped at just that period. Also, without permission they took nine other names that are in the above list of 25, & used them as helps in advertising their illegal lottery and increasing its catch of cash.
…
I wrote & asked 16 of the 25 authors named in the original list a couple of questions: Were they invited to write a story? Did they write a story? The mere fact that those publishers said they had 12 authors threw doubt upon the statement, & I wanted trustworthy evidence. I got it. There were 12, the assertion of the publishers to that effect notwithstanding. Also, in some of the answers—from the 12—there were traces of resentment against the publishers for having brought them under suspicion of aiding & abetting—by silence or by consent—their lottery scheme & their misuse of the names of the 13 non-contributors to help advertise & promote it; & in one case this resentment rose to plain-spoken indignation. It is a natural feeling. It is most unlikely that the twelve would have consented to contribute to the book if they had clearly understood the nature of the game which the publishers were about to play upon the non-contributors & upon the public [MTP].