February 13 Saturday — In Redding, Conn., Ralph W. Ashcroft wrote for Sam and Isabel Lyon to professor Archibald Henderson at UNC, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Dear Dr Henderson
Miss Lyon has been in bed for nearly four weeks, & I only got back a few days ago—so that explains why your letter to her has remained unanswered[.] She is still in bed, but wishes me to write & enclose an account of Mr. Clemens’ life which his nephew, Sam’l Moffett, wrote some years ago, & which is authentic as to events & accurate as to dates. She wishes me to explain that, while he would be glad to have you write the book, he can’t FORMALLY AUTHORIZE you to do so, owing to his arrangements with Mr Paine and the Harpers, but he will be glad to read your MS. and indicate any corrections or additions he would like made. We know of no critical literature in re. Mr Clemens—you would virtually be the prince in that line. We want you to feel that you would have the moral support and real interest of Mr Clemens in your work, but he (and Miss Lyon as his literary executor) feel that they must not, even in the slightest respect, violate the spirit of existing arrangements, which they might be doing if formal authority were extended to you to write the book.
Trusting that this will fully explain Mr Clemens’ position, / I remain, / Yours very sincerely /R. W. Ashcroft
P.S. Mr. Clemens & Miss Lyon send their warm regards & hope to have the pleasure of seeing you here during the summer [MTP].
Archibald Henderson wrote to Sam, enclosing the typed copy of the article he wrote about Twain for Harpers. “I wrote you a letter yesterday. I should be glad to have the MS, back as soon as you finish with it—& O.K. it” [MTP].
Herbert Lane for Curtis Publishing Co., Phila. wrote a rather “foggy” letter to Sam, all of which amounted to a solicitation for him to send writing or refer to them someone who might [MTP].
Clemens dated the first page of his longhand draft of “Is Shakespeare Dead?”: “Dictated Feb. 13, 1909” [Hill 217).