June 8 Tuesday — Clara Clemens’ 35th birthday. Sam left for New York and Baltimore with Albert Bigelow Paine. They would spend the night in NYC and leave for Baltimore and Catonsville, Maryland on June 9 [June 7 to Nunnally].
Sam noted in his guestbook (page ending May 4) and his after Sept. 25, 1909 letter that on this day, “He [Ashcroft] & his wench surreptitiously fly the country.” He claimed in his guestbook that they had promised to wait until Stanchfield completed his investigation, but sailed anyway. Hill also gives June 8 for the date the Ashcrofts sailed for England [228]. Note: the NY Times shows no steamers bound for England on this day, but two, the Lusitania for Liverpool and the Oceanic for Southhampton on June 9 [ June 8, “Shipping & Mails, p.13]. It may be that the pair stayed in NYC and sailed early on one of these on June 9. In his L-A MS, section XXI, however, Clemens claimed the pair did leave on June 8 “in an obscure steamer for Holland.” See June 12, Charles T. Lark to Albert Bigelow Paine.