March 10 Sunday – Sam’s notebook: “Dora Wh[eeler] Keith ? | Mrs. Boyle here 7.30” [NB 44 TS 7].

At 1410 W. 10th in N.Y.C., Sam wrote to Moncure D. Conway, now in the City. Sam wrote in care of Harper’s.

I have lost your address. I hunted for you yesterday, for some time, & sampled three doorbells, unsuccessfully: they said you didn’t live there. I wanted to say I have seen your article on Ilusions of Philanthropy, & I think that even you have never done anything with a pen that is more beautiful than that, or deeper & richer [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Judson Smith of the American Board of Missions, continuing to press his case against the Rev. Ament. Only the detail of “thirteen times” indemnities from the Boxer rebellion was in error, Sam wrote, not the rest of Ament’s actions. Sam’s letter in part:

As the case stands now, Mr. Ament has twice confessed that he took money from A to pay B’s debts with. In your late Open Letter to me it is noticeable that you have the correct opinion of that kind of conduct.

I have letters from several clergymen. It is observable that they & you are quite satisfied with Mr. Ament’s fashion of despoiling the innocent to square the damages created by the guilty—& why? Because it is in accordance with Chinese law & custom! It seems incredible. For broad humor, the situation puts opera bouffe to shame. …

I believe poor Mr. Ament has the unwisest set of friends, & about the unkindest, that ever a man in trouble had. They will not let his case rest, although they surely know that it has not a leg to stand on. If they would but be patient & wait; for I have done what no friend of his has had the common charity to do— written to China for the facts. But no, they cannot wait for facts, guesses & conjectures are good enough [MTP].