May 21 Tuesday – Sam’s notebook: “May 21. The first time John Mackay has mentioned that $5,000 in all these years. Said he had my vote. A surprise to me. He bought what John P. Jones called a ‘privilege,’ & paid for it. Jones did the same. I owe nothing. The idea of my borrowing money at that time! I had burdens enough without that. It was about 1890” [NB 44 TS 11]. Note: see Sam’s NB entry of July 29, 1890, Vol. II.

Check # Payee Amount [Notes]

215 dollar watch co 1.00

At 1410 W. 10th in N.Y.C., Sam wrote to R.H. Ingersoll & Brothers enclosing $1 and asking them to send him a watch [MTP]. Note above check # 215.

Sam also wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore that Pratt & Whitney was still “striking for that bill of $1740.” Sam remembered a typed letter from the late attorney Henry C. Robinson to the effect that “there was no need to bother any more about the bill”—could Whitmore locate the letter and send a copy? Pratt & Whitney had made some special tools for James Paige, and Sam stated “that was plant” referred to in the bill. H.H. Rogers wanted to see “that big old check-book” and “the Paige check-stubs”; Sam thought they’d be in his billiard room at the Hartford house. He closed by asking Whitmore to check older checkbooks back to 1886 to see if any of the $1,740 was ever paid [MTP]. Note: this is the $1,744.20 bill that P&W had been trying “As early as 10 January 1891 (CWB), and as recently as June 1898 (Whitmore to SLC, 28 June), they had tried to collect from Clemens” [MTHHR 458n1]. See several previous entries. Today a ten-year-old bill would be uncollectable in most localities due to statute of limitations.