May 28 Friday — Sam recorded a blunder by Ashcroft that led to the revocation of a power of attorney to Lvon and a search for a general power of attorney:
Toward the end of May our tempest in a teapot was pulling away at a great rate, & making a lively stir amongst the farms & hamlets scattered in the woodsy hills & vales of our neighborhood. Every day brought its fresh little event & added a new text for gossip. Whatever either side did or said was known next day all around, & discussed.
As soon as I had begun, in the front end of the month to ask merchants for two-year-old statements, Ashcroft heard of it. I was only looking for delayed payments, but he supposed I was on a still-hunt for graft. He probably knew Miss Lyon had covered her tracks fairly well in most cases, but he must have known she had been unwary in the Strohmeyer case, for he took measures to forestal me there. He wrote & asked Strohmeyer about Miss Lyon’s dealings with him, & inquired if they had been entirely straight & correct. Strohmeyer’s answer was an almost rapturous Yes. Before he knew that Paine & I were spies, he showed us that correspondence. A sorrowful man was he, later, I reckon, when Ashcroft found he had revealed everything to us & rendered the rapturous Yes worthless, as evidence, to be laid before the investigation-experts.
In those latter May days it was rumored that the Ashcrofts were getting uneasy, nervous, worried. Lounsbury said they were trying to mortgage Summerfield for $1500. What did they want with the money? They wanted it, according to Ashcroft, to square up with me. A month earlier, that amount would have sufficed for it, but not now. I had lent Miss Lyon $1500, but we were now aware that she had taken a couple of thousand more, before anything had been said about borrowing or lending.
Well, then, what did they want with the money? To run away with? Yes, that impression went around & was believed & discussed.
Next, it transpired that they had acquired the $1500.
About the 28th, Ashcroft made one his blunders. With all his smartness he was sure to do a foolish thing now & then—just as in the case of Horace & the imaginary “discharge.” The present blunder was a peculiarly stupid one. Young Harry Lounsbury was driving him from the station, & the two were exchanging gossip, when Harry spoke of a rumor that I was proposing to do so & so.
“He!” said Ashcroft, scornfully, “I can sell his house, over his head, for a thousand dollars, whenever I want to!”
Harry told this at home. His father told Paine; & Paine, greatly worried, came at once to me with it. I said there was nothing in it, it was only brag. But Paine was not satisfied. He said it meant that Ashcroft could do as he said. Had he a power of attorney? I said no—& nothing resembling one. I said Miss Lyon had a power of attorney to sign checks—nothing more, & that I had revoked it orally on the 14th of March. He advised me to revoke it in writing; which I did—& sent it by Lounsbury, who waited, & brought back Miss Lyon’s written acknowledgment [MTP: L-A MS XVII]. Note: the revocation in writing was the day after, May 29, The remark made by Ashcroft to Harry Lounsbury started a search for the “smoking gun” power of attorney, which gave all rights of all assets to Ashcroft and Lyon. In a letter to William Coe on June 16, 1909, Sam claimed that they saw the power of attorney “by accident on the 29th of May, & hunted to cover in New York banks,” See June 16 to Coe.
Sam’s new guestbook:
| Name | Address | Date | Remarks |
| Ossip Gabrilowitsch | May 28 | ||
| Clara Clemens | May 28 | ||
| James Beck | New York | May 28 |