May 4 Tuesday — In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to H.H. Rogers.
Dear Mr. Rogers: / The check-books & vouchers which Ashcroft will have to place before your expert are my property, & I would be glad if you will keep possession of them for me, when the inquiry is finished. I don’t want them to go back into Ashcroft’s hands.
I shall spend Thursday & Friday in New York, with Robert Collier, for I think you are all in Fairhaven & your city house closed for the season.
Good night. I am praying for all of you. / S L C [MTHHR 662]. Notes: Sam had asked Rogers to look into his financial books following Clara Clemens’ suspicions of wrongdoing by Ashcroft and Lyon, who married on Mar. 18. H.H. Rogers died on May 19, and thereafter Harry Rogers, Albert Bigelow Paine, and Clara continued the investigation. Paine had clashed with Lyon over his access to Clemens’ letters [n1].
Sam’s new guestbook:
| Name | Address | Date | Remarks |
| Irene Gerken | 52 West 70th Street | May 4, 1909 | |
| Florence Gerken | 52 West 70th Street | May 4th 1909 | |
| Frederick Gerken | 52 West 70th Street | May 4, 1909 | |
| Mrs. Gerkin | 52 " " " |
Note: vertically on the Remarks column Sam wrote:
“June 8. The Lyon-Ashcrofts sailed for England secretly, after promising Stanchfield to remain until his investigation of them was finished. They had been gone 5 days before the flight was discovered.” Five days later would have been June 13, the earliest Sam could have written this in his guestbook, though this page did not include June 8 or June 13; the following guestbook page did but some writing had been done in the remarks column on the next page.
Lollie Bell Wylie for the Woman’s Auxiliiary, Uncle Remus Memorial Assoc., Atlanta, Ga. wrote to ask Sam to help save the home of the late Joel Chandler Harris by sending an autographed book [MTP]. Note: “4 books sent—May 10th"