February 7 Friday – In Riverdale, N.Y. Sam added to the Feb. 5 letter to Francis H. Skrine.
Feb. 7. I read to the end of Hunter’s strange recoveries from repetitions of what was substantially death. I found no dull pages. If I had been at his side he would never have had these disastrous & constitution-undermining experiences with dysentery. I would have bought a fresh ripe watermelon for thruppence & fed it to him with limitless prodigality & had him on his feet inside of ten hours every time & as free from any vestige or remnant of that distemper as ever he was in his life. And I would have said to him, “Don’t ever call other doctors when you have these attacks; call me—& give me a fresh ripe watermelon & ten hours, if ever I fail to set you on your feet sound & whole in that time, I will give you a thousand pounds cash if it takes my last penny.”
Yet I get no practice, except upon my wife; the others lay the thing before a physician before trying it— with the infallible result. But many’s the time I’ve fetched her out in short order. She had a bad attack when we came home from summering, last year. I reckon there was only about one watermelon left in New York, but I took a coupè & began the hunt, at 9 p.m; & at 11 I was back with the preserver. Every time she woke in the night I fed it to her; & in ten hours she was all right—it had never taken quite that much time before.
If I were in South Africa & medically equipped, I would engage that no soldier should perish with dysentery—nor remain off duty above one day. But do you suppose the medical staff would allow Lord Kitchener there, or Lord Curzon in India to listen to me?
Indeed no. They wouldn’t dream of permitting it [MTP]. Note: Sam’s reactions were to Skrine’s 1901 book, Life of William Wilson Hunter.Horatio Herbert Kitchener (1850-1916) British Field Marshall, won fame in the Sudan in 1898 and played a major role in the Boer Wars. Lord Curzon of Kedelston (George Nathaniel Curzon 1859-1925).
Sam also wrote to H.H. Rogers asking (after his signature) if they shouldn’t invite Laurence Hutton on a cruise. Prior to that he wrote:
Very many thanks for the Fairhaven Highschool jubilee reports. (I will squeeze that hen-composition out of you on the yacht-trip.)
Last night a neighbor—Mr. Kingsley of the New York life—was in & said that he would not be positive but believed Mr. Perkins (the Perkins) got the Woods place, which is next to us, for $70,000 last week, furniture all, & 10 acres. Says the house must have cost $100,000 to build [MTHHR 481].. Note: the source gives George Walbridge Perkins, Sr. (1862-1920) partner of J.P. Morgan & Co. In 1903 Perkins would purchase the house the Clemenses had rented, known as the Wave Hill House.
Frederic Remington wrote on a Players Club note card to ask for “the name and place of publication of the oldest newspaper published on the Missouri River, which is now in existence” [MTP]. Note: Feb. 8 reply.
Rogers wrote to Sam (envelope only; letter enclosed from A.C. Bedford on the Riverdale-on-the Hudson house owned by the Appleton estate, valued at $150,000) [MTP].