November – Critic ran a brief review of “A Double-Barrelled Detective Story” on p.479. In full:
“Who but a man with an unassailable reputation would dare to make game of his constituents as is here done? It is doubtful if a publisher could have been found who would have printed this one hundred and seventy-five page joke had it been written by a nobody. In the first place, he has taken in vain the sacred name of Mr. Sherlock Holmes; and, in the second place, the public, who is also taken in, must pay one dollar and fifty cents per head for the privilege of having a gifted author laugh at it. The worst of it is, the joke is not even a very good one. The pseudo-dramatic style in which the first part is written would make any one pause to wonder what Mr. Clemens was up to this time. So the denouement, with all its farcical elements, does not come up as a complete surprise” [Tenney: “A Reference Guide Sixth Annual Supplement,” American Literary Realism, Spring 1982 p. 9].
November 1902 to June 1903 – Sometime during this period, Sam wrote to Magnus Gross, declining an invitation due to his wife’s health [MTP]. Note: see another decline to Gross on Nov. 4, 1901. Also, Sam and Gross spoke at the Mar. 16, 1901 Male Teachers of N.Y. Assoc. dinner.