July 1 Saturday – John Milton Hay (1838-1905) died this day. In Dublin, N.H. Sam sent a telegram to the N.Y. American:

I am deeply grieved & I mourn with the nation—this loss is irreparable. My friendship with Mr. Hay & my admiration of him endured 38 years without impairment. / Mark Twain [MTP: Cummings file]. Note: See Sam’s note sent anonymously under 1905 entries.

Isabel Lyon’s journal: This evening a telegram came from the N.Y. American asking Mr. Clemens to telegraph them something on the death of Mr. Hay.

Mr. Clemens is going on with “The Mysterious Stranger”, and it is magic. He wrote it in Florence, and when Jean asked him how he could drop one story and work on another, he said it had always been his habit to write that way. While he was working on one story the “tank is filling up for the one just stopped”. And he told of 2 days work he did on “Joan of Arc” in Florence—Villa Viviani—he wrote 13 hours for 2 days running and the work stood. It was true inspiration, for he got up at 2 in the morning and worked until 8, then he breakfasted and then began again at 11 [MTP TS 71-72].

Augustus P. Chamberlaine wrote to Sam [MTP]. Note: This may be 1906, as it was not found at MTP.

July 1 ca. – In Dublin, N.H. Isabel V. Lyon replied for Sam to Frederick B. Bess’s June 26 from Peoria, Ill.: “If Mr. Clemens were in authority you would be quite welcome to the use of the sketches—but he is not—and so must defer you to his publishers who can give all information” [MTP].

Lyon also replied for Sam to the ca. June 29 from Maria C. Gay in Farmington, Conn., that Clemens would be glad to see Dr. Henderson and her cousin if they would call at 4:30 p.m. or 5 p.m. and give their names, but he “had no heart for going where there is jollity—& has lived very quietly” [MTP].