March 6 Tuesday – At 21 Fifth Ave., N.Y. Sam wrote to Grover Cleveland.
Grover Cleveland, Esq.
Ex-President.
Honored Sir:
Your patriotic virtues have won for you the homage of half the nation & the enmity of the other half. This places your character as a citizen upon a summit as high as Washington’s. The verdict is unanimous & unassailable. The votes of both sides are necessary in cases like these, & the votes of the one side are quite as valuable as are the votes of the other. When the votes are all in a public man’s favor the verdict is against him. It is sand, & history will wash it away. But the verdict for you is rock, & will stand. With the profoundest respect, SL. Clemens [MTP].
Sam also wrote an aphorism to Mr. Isidor Lewis: “Truth is the most valuable thing we have. Let us economise it. / Truly Yours / Mark Twain / March 6/06 / Mr. Isidor Lewis.” [MTP].
Sam also wrote this above aphorism tipped into a memento program of a dinner given him by the Lotos Club. The sheet is also signed by William Dean Howells, Thomas Bailey Aldrich, and others [MTP]. Note: This same inscription suggests that the aphorism was given to Mr. Isidor Lewis and perhaps others at the dinner.
Clemens’ A.D. for this day: Clemens makes Baby Ruth intercede in behalf of Frank H. Mason, and he is retained in his place—Clemens’ letter to Ex-President Cleveland— Cleveland as sheriff, in Buffalo—as Mayor he vetoes ordinance of railway corporation— Clemens and George Washington Cable visit Governor Cleveland at Capitol, Albany— Clemens sits on the bells and summons sixteen clerks—The Lyon of St. Mark [AMT 1: 389- 392].
Isabel Lyon’s journal:
Today came a letter [not extant] from a man asking if Clemens’s one act play would be available for vaudeville, & appropriate. The play is “The Death Wafer.” Mr. Clemens said to me: “They could try a funeral service, & if that succeeds they could try this.” Tonight after Jean played it, Mr. Clemens said: “The dearest & sweetest lie I ever heard is the Lorelei.” & then he chuckled [MTP TS 42].
Robert Fulton Cutting wrote from 32 Nassau St. in N.Y.C. to Sam. Would he be able to “make an address” to the N.Y. Trade School on Friday evening April 6? Fulton described the proposed audience as “nearly one thousand young men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five who are learning the elementary trades…They belong to the most ambitious class of our American industrials and come to the school for hard work and not for play” [MTP]. Note: On or about Mar. 10 Miss Lyon’s answer reflected Sam’s desire to accommodate such students if possible, though many times such offers were declined straightaway.
Charles Putzel, NY attorney, wrote to Sam.
Our guests and our members will be greatly pleased with your very kind acceptance to be present at this complimentary Dinner to me. There will be a hundred and fifty diners, and your wish, Ihave already communicated to the Toastmaster, and you are now placed at the bottom of the list of speakers. …New York Cab Company will have one of its cabs at your door on Thursday, at 9:15 P.M. … [MTP]. Note: see below reply.
Sam also replied to Charles Putzel:
Dear Mr. Putzl [sic Putzel] —
I can be there by 9.45 day after tomorrow evening, & shall be very glad—but I want to be about the last speaker, or along there, so that I can gather a test or two from the previous talkers. My secretary will not let me forget the date. / Truly Yours / SL. Clemens [Christie’s auction Dec. 4, 2009, Lot 38 Item 2153]. Note: source gives this as a testimonial dinner for Putzel, a newly appointed tax commissioner. Fatout adds the Mar. 8, 1906 dinner speech for Putzel was given by the Freundschaft Society, N.Y.C (Putzel was a former president of the society) [503, 675].
March 6 ca. – At 21 Fifth Ave., N.Y. Sam wrote a note to Philip Sawyer: “Pay to the order of Tom Sawyer comrade of Huckleberry Finn. Two hundred dollars” [MTP].
Sam gave advice to Isabel V. Lyon to reply to H.A. Williams’ Mar. 5 letter. “2 o’clock Thurs afternoon be pretty sure to be in & glad to see him” [MTP].
Alex C. Toncray (Tonkray) wrote to Sam, as quoted in his A.D.
You no doubt are at a loss to know who I am. I will tell you. In my younger days I was a resident of Hannibal, Mo., and you and I were schoolmates attending Mr. Dawson’s school along with Sam and Will Bowen and Andy Fuqua and others whose names I have forgotten. I was then about the smallest boy in school, for my age, and they called me little Aleck Tonkray for short [MTP]. Note: Alex’s brother was the Capt. Tonkray whose death was sent by clipping; see Feb. 14 from A.D. Howard and Sam’s reply to this on Mar. 8.