January 9 Saturday – The Rockford Register printed a review of Sam’s lecture there:
We never saw an audience so determined to laugh “out loud” …we confess to having laughed ourselves until our sides fairly ached…We congratulate those who were present, and we feel deep sympathy for those who remained away and missed a grand opportunity of hearing a speaker who, as a humorist and wit, stands unrivaled on the American stage [MTL 3: 8-9n1].
The reviews reflect that Sam had become a polished professional entertainer, able to gauge and control an audience for best effect. That evening, Sam again gave his “Vandals” lecture at Galesburg, Illinois.