September 18 Wednesday – In Saranac Lake, N.Y. Sam wrote to H.H. Rogers that they were packed and would leave in the morning for Elmira. The rest of the letter has to do with what he felt was “a mighty cold -blooded piece of rascality” by the R.G. Newbegin Co. in resorting “to forgery” in their pamphlet on his uniform edition. He suggested a lawsuit:

“Do you approve of a suit? If so, can you appoint a lawyer?—a tip-top one—no Colby, no Whitford, no Stern & Rushford. Do you think Tom Reed would take it?” [MTHHR 472-3].

Notes: n1&2 of the source: “Clemens had received, through the return address, letters advertising his books. These letters and, he assumed, hundreds like them, had been sent to families all over the United States, in envelopes bearing the return address ‘S.L. Clemens, U.S.A.,’ making it appear that he had made a personal appeal for sales. When confronted with the letters, Newbegin insisted that W.I. Squire (another agent) was responsible. Squire had just purchased 500 sets of the Popular Edition. (See R.G. Newbegin to Twain, 7 October 1901).” Note 2 discloses that Reed did take the case but the suit was abandoned when Squire died (Thomas B. Reed to SLC, 28 October 1901).