September 18 Saturday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Howells about the petition to lengthen copyrights. Sam wanted the country to make a stand to European thieves with “Thou shalt not steal.”

“If we only had some God in the country’s laws, instead of being in such a sweat to get Him into the Constitution, it would be better all around.”

Sam also wrote of possibly lecturing in Boston and New York to help out James Redpath, who’d been put in a tight spot by the withdrawal of Henry Ward Beecher and Thomas Nast [MTL 6: 536-9].

Sam sent an autograph-letter to an unidentified person, likely an autograph seeker.

“Will you please excuse the delay? / Yrs Truly / Samℓ. L. Clemens /Mark Twain” [eBay Nov. 6, 2008 item 360096514257].

Phineas T. Barnum wrote to Sam: “Your recd. I am off 5 Oct to give 3 lectures down east—have again 10th & 11th but visit David Clarke in Hartford 12th Oct for a day with my wife—if I can get away…we shall call for 5 minutes at your house” [MTP].