February 11 Wednesday – Charles B. Andrews replied to Sam’s inquiry and forward of Thomas A. Davis’ letter. Andrews answered that he did not know Davis [MTP]. See Feb. 6 from Davis and Feb. 7 from Sam.

Ellen (Mary) Keily (ca.1816-1901), resident of the Lancaster, Penn. county alms house and insane asylum, began a rambling, sometimes incoherent letter to Clemens that she finished on Feb. 12. In part:

Dear Mark. / I sit down to write to you once more.

      In the Name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, this is the third time I have written to you, and dont know whether you have received any or not. … I must tell you first Dear Mark, the substance of the first and second. The first I wrote some seven years ago and nailed it on the court house door. In said letter I beged of you to send me five dollars to use it in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

      And in my second letter I asked you to send me five dollars to buy a turkey and other eatables to make up a Plain dinner that I would cook, myself. Now Please dont laught sir. Although I am from the starving country, I don’t want to eat myself God forgive me for laughing over this. Mark, I told you in my last letter that I want to cook a Plain dinner and invite the Rev. Bishop Shanna, the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, the Rev. Father Hickey and the Rev. Doctor Green Wald, to take dinner together. … So Mr Twain, I want you if you have no objection to head the table and carve the Turkey [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “From my lunatic. (Sent her the $5 Feb. 21/80.)”