February 4 Monday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Laurence Hutton about a campaign for a new copyright law he’d discussed with Warner on Feb. 2 and thought about since (see Feb. 3 entry). At the end of the letter, which was a plan to pass the Dorsheimer bill, Sam listed those he felt would contribute to his plan, including: John Hay at $100 a month, Clarence King, the Longfellow heirs, Doctor Holland’s heirs and President Garfield’s [MTP]. Note: Congressman Dorsheimer brought an international copyright bill in the House that failed to get a hearing. A similar bill, the Hawley bill was introduced in the Senate but also fell to the same fate. Neither bill made provision for printing foreign copyright books in the U.S. Paper-makers, type-founders, compositors, printers, binders, and a few publishers lobbied quietly against the bills.

Sam telegraphed James B. Pond that Cable was “very much better” [MTP].

Sam gave a reading of “Southern Literature” at the Hartford Monday Evening Club [Fatout, MT Speaking 656]. This was his eighth presentation to the Club since his election in 1873 [Monday Evening Club].

In Boston, Howells wrote to Sam, more about the Sellers-Raymond-Mallory brothers developments. He’d allowed Mallory to take the play to New York and get a final answer of its sale by Feb. 6 [MTHL 2: 467].

William Preston Harrison, age 14, wrote from Chicago to Clemens.

Dr. Sir, / I had just finished one of your stories and was thinking about it as I was walking down the street the other day.

      All at once I was disturbed from my reverie by hearing a man say “that you deliberately murdered your grandmother in cold blood.” This I could not believe and though I am only a boy I knocked the man who thus accused you, down. Was I not right?

      Please answer & tell me. / Yours respectfully / W.P. Harrison [MTP].

Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Too thin,” which reveals he doubted the veracity of this letter. Sometimes autograph and letter seekers pretended to be children in order to secure a valuable keepsake. William was the son of Chicago mayor Carter Harrison Sr. (1825-1893) who was later assassinated. Chicago hasn’t changed much. William got out of Chicago in 1918 and became an art patron and museum art director.

**James R. Osgood Wrote to Sam:

      I have received your telegram as follows: “Charley is equipped with full authority and also with the amplest possible instructions.” I take this to be an answer to my letter of Feb 2d, and I shall accordingly write to Webster covering a copy of the telegram and advise him that we shall await his further communications.

      Is it proper to say that I did not gather from Mr Webster in our interview on Saturday that he was armed with the authority and instructions which you mention. If I had, I should have not have troubled you with that letter [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “I did not answer this bit of stupidity”