December – Sam telegraphed Charles Webster. The place and day are unknown. “Plucky lawyers are scarce in Hartford,” Sam wrote, but recommended Charles S. Cole if Webster needed a lawyer to go after the American Publishing Co., to sue for copyright in light of the piracy of The Frank Coker News Co. of Talladega, Ala. (See June 26 entry.)

Sam thought of describing a battle between “Prince de Joinville’s Middle Age Crusaders” and “a modern army” with modern weapons [Gribben 142]. Note: this anticipated CY.

The December Century ran an excerpt of Huck Finn: The Grangerford-Shepherdson Feud [Camfield, bibliog.]. The same magazine also ran the first of three small (approx. 3” x 4”) display ads, announcing MARK TWAIN’S NEW WORK, with Kemble’s picture of Huck Finn doffing straw hat, “sold only by subscription, agents wanted, Chas. Webster” etc. The same ads also ran in the Jan. and Feb. 1885 Century [MTP, 1884-5 financial files].

December, early – George W. Childs, friend and advisor to General Grant had decided that Sam’s offer to Grant was the best available [Perry 117]. Webster was to work out the contract for Grant’s book. He offered either a 20 per cent royalty on sales or 70 per cent of the net profits beyond the cost of production [118]. Alexander & Green, Sam’s New York law firm, together with Clarence Seward, Grant’s attorney and son of Lincoln’s secretary of state, drew up the contract [MTA 1: 41].