April 30 Thursday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Orion Clemens. Text lost.
Mollie Clemens wrote to Sam and Livy, in the aftermath of Sam’s refusal to go to Charles Webster’s funeral in Fredonia.
Won’t you write a line to tell us how sick or “unable to travel,” you are. The telegram made us very uneasy, but at the same time we hoped you were not very sick; but did not want to go on account of your feelings. He was Annies husband, no matter what he was to any one else; and she will suffer the sorrows women have to have in losing a husband and be left with the responsibility of a family. …
…To me there is a sense of relief in Charlie’s death, for it has been a fix thought in my mind that he was not really sound minded. His giving the hired girl a $500 check for a Christmas gift, and Annie permitting his taking the same girl on one of his trips to Washing[ton] or Philadelphia, or both, being away some days and nights [MTP].
Orion Clemens wrote to Sam: Mollie had notified him of receipt of a check from Webster & Co. for $110; she sent $10 to Puss. Orion planned to stay in Fredonia until Monday, maybe longer. He would instruct Mollie to get the typesetter royalty from the bank, endorse it, and return it to Sam [MTP].
Frederick J. Hall wrote to Sam, having just returned from the Webster funeral in Fredonia. After a few remarks about the cause of death (“inflammation of the bowels”) Hall told of a box of company papers that he felt Annie Webster should send to N.Y. Also, Hall had telegraphed Edward Bok before he left Monday. He also sent a petition to have the N.Y. Metropolitan Museum of Art open Sundays [MTP].
Franklin G. Whitmore wrote for Sam to Howard P. Taylor replying to Taylor’s Apr. 29 letter with “agreement enclosed therewith between Randall & Dickson & yourself appears to be all right, and that he approves….” Whitmore asked that a copy of the executed contract be sent [MTP].
On this day or the next Edward W. Bok came to Hartford and conferred with Sam on obtaining serial rights to The American Claimant for the Ladies Home Journal. Bok left Hartford to confer the next day a second time with Frederick J. Hall on the financial details [MTNJ 3: 619n167]. Note: Bok also ran an interview in the Boston Journal Supplement on May 16, 1891; see entry.
April, end – Marshall H. Mallory agreed to organize a company for the manufacture of Paige typesetters, and to then buy out Sam’s interest in the machine for $250,000 [MTNJ 3: 621n172]. Note: Mallory was the publisher of the Churchman and an old target of Sam’s (see vol. I entries). See June 15, 17 entries.