May 28 Saturday – Sam wrote William K. Cutler in receipt of his challenge to a duel. “Having made my arrangements—before I received your note—to leave for California, & having no time to fool away on a common bummer like you, I want an immediate reply to this” [MTL 1: 301]. Note: Cutler had come up from Carson City and Steve Gillis placated him and convinced him to leave town. In some accounts it has been erroneously given that Sam Clemens ran from a duel, the reason for his leaving Virginia City. Examination of these letters and news accounts prove otherwise. Sam was still the same man who “pounded” Pilot William Brown.
In San Francisco the first issue of the Californian appeared, with Charles Henry Webb (1834-1905) as editor and publisher, and Francis Bret Harte as chief contributor. Webb wrote under the pseudonyms of Inigo and John Paul. A note about Sam’s controversy with Laird of the Union was mentioned [Benson 118]. See also AMT 2: 484 for more on Webb.