Before leaving New York for Newburgh, the morning of November 20, Sam visited Ulysses S. Grant at his home on East Sixty-Sixth Street.  There, Sam offered to publish Grant's memoirs for a royalty of 20 percent or 70 percent of the profits plus $10,000.00 advance.

November 20 Thursday – Sam and Cable gave a reading in Newburgh, New York.

Sam wrote a letter marked “Confidential” from Hartford to William N. Woodruff, Hartford machinist and contractor, about the Nathan Hale statue competition for the Conn. State Capitol [MTP]. Gerhardt won the competition in Mar. 1885 [Perry 168; Schmidt]. (See MTNJ 3:179n6 for more about Woodruff.)