November 14 Saturday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote a poem and a note to Margaret Blackmer.
BE GOOD, BE GOOD. A Poem.
Be good, be good, be always good,
And now and then be clever,
But don’t you ever be too good,
Nor ever be too clever;
For each as be too awful good,
The awful lonely are,
And such as often clever be,
Get cut and stung and trodden on by
persons of lesser mental capacity;
for this kind do by a law of
their construction regard exhibitions
of superior intellectuality as an
offensive impertinence levelled at
their lack of this high gift, & are prompt
to resent such-like exhibitions
in the manner above indicated—& are
they justified? alas, alas they
(It is not best to go on; I think the line is already longer than it ought to be for real true poetry.)
Mark Twain.
To Margaret.
November 14th.
[handwritten in margin:] This is only a copy, so it won’t matter if it should get injured in the mails; but you must come & get the original which is more valuable than anybody can imagine. Tell me when you are coming [MTP].
Sam also wrote to Helen Keller.
Dear Helen Keller:
The book has just arrived & I thank you so much for it, for I liked it in instalments & know I shall have pleasure in reading it as a whole. I do hope you & the Macys can come down here in January & give us a week-end visit, arriving on a Friday & abiding with us till the Monday. Won’t you three hold a consultation & vote Yes? We will take the best kind of care of you.
Affectionately
SL. Clemens
[MTP]. Note: The World I live In (1908) by Keller; see Gribben 366: “On the inside front cover Clemens noted in black ink: ‘It is a lovely book—& Helen is herself another lovely book. /
SLC /1908.’”
Sam’s new guestbook:
Name Address Date Remarks
Mr. Forbes Fairfield, Conn. Nov. 14 [A. Holland Forbes]
Mr. Curtis New York Nov. “
Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Forbes Aeronaut. / Walked around the circle twice and then to house and bed” [MTP: IVL TS 79]. Note: A. Holland Forbes, balloonist, had escaped death when a balloon burst during an International flight in Berlin October 13, 1908.
A contract and power of attorney signed by Clemens on this day would turn out to be the “smoking gun” in the dismissal of Isabel Lyon and Ralph W. Ashcroft. On June 16, 1909 Sam wrote to William Coe that he had “never heard of that paper,” calling it “The most amazing document that has seen the light since the Middle Ages.” (See entry.) Sam was convinced that they tricked him into signing away all of his rights and property, that this was their grand scheme. This document, which was uncovered on May 29, 1909 during the investigation of Stormfield’s books, was sold in 1966 by Charles Hamilton, catalog 15, but has since been lost. Victor Fischer of the MTP quotes from the catalog and offers:
“D. S., two full pages, folio, November 14, 1908, a lengthy and interesting contract appointing ‘Isabel V. Lyon and Ralph W. Ashcroft my true and lawful attorneys for me and in my name, place and stead, to exercise a general supervision over all my affairs and to take charge of and manage all my property . . .’ signed Samuel L. Clemens, above a gold-paper notary’s seal.”
The catalog also lists “another document, almost identical with the preceding, boldly signed ‘Samuel L. Clemens,’ above a gold-seal.” [Note: Fischer assumes the Detroit Public Library purchased the document but upon request for a photocopy the library could not comply. Just where the document resides now is unknown. What follows is a TS from the Ashcroft-Lyon MS, MTP, With Hill’s excerpts from p.212-13 in bold & underlined:]
Know All Men By These Presents, That I, Samuel L. Clemens, of the Town of Redding, County of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have made, constituted and appointed, and by these presents do make, constitute and appoint, Isabel V. Lyon, and Ralph W. Ashcroft my true and lawful attorneys for me and in my name, place and stead, to exercise a general supervisionover all my affairs and to take charge of and manage all my property both real and personal and all matters of business relating thereto; to lease, sell and convey any and all real property wheresoever situated which may now or which may hereafter at any time belong to me; to demand, receive and collect rentals of such property, to make repairs to any buildings thereon, to keep any and all buildings insured, to remand, receive and collect all dividends, interests and moneys due and payable to or to become due and payable to me; to satisfy and discharge mortgages; to sell, assign and transfer any and all stocks, bonds and mortgages belonging or which at any time belong to me; to change any or all of my investments and to make any investment of any or all of the moneys belonging to me; to draw checks or drafts upon any banks, banker or Trust Company or any financial institution with which or whom I have or may at any time hereafter have moneys on deposit or to my credit; to endorse either for deposit, collection or transfer any and all notes, checks, drafts or bills of exchange now or hereafter payable to me or to my order; to prosecute, defend, compromise and settle suits and legal proceedings and to retain and employ attorneys and counsel for such purpose or otherwise, to protect my interests; to release and discharge as my attorneys may deem proper any any all claims and demands in my favor of any kind or nature, and to make sign, seal acknowledge and deliver any and all receipts, acquittances, discharges, satisfaction pieces, transfers, assignments, agreements, deeds or other instruments under seal or otherwise, which in the judgment of my said attorneys may be necessary, appropriate or proper, giving and granting unto my said attorneys, and unto either of them individually, full power and authority to do and perform any act or thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises as fully to all interests and purposes as I might or could do if personally present, with full power of substitution and revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that my said attorneys or attorney, or her or his substitutes or substitute shall lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.
In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 14th day of November,1908.
Samuel L. Clemens (L.S.)
Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of Horace W. Hazen Harry Iles
STATE OF CONNECTICUT ) : COUNTY OF FAIRFIELD ) Redding
On this 14th day of November, 1908, before me personally came Samuel L. Clemens, to me personally known to be the individual described in and who executed theforegoing instrument, and he acknowledged to me that he executed the same.
John N Nickerson,
Notary Public within and (Seal) for the State of Connecticut.
(Residing at Redding)
[MTP: Exhibit A, Ashcroft-Lyon Box].
Hill writes of this power of attorney, and of Sam’s claim that it was a forgery:
It was comprehensive. And Clemens did indisputably sign it. Just as indisputable is that Ashcroft had almost seven months’ time between the assigning and revoking of this power of attorney to use it for personal gain. But whatever Clemens’ hysterical suspicions, Ashcroft did not exploit his total authority over Clemens’ property for illegal purposes [213]. Note: all of this begs the question, just why was such a document drawn up? Perhaps realizing that Clemens’ health was failing, Ashcroft and Lyon intended to wait until his death to take control of his estate. Why else would they want to be in such a position of control? With Jean hospitalized and Clara growing increasingly antagonistic toward Lyon, such a plan would have sought to cut the daughters out of the picture after Sam’s death.
Henry Beebe, one of Sam’s Hannibal schoolmates, wrote from Bridgewater, S. Dakota.
Dear Sir / In turning back the leaves of Memory I find that 64 years ago Sam Clemens[,] Joe Buchanan [,] Joe Craig[,] Andy and Archie Fuqua[,] Sam and Will Bowen[,] Joe Luck[,] Albert Glasscock[,] Jim McDaniels [sic McDaniel] & myself were School Mates at Hannibal. I often wonder what has become of them or if you and I are the only ones left. I have not visited Hannibal since 1852 and have lost track of all but you. I am not writing this expecting to gain my notoriety by corrosponding with one as notable as your self neither do I cherish any animosity against you for being a school mate for neither of us were to blame for that as I think we both would have preferd to play hookey I have taken great pleasure in reading your books and oftimes thought I recognized the characters mentioned in them[.] I was pleased to note the sensation you created in England on your last visit. … I expect you have forgotten me. My Father kept a store in Hannibal situated on the corner in second block from Steam Boat Landing on north side of the street [MTP]. Note: Beebe also asked if Sam could relay any information on the old gang.
Louise Yard wrote from Los Angeles, Calif. to ask for Sam’s advice in their formation of an anti-vivisection society; and for the use of his name as an honorary member [MTP]. Note: IVL: “Mr. Clemens has retired to the country & from all activities”