December 1 Thursday – In Buffalo, Sam wrote to Warren Luther Brigham (1846-1880) of the Boston Saturday Evening Gazette. Brigham had written suggesting Sam write a column for the Gazette. Sam declined—“as we steamboatmen used to say, ‘I’ve got my load.’” Still, Sam wrote that the Gazette was “the only Weekly paper I ever wanted to own” [MTL 4: 254-5].

Possibly on this date, Sam also wrote to Elisha Bliss about a “half-forgotten friend” whose “husband got lost in the desert & the cuyotes ate him” [MTL 4: 254-5]. Note: unidentified.