July 31 Wednesday – In Saranac Lake, N.Y. Sam wrote to H.H. Rogers: “Dear Mr. Rogers. I shall be in New York & abed by 11 o’clock tomorrow night. S.L.C.” [MTP:Parke-Bernet Galleries catalogs, Apr. 28, 1959, Item 89].

Note: not in MTHHR.

William Dean Howells wrote to Sam.

I will try to keep the Hunter book in mind; I wish it were out now, for I need a text. I am afraid I can’t say anything very pleasant about our “learning to govern orientals,” though.

John [Howells], who enjoyed his Ampersanding immensely, reports you only partially satisfied with the universe, whence I infer that you think it has not improved since I last saw you. I don’t know that you followed the Fosburgh trial (Pittsfield, Mass.); but there was an example of detectiveship that almost eclipsed the Stolen White Elephant. And did you read how those burglars burgled a house next to a police station in New York the other night and kept the poor prisoners awake with their noise? All is not lost in a world where such things can happen. And Ament seems to have been coming out for you in a public statement saying that all missionaries do it, upon the advice of their secular representatives [MTHL 2: 728-9].

Notes: The Life of Sir William Wilson Hunter by Francis H. Skrine (1901); Sam had requested Howells look for it and give it a kind review. Robert S. Fosburgh was acquitted of killing his sister in Aug. 1900; see Note 5 source for more details. Ament was William S. Ament. See other entries.