December 28 Sunday – Sam took the train from New York in the morning and traveled all day. He wrote at 9:30 P.M from Pittsburgh to Livy. Cable had arrived on Dec. 27. Sam asked that a letter he’d left at Hartford from a “Chicago poetess” be sent on to him. He told of an attempt by the railroad to “curtail his liberties” after breaking some rule (possibly smoking). After tangling with the head conductor, who got civil at some point, Sam insisted the man report him, because he was going to “drag it [the rule] in the dirt all day.”

Of course he couldn’t do anything, so he had to leave me alone—to the joy of all the passengers. They said they had often seen the rule applied, but had never seen it resisted before. I wonder if we shall have any liberties left, by & by, if we keep up our American habit of meekly submitting to every imposition that is put upon us [MTP].

Sam also penned a short note to his brother, Orion, that he’d worked out a whole day in Keokuk, and that Pond had changed one of his three days in Chicago to one day in Burlington, the day after he was to read in Keokuk [MTP].

Sam also wrote another letter to Charles Webster. Sam wanted monies put in the name of Livy, in case both he and Webster should die.

“Then you & I can die if we want to, & there will be no complications.”

Sam told of seeing “one of Estes & Lauriat’s chief men on the train” and being told they’d assumed that HF would come out before the holidays, which is why they ran the ad.

“I said we couldn’t help what they ‘supposed,’ & we should have to require them to pay for supposing such injurious things [MTP].