May 20 Wednesday – In Hartford, Sam wrote to Charles Webster. Progress had been made on the Paige typesetter; a big test was in the offing. Sam was ready to sign a contract:

“Just take a day & shin around & get experts & capitalists together & send them up here without waiting any longer for Peyton. CAN’T wait any longer. When those people see the machine at work, now, they will see at a glance that there is no occasion to remove it to New York for the test” [MTP].

May 20 Wednesday ca. – Sam went to Albany, New York to discuss another invention by Paige (an electric telegraphic apparatus) with Dean Sage. Sam’s notebook notes to telegraph “Ch & Norv. Green or Watterson.” The source speculates that “Ch” may have been George W. Childs, owner of the Philadelphia Public Ledger [MTNJ 3: 144n57].

Evidently, Sam made a brief stay with Sage and visited the Shaker community at Watervliet, New York. Sage wrote on May 23:

“We enjoyed your short visit very much & don’t want you to forget your promise to the Shakers, the fulfillment of which will of course involve the long promised visit here of Mrs Clemens & yourself” [MTNJ 3: 148-9n70].