February 7 Monday – John W. Chapman, an assistant chaplain of the City Missionary Society of New York wrote to Sam of the death of Jesse M. Leathers, the distant relative on Sam’s mother’s side who claimed to be the “rightful earl of Dunham.” Sam had never encouraged the man, but had sent $15 a few weeks before when Leathers, suffering from tuberculosis and alcoholism, wrote asking for $50 to go to a hospital in Kansas [MTNJ 3: 279n184]. Sam wrote on the envelope, “Death of the American Claimant” [MTP]. See Sam’s reply, Feb. 12.