February 14 Tuesday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Andrew Chatto, letting him know the electros for illustrations of Library of Humor had been shipped, and that galley-proofs would now begin shipping to him as well. He’d received the contract for the book from Chatto & Windus, and would sign it and return it as soon as he knew a publication date, which at that point was speculative, but would “most likely be April 25th” [MTP].

David Ross Locke (Petroleum Vesuvius Nasby) (1833-1888), journalist, humorist and political commentator died. He created the Nasby character during the Civil War in support of the Union. Lincoln loved to quote from the “Nasby Letters.” In 1869 after Sam lectured in Toledo, Ohio, Nasby’s hometown at the time, he wrote Livy realizing how important it was to be compared favorably with Nasby (see Jan. 20, 1869 and many other entries in MTDBD I ).

Edward H. House, in Hartford sent a letter by hand to Sam, returning the Morte d’ Arthur with thanks for his “long keeping of it.” He wrote, “I am going to ask Morse to stop here over night, as he swishes through from Boston to N.Y., or back.” Hirst’s note in the file credits Lin Salamo with identifying Morse as Edward Sylvester Morse (1838-1925), “a zoologist who had spent time in Japan and doubtless knew House there” [MTP]. Note: Gribben p.488: Sam owned a copy of Morse’s Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings (1886).