May 8 Monday – In Elmira Sam thought he’d “steal a moment” and write to Mary Mason Fairbanks, now in Newton Mass. with her daughter. Sam’s letter reads as a response to Mary’s (not extant) and her news that Edward Bok, editor of the Ladies Home Journal, had criticized one of Sam’s unpublished pieces, in an article as Sam’s next letter to Hall reflects. Sam marked the letter “Private & Confidential” due to his reference to Edward Bok:

Livy Clemens has read the Diary of Adam and approves it. Edward Bok has not read a line of it, & disapproves it, I suppose. Never mind about Bok: even assassins must live [MTMF 270-1].

Sam then wrote a letter of protest about Bok to Frederick J. Hall:

I suspect that Edward Bok has overreached himself this time, & has been saying something libelous & damaging in connection with Adam’s Diary. Please get his article & keep it till I come (to-morrow.) If I bring a libel suit shall I employ Whitford, or Gen. Sherman’s son — either will do.

After his signature Sam PS’d that Hall might guess he really didn’t want to give Bok the notoriety a lawsuit would bring, but he wanted to talk it over [MTP].