January 3 Wednesday – In New York on the stationery of the Office of Woodlawn Cemetery, 20 E. 23rd Street, where the Knevals brothers (of the Conn. Co.–See Dec. 7, 1893) were directors, Sam wrote to H.H. Rogers.
Caleb [Kneval] & [H.S.] Ward & [George] Frink [all of the Conn. Co.] were still here at the Graveyard when I returned, a few minutes ago. They thought $50,000 of stock would be due me when your $100,000 cash comes in; & that the rest would be due when or if the other $50,000 cash was needed & furnished. Also, it was the business of the Paige Company to pay these commissions; that a resolution of that Board would authorize the payment…& finally you would be a member of the Board yourself. They feel sure that no objection would arise from Stone, Webster & the other Chicago members.
Sam owned 470 royalties on the Paige typesetter; he was concerned about giving up more than 150 of his royalties and had hoped to clear $50,000 for himself, but the men he talked to were thinking of dividing his money up among all parties, and to raise it by selling stock at par value [MTHHR 33-4 and notes].
In his Jan. 4 to Livy Sam wrote of this day’s main resolution of the typesetter contract, with the receipt of telegram from Chicago with Paige agreeing to sign.
When the enclosed telegram arrived showing that we had at last got Paige where we wanted him, I went to that conference & when it was over & we had telegraphed Chicago to go ahead & prepare the contracts, Mr. Rogers said, as we walked towards his horse car, “Tomorrow is a blank day — the fight is as good as won — it is time for us both to catch a little rest. I will be in bed & asleep before 8 o’clock & get three extra hours in that way & you’d better do the same.”
And then Sam took rest:
Recognizing, yesterday [Jan. 3] noon, that the campaign was ended, barring today’s assault [by the Conn. Co. interests and/or North’s attorney Henry G. Newton], & that in it I was not likely to take part, I experienced a sudden collapse of interest & a deep drowsiness, an overwhelming desire to stretch out & take a nap. So I went to bed & napped the whole afternoon away; then had some supper brought up. Rice came in & made a long visit, but by 11.30 I was asleep again & didn’t wake till called at 8.30 [Jan. 4 to Livy].
Frederick J. Hall wrote to Sam wishing he would sell some of his Paige royalties to provide a cash fund for Webster & Co., in case the Mt. Morris Bank “should happen to get cranky” or Rogers’ son-in-law, William Evarts Benjamin, would be unable to keep current on payments for the purchase of LAL. Some $23,000 in notes would come due at various times in Jan. Hall added there had been four failures in the book trade already in the month — altogether, “only strike us for about $1,000,” and in a couple of the cases he thought they’d salvage half to three quarters of the debt [MTHHR 22; MTP].