June 2 Saturday – H.H. Rogers wrote again to Sam, relating a minor dust-up with James W. Paige over signing patents. Paige had delayed signing, arguing he was not quite prepared to take out foreign patents.

After careful consideration of the matter, it was decided that Mr. [Urban] Broughton should see Mr. Paige immediately on his return and politely but firmly tell him to immediately sign the patents or the factory would close, and to say as coming from me, that I trusted that our relations, which had been so pleasantly inaugurated, were not to be marred by any prejudicial conduct on his part.

Rogers wasn’t sure how Paige would react, but he signed, and Rogers judged that Urban Broughton “can manage him successfully.” The rest of Rogers’ letter was about his daughters, plus a funny thought he shared with Sam that reflects how close the two men had become:

If you are ever startled by housebreakers in your cottage, I am sure your appearance, as I have once or twice seen you in the night, would be quite enough to drive them away, if they did not drop dead on the spot. I might suggest that you put your spectacles on the tip of your nose to add effect [MTHHR 63-4].