May 27 Wednesday – In the morning in Pretoria, S. Africa Sam wrote to Livy, who evidently had tried to reach him by more than one telegraph.
Livy darling, we are just leaving here, after an early breakfast. I don’t know where you are. Don’t ever scare a body to death again, like that. Use the mail, not the telegraph, & then you won’t take such a wild notion. I didn’t get the telegrams till they were 24 hours old; & then the land was full of holidays (which I cursed with the deepest blasphemies I could invent) & the telegraph offices closed [MTP]. Note: Queen Victoria’s birthday was May 26.
Sam visited the American Consul to President Paul Kruger on behalf of the Reform prisoners. He left with Smythe and perhaps others at 11 a.m. and traveled 34 miles back to Johannesburg, arriving after 1 p.m.
In Johannesburg Sam wrote on Grand National Hotel letterhead to his nephew, Samuel E. Moffett.
Dear Sam: Yours of April 18 just received [not extant]. It is too early to start the boom in San F. now. If I reach the U.S. at all this year, I think it won’t be before next winter. But I [will] write from England long enough beforehand for William’s needs.
Yes, I would ever so much like to be entertained at dinner by the Club two nights before the lecture. And I’d like to have a man introduce me who knows how — a man who will furnish me a better text to build a speech upon than the usual string of mere praises & compliments. [Note: William noted here was a possible candidate put forth by Moffett for the position of agent for a planned American lecture tour.]
Sam also shared his plans for the next couple of months — the Cape campaign and sailing for England, staying there four months or longer [MTP].
At about 4 p.m. the Clemens party left Johannesburg and traveled about 20 miles west to Krugersdorp, arriving after 5 p.m. Sam gave his “At Home” (No. 1) at the Masonic Hall in Krugersdorp. He was introduced by Dr. A.G. Viljoen, district surgeon. The talk was reviewed on May 30 by the Krugersdorp Times. Sam had a late supper at the home of Mr. and Mrs. G. Seymour, where there were a “lot of jolly people” and he spent the night [Philippon 18; Parsons “Traveler in S.A.” 20].
Sam’s notebook shows a dramatist, pseudonym “Riola” called on him [Gribben 581; NB 38 TS 19].