June 1 Tuesday – The Hartford Courant carried an article on June 3, datelined London June 1, “Mark Twain All Right – A Chat With Him Day Before Yesterday” from the N.Y. Journal by Frank Marshall White:

Mark Twain was undecided whether to be more amused or annoyed when a “Journal” representative informed him to-day of the report in New York that he was dying of poverty in London. …

“The report of my death was an exaggeration. The report of my poverty is harder to deal with. My friends might know that unless I were actually dying in poverty I should not live in poverty when I am receiving offers to lecture by every mail. The fact is that I was under contract to write the book that I have just finished or I should have accepted these offers” [Note: interestingly, this was in Sam’s notebook dated June 2].

TOO BAD YOU MISUNDERSTOOD I ONLY PROMISED TO DISCUSS IT WITH MY WIFE I DECIDED AGAINST IT LAST NIGHT [MTP: also NB 41 TS 29].

Note: much the same article ran in the Boston Globe, p.2. on June 2.

After hearing rumors that Mark Twain was seriously ill and desperately in debt in London, James Gordon Bennett, Jr. (1841-1918) of the NY Herald (who was in Paris) announced sponsorship of a subscription fun for Sam’s relief. Bennett and Andrew Carnegie started the fund with $1,000 each; after this day the paper regularly printed names of donors and their contributions [MTHHR 283n1]. See June 16.

In London Bram Stoker inscribed a copy of his new book, Dracula, to “Mark Twain / from / Bram Stoker / 1 June 1897” [Gribben 668; NB 41 TS 33].