January 1 Saturday – Sam wrote from Elmira to George L. Hutchings about Trenton’s True American printing a lengthy synopsis of Sam’s Dec. 28 lecture. Sam hated it when newspapers did that; he imagined that people would not go to his lectures if they could read them in the papers. He sent Hutchings his apology for being upset by being shown the synopsis [MTL 5: 685].
December 31 Friday – Sam telegraphed Whitelaw Reid on or about this day. The dispatch is not extant but mentioned in Reid’s letter of Jan. 1, 1870.
Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Opera House, Williamsport, Pennsylvania [MTL 3: 416].
December 30 Thursday – Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Landmesser Hall, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. [MTL 3: 416].
“The Hyenas,” an unsigned article attributed to Sam, was printed in the Buffalo Express [McCullough 121].
December 29 Wednesday – Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Opera House, Newark, N.J. [MTL 3: 416].
“An Indignant Rebuke,” an unsigned article attributed to Sam, was printed in the Buffalo Express [McCullough 120].
The Boston Evening Transcript ran a letter by Sam about pretentious Americans, returning from Europe:
December 28 Tuesday – Sam wrote from New York to Joseph Twichell sending him a rail ticket he didn’t need. He also wrote to Elisha Bliss, about sending Dan Slote more books at a discount to sell to his friends.
In the evening, Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Taylor Hall, Trenton, New Jersey [MTL 3: 441-3].
December 27 Monday – Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Music Hall, New Haven, Conn. [MTL 3: 416].
Sam wrote from New Haven to Livy just before the lecture.
“I stopped two hours in Hartford today & Twichell & I bummed around together…Twelve thousand copies of the book sold this month. This is perfectly enormous. Nothing like it since Uncle Tom’s Cabin, I guess” [MTL 3: 440].
December 25 Saturday – Christmas – Sam wrote from Boston to Livy wishing her a happy Christmas.
“I shall expect a letter in the loved & familiar hand in New Haven day after tomorrow, though—& a month after that, we shall close our long correspondence, & tell each other what our minds suggest, by word of mouth. Speed the day!” [MTL 3: 435].
December 24 Friday – Sam lectured (“Savages”) in New Hall, Slatersville, Rhode Island. Sam had been scheduled to lecture in Salem on this Christmas Eve, but changed to Slatersville to fill in for his sick friend, Josh Billings [MTL 3: 438n3].
December 23 Thursday – Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Town Hall, Rockport, Mass. [MTL 3: 415].
December 22 Wednesday – Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Mercantile Library, Portland, Maine [MTL 3: 415].
Letters Sam wrote to Livy on Dec. 21 and 22 (letter numbers 161-2) are lost [MTL 3: 437-8n1].