October 6, 1864

October 6 Thursday – The following four local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “Burglary—Two Men Shot,” “Great Seal of Nevada,” “An Interesting Correspondence,” and “Trial of the Folsom Street Wharf Rioters” [Branch, C of Call 300].

October 1, 1864

October 1 Saturday – Sam’s first contribution to the Californian was published, a piece titled, “A Notable Conundrum,” about the Fourth Industrial Fair of the Mechanics’ Institute of San Francisco [MTL 1: 314; ET&S 2: 66]. Between Oct. 1 and Dec. 3 1864, Sam wrote ten weekly articles for the Californian, which paid twelve dollars each [MTNJ 1: 65].
Meanwhile, Sam continued to write local items for the Morning Call. The following two items are attributed to him: “Great Excitement,” and “Damages Awarded” [Branch, C of Call 300].

October 1864

October – Sometime between this month and mid-1865, Sam wrote a parody of Poe’s “The Raven,” called “The Mysterious Chinaman,” for the album of Jim Gillis’ daughter, Mary Elizabeth Gillis. Sam wrote at the top of the manuscript, “Written for M.E.G.’s Album.” Sam had read Poe and knew the poem well. He also wrote a prose parody of it in his Dec. 20, 1867 letter to the Enterprise [ET&S 2: 62-3].

September 30, 1864

September 30 Friday – The following six local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “For the Santa Barbara Sufferers,” “The Jewish New Year,” “More Children,” “Robbery,” “Day of Atonement,” and “Dog Theft” [Branch, C of Call 300].

September 29, 1864

September 29 Thursday – The following four local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “Advice to Witnesses,” “Demonstrative Anatomy,” “The Deaf Mutes at the Fair,” and “After Mortimer” [Branch, C of Call 300].

September 22, 1864

September 22 Thursday – The following eight local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “Strike of the Steamer Employes,” “Very Foolish Policy,” “Weller’s Bust,” “The Consequences of Indefiniteness,” “Queer Fish,” “Trial of a Hackman,” “Female Assault,” and “Stabbing Case” [Branch, C of Call 299].

September 21, 1864

September 21 Wednesday – The following eight local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “Street Obstructions,” “The New Poundkeeper,” “Stabbed,” “A Terrible Weapon,” “Judgments Against a Steamship Company,” “Earthquake,” “Out of Jail,” and “Board of Education” [Branch, C of Call 299].

September 20, 1864

September 20 Tuesday – The following seven local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “The ‘Board’ and the Rincon School,” “Mayhem,” “The Chinese Banquet,” “Camanche Matters,” “Board of Supervisors,” “The Theatres, Etc,: Maguire’s Opera House,” and “The Theatres, Etc,: Wilson-Zoyara Circus” [Branch, C of Call 299].

September 18, 1864

September 18 Sunday – Sam’s article, “Due Warning,” which identified himself as “Mark Twain” appeared in the Morning Call. The piece was about a stolen hat [ET&S 2: 59; Branch, C of Call 135].
Also, six other local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “Cruelty to Animals,” “Theatrical Record: Maguire’s Opera House,” “The Election of Coroner,” “Take One!,” “Suffering for Opinion’s Sake,” and “The Chinese Banquet” [Branch, C of Call 299].

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