September 23 Friday – The following three local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “Farewell Address of Dr. Bellows,” “Arrested for Riot,” and “Dedication of Bush Street School” [Branch, C of Call 299].
September 17 Saturday – Sam wrote from San Francisco to William Wright (Dan De Quille) about Sam selling his furniture and about debts. Sam was tired of night work on the Call:
“I don’t work after 6 in the evening, now on the ‘Call.’ I got disgusted with night work.”
Sam’s new deal with George Barnes, owner of the Call, was for shorter hours and less pay [MTL 1: 309]. In his Autobiography Sam related the changes and finding a new assistant to help him with the work:
September 16 Friday – The following eight local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam:
“Suicide of Dr. Raymond,” “More Donations,” “The Alleged Swindling,” “Vegetable Boquets,” “Extraordinary Enterprise,” “Officer Rose Recovering,” “Night Blooming Cereus,” and “For the East” [Branch, C of Call 298].
September 15 Thursday – The following six local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “An Ingenious Contrivance,” “Mining Machinery,” “Interesting Litigation,” “A Specimen Case,” “Strange Coincidence,” and “County Hospital Developments” [Branch, C of Call 298].
September 14 Wednesday – The following two local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “Two Hundred Dollars Reward,” and “Board of Education” [Branch, C of Call 298].
September 13 Tuesday – The following seven local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “The Camanche,” “An Abolition Outrage,” “Sad Accident—Death of Jerome Rice,” “Lost Children,” “Police Target Excursion,” “Sent Up,” and “Plethoric” [Branch, C of Call 298].
September 10 Saturday – The following five local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam:
“Curiosities,” “A Philanthropic Nation,” “Race for the Occidental Hotel Premium,” “Discharged,” and “Doing a General Business” [Branch, C of Call 298].
The Golden Era announced that Bret Harte was editor of the magazine. Harte would be editor until Nov. 19, 1864; and again from Dec. 9 to 30, 1865 [Benson 119].
September 9 Friday – The following four local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “Mrs. Hall’s Smelting Furnace,” “Charitable Contributions,” “Democratic Ratification Meeting,” and “Cross Swearing” [Branch, C of Call 298].
September 8 Thursday – The following six local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam:
“Democratic State Convention,” “The Ladies’ Fair,” “Captain Kidd’s Statement,” “Earthquake,” “Mark Mayer Ahead on the Home Stretch,” and “Beautiful Work” [Branch, C of Call 298].
September 7 and 8 Thursday – The Democratic State Convention met in San Francisco to nominate candidates for Congress, and also presidential electors pledged to General George B. McClellan.
James Norman Gillis (1830-1907), Steve’s older brother, was a delegate from Tuolumne County, Calif., a mining district in the Sierra foothills. Sam liked James instantly. James enjoyed a good story, was highly literate and trained as a doctor. Sam covered the convention for the Call.