July 18 Tuesday – In Krankenheil-Tölz, Germany Sam wrote to Charles J. Langdon, asking that Matthew Arnot’s 45 royalties transferred by Arnot to Livy and sent to Franklin G. Whitmore for safe deposit [MTP]. Sam’s notebook:
July 18. Wrote C. J. L. [Charles J. Langdon] to have Arnot’s 45 royalties transferred by Arnot to O.L. Clemens & sent to Whitmore for Safe Deposit [NB 33 TS 23].
July 17 Monday – Sam’s notebook: “Monday July 17, noon — arranged for pension — 6 Marks a day per person; 4 rooms 60 Marks a week” [NB 33 TS 23].
July 14 Friday – Frederick J. Hall wrote to Sam:
I have not cabled you as you requested because none of the things you wished me to cable about have taken place, but I have not forgotten your instructions [MTLTP 352n3]. Note: See June 26 for Sam’s code words he wanted Hall to send for various what-if’s.
Hall also made a suggestion about the possible sale of LAL:
July 13 Thursday – The Clemens family traveled a short distance to Krankenheil-Tölz, Germany for Livy’s treatments. Sam’s Aug. 5 letter to his English publishers reveals they stayed at the Kurhaus Hotel. His notebook gives the arrival time at 6:25 p.m. [NB 33 TS 23]. On this day Sam wrote a short note to Professor Lawrence B. Evans, asking him to respond to a German student who was trying to “beguile the gullible author out of an autograph” [MTP].
July 10 Monday – Sam added a PS to his July 9 letter to Susan Crane about going to the opera with daughter Clara the night before:
Certainly nothing in the world is so solemn & impressive, & so divinely beautiful as Tannhäuser. It ought to be used as a religious service [MTP].
July 9 Sunday – In Munich, Sam wrote on Hotel Du Rhin letterhead to Susan Crane that he added a PS to on July 10. Sam asked her to thank Mr. Halsey for “the way he handled” his “small business,” as he’d not had the chance to thank him in purpose during his stay in New York.
July 8 Saturday – In Munich, Germany Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall.
Dear Mr. Hall:
I am sincerely glad you are going to sell L.A.L. I am glad you are shutting off the agents, and I hope the fatal book will be out of our hands before it will be time to put them on again. With nothing but our non-existent capital to work with the book has no value for us, rich a prize as it will be to any competent house that gets it.
July 7 Friday – Frederick J. Hall wrote a five-page typed letter to Sam, enclosing a draft for $250. Hall characterized it as a “rather discouraging letter,” but that most of the negatives had already taken place. He reviewed the critical nature of the financial markets, the absence of credit, the need for a loan from the U.S. Bank to tide them over; the demands of the Mt. Morris Bank; the shut down of production on LAL; his notification to and response from Stedman; his not having drawn a full salary “for some time past; his seeing Mr.
July 4–31 Monday – Sometime during the remainder of July, Sam wrote a short note to Frederick J. Hall suggesting they sell only a third interest in LAL to Scribner’s or Appletons, or even all of it with easy payments of “say $2000 or $3000 a month” [MTP; not in MTLTP].
July 3 Monday – In Munich, Germany Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall. He liked Hall’s suggestion to sell off LAL rather than the entire Webster firm. For one thing, Sam understood the firm was in debt, but LAL was not — in fact, the LAL project was owed money.
A proposition to sell that by itself to a big house could be made without embarrassment.