September 14 Friday – In Elmira Sam was forced to cancel his appearance at the Chicago banquet. He telegraphed George W. Smith and also sent the letter he’d written on Sept. 12 [MTP]. Fifty-seven year old Theodore Crane had been ill since Sept. 5 [Sept. 15 to Pamela Moffett], and sometime during that period suffered a stroke. A diabetic, Crane was paralyzed on one side [Sept.
September 13 Thursday – In Elmira even though Theodore Crane had been ill, Sam wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore that he planned to leave on Sept. 18 for the Sept. 20 banquet in Chicago and be back in Elmira on Sept. 22, which he noted was also the date for the payment due to Pratt & Whitney for their work on the Paige typesetter.
September 12 Wednesday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Grace King, thanking her for a “carrot” of the celebrated perique tobacco of Louisiana which her brother had secured from a plantation in Natchitoches:
September 11 Tuesday – Sometime during the day Sam gave a reading (unknown) at the Elmira Reformatory [Fatout, MT Speaking 658; MTNJ 3: 418n44]. Note: the first Notebook entry shows the Reformatory reading was planned for Sept. 12.
September 10 Monday – In Elmira Sam sent a one-liner with a PS to Franklin G. Whitmore, enclosing a check for $8,300 and directing Whitmore to “Keep a daily eye on” the typesetter [MTP].
Webster & Co. per Arthur H. Wright wrote to Sam: bank balances total, $1,855.22 [MTP].
H.E. Patten, Dye and Carpet Beating Works, Hartford, billed $2.37 for “laying 2 carpets”; paid Oct 10 [MTP].
September 9 Sunday – Franklin G. Whitmore wrote to Sam that his letter had arrived too late to prevent the sale of more Burr Index Co. stock. “The machine is coming to a close” [MTP].
September 8 Saturday – Sam’s notebook records progress in operating the Paige Typesetter for Fred Whitmore, son of Franklin G. Whitmore: “he set 11,200 in 1 hour” (see Apr. 9, 1888 entry).
September 7 Friday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore that he’d sold the Beech Creek bonds for $8,300 and that he was offered $4,000 for the same company’s stock, “& may possibly take it.”Sam felt that was all the selling they needed for the time being [MTP]. Note: this and his Sept. 6 note to Whitmore show he sold the bonds on either day. He would send the check for the sale on Sept. 10.
September 6 Thursday – At Quarry Farm, Theodore Crane suffered a stroke and was partially paralyzed [Budd, Collected 1: 980; other sources give only month]. He would suffer many ups and downs, treatments in New York and visits to Hartford for the next ten months until his death on July 3, 1889. His condition would greatly affect the Clemens family.
Sam wrote to Robert Underwood Johnson of Century Magazine:
September 5 Wednesday – Robert Underwood Johnson of Century Magazine wrote Sam: “We accept your proposition and I will write details to-morrow” [MTNJ 3: 387n296]. See Aug 24 to Johnson.
In Elmira Sam wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore. Some stocks, evidently, he wrote, were not salable but he was expecting to see what he might get from a sale of Clear Creek securities.