August 7 Friday – Over 300,000 people passed by Grant’s casket in New York City Hall [Perry 229]. The New York Times reported Sam staying at the Hotel Normandie [p.4 “Personal Intelligence”].
August 6 Thursday – After lying 24 hours in the Capitol at Albany, Grant’s casket, was put on a train for the six-hour ride to New York City. The train slowed passing West Point for the cadets to salute. Once in the city, where tens of thousands waited, the casket was taken to City Hall, where it lay in state another 24 hours [Perry 229].
August 5 Wednesday – From Sam’s Aug. 6 to Livy for this day:
August 4 Tuesday – Sam wrote from New York City to Livy, describing the black draped buildings and how much more so the City was for Grant than it had been for Garfield.
“I think I have seen a thousand big portraits of the General, set in the centre of a desert of black, on store-fronts” [MTP].
August 3 Monday – Tisdale & Davis, “mfg and dealers in tobacco & cigars”, Hannibal, Mo., for 500 “Old Fish” cigars. Sam wrote on this bill: ‘These are first-rate S.L.C.” No paid date [MTP]. Only Sam would enjoy a cigar named “Old Fish.”
August 2 Sunday – Beginning this night or the next, Sam stayed seven nights at the Normandie Hotel, returning home Aug. 10 (see that entry).
E.V. Satterfield wrote from Mt. Vernon, Illinois, agreeing with Sam about the final resting place of Gen. Grant being in NYC. “P.S. Mt Vernon Ills. is away down in Egypt and the writer of this is a printer by trade and a lawyer by profession and practice, and never have been known as a very ‘shining light’ at either” [MTP].
August 1 Saturday – Sam went to New York, probably to see Charles Webster sail for Europe. He went to arrange English and European editions of Grant’s Memoirs, and to feel out foreign investment interest in the Paige typesetter [MTNJ 3: 131n13]. Frederick J. Hall was temporarily head of Webster & Co., while Charles was in England [MTNJ 3: 191].
August – Sam’s history game was patented, but no attempt was made to market it until Feb.
July 31 Friday – J.P. Haynes, “tea and grocery house” Hartford, billed $6.50 for “1 bbl of flour” [MTP].
Annie Moffett Webster wrote: “Your very kind letter enclosing $250.00 received. I thank you and Aunt Livy very much. I am very much pleased that you feel as you do about Charlie; and I hope he will always be as successful as he has been…” [MTP].
Alexander & Green wrote returning a MS. Also, “You will get the burro in due course” [MTP].
July 30 Thursday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Annie Webster, sending her $250 “to spend on trifles” she “would not otherwise feel justified in buying….” Annie and her husband Charles were about to sail for Europe (on Aug. 1). The letter was high praise for Charles and included praise from the late General Grant. [MTP].
The New York Sun ran Sam’s article, “The Future National Capital” [Camfield, bibliog.].