Day By Day Dates

March 13 Friday – Sam’s MARK TWAIN’S LETTERS FROM WASHINGTON, NUMBER X dated Feb. 22 ran in the Enterprise. Sections included: “The Grand Coup d’Etat,” and “How the Delegations” [MTP].

March 15 Sunday – Sam wrote from the Henry Chauncey en route from New York to Aspinwall, Panama to his mother and family.

March 18 Wednesday – Sam wrote at sea to Mary Mason Fairbanks.

“Dear Mother—We shall reach the Isthmus tomorrow morning. It is getting very hot. Cuba was such a vision!—a perfect garden!” [MTL 2: 204-5].

March 19 Thursday – The Henry Chauncey reached Aspinwall, Panama. Sam traveled across the Isthmus by train and boarded the Sacramento at Panama City at night [MTL 2: 205n1].

March 20–April 1 Wednesday – Sam made a speech on board sometime between these dates, entitled “Charade” [Fatout, MT Speaking 649].

March 22 Sunday – Sam’s “Holy Land Excursion. Letter from Mark Twain Number Forty-seven” dated Sept. 1867 at “Jerusalem” ran in the Alta California [McKeithan 277-81].

March 29 Sunday – Sam’s “Holy Land Excursion. Letter from Mark Twain Number Forty-eight” dated Sept. 1867 at “Jerusalem” ran in the Alta California [McKeithan 281-7].

April 2 Thursday – The Sacramento arrived in San Francisco and Sam stayed at the Occidental Hotel [MTL 2: 205; Sanborn 391]. Sam wrote to Mary Mason Fairbanks of his safe arrival:

“The Prodigal in a far country chawing of husks, P.S.—& with nobody to molest or keep him straight. (!) mild exultation.”

April 3 Friday – The Alta reported that Sam had arrived and proposed to lecture a few days [MTL 2: 205]. In the morning, Sam went to the offices of the Alta to negotiate with the owners over reusing his Holy Land letters. Frederick MacCrellish was no more flexible in person than he’d been in letters. He refused Sam’s request, but made a compromise offer of ten percent royalty on a published work by the Alta.

April 4 Saturday – The Critic printed that Sam’s lecture topic would be “the results of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land” [MTL 2: 205].

April 5 Sunday – Sam’s “Holy Land Excursion. Letter from Mark Twain Number Fifty-two” dated Sept. 1867 at “Jerusalem” ran in the Alta California [McKeithan 302-6].

April 6 Monday – The Alta reported that on Apr. 6 Sam was in the audience of a literary society meeting of Rev. Dr. Charles Wadsworth’s Calvary Presbyterian Church. Sam was called upon to give an informal, impromptu speech, “which was received with the liveliest applause” [MTL 2: 206].

April 7 Tuesday – Sam’s MARK TWAIN’S LETTERS FROM WASHINGTON, NUMBER XI dated Mar. 2 ran in the Enterprise. Sections included: “The Mining School,” “A Good Job in Danger,” “Another One,” “ Governmental Blasting,” “Impeachment,” “In Abeyance,” and “Later” [Schmidt].

April 9 Thursday – After being somewhat lost on the San Francisco side of the bay, Sam found a ferry and went to Oakland, where he spoke at the Methodist Episcopal Church [MTL 2: 206].

April 10 Friday – The Examiner and other newspapers reported that Sam would speak at Platt’s Hall on Apr. 14. It was at this Hall where Sam had enjoyed his largest audience in 1866. On Apr.

Late Spring, Early Summer – Sometime between Apr. 11 and July 3, Sam picnicked with Robert Bunker Swain and Clara Swain, and George E. Barnes, editor and co-owner of the Morning Call. Swain was superintendent of the U.S. Mint in San Francisco, [MTL 3: 354n3].

April 12 Sunday – Sam’s “Holy Land Excursion. Letter from Mark Twain Number Fifty-three” dated Sept. 1867 at “Jerusalem” ran in the Alta California [McKeithan 287-91].

April 14 Tuesday – Sam spoke at Platt’s Hall, San Francisco to 1,600, a full house. His lecture was titled “Pilgrim Life,” from his Holy Land material and his “The Frozen Truth” lecture.

April 15 Wednesday – Sam repeated the Apr. 14 lecture again at Platt’s Hall [Fatout, MT Speaking 23]. Lorch says “there was less obvious straining after effect” for this second lecture [78].

April 16 Thursday – Sam took a steamer to Sacramento [MTL 2: 210].

April 17 Friday – Sam gave his “Pilgrim Life” lecture, no doubt revised, at the Metropolitan Theater in Sacramento. Lorch says “he greatly amused many by apologizing for the absence of Elder Knapp, a well-known local revivalist who had distinguished himself recently in his campaigns against theaters and dancing” [78].

April 18 Saturday – Sam gave his lecture in Marysville, California. The Sacramento Daily Union ran this revealing review Sam’s performance of the night before:

April 20 Monday – Sam gave his “Pilgrim Life” lecture in Nevada City, Nevada, where he announced that the “doors will be surrounded at 7 o’clock and the insurrection will begin at 8” [Lorch 79].

April 21 Tuesday – Sam gave his “Pilgrim” lecture in Grass Valley, California.

April 22 Wednesday – Sam returned to Sacramento [MTL 2: 210]. Sam was learning that he could not base his Holy Land book on wholesale ridicule of what many felt were sacred sites and edifices, nor could he write essentially a put-down of the Pilgrims on the voyage, no matter how well done or deserved. The newspaper reviews of his California lectures were definitely a mixed bag.