San Francisco in 1864: Day By Day

November 26 Saturday – Sam’s article, “The Pioneers’ Ball,” was re-printed in the Golden Era [Walker 41].

November 30 Wednesday – Sam’s 29 th birthday.

November 5 Saturday – Sam’s article, “Daniel in the Lion’s Den—And Out Again All Right.” Was published in the Californian. “Now for several days I have been visiting the Board of Brokers, and associating with brokers, and drinking with them, and swapping lies with them…” [MTNJ 1: 69; ET&S 2: 100].

November 7 Monday – Orion Clemens was elected to the Nevada State Legislature after much speech making [Fanning 104].

October 1 Saturday – Sam’s first contribution to the Californian was published, a piece titled, “A Notable Conundrum,” about the Fourth Industrial Fair of the Mechanics’ Institute of San Francisco [MTL 1: 314; ET&S 2: 66]. Between Oct. 1 and Dec. 3 1864, Sam wrote ten weekly articles for the Californian, which paid twelve dollars each [MTNJ 1: 65].
Meanwhile, Sam continued to write local items for the Morning Call. The following two items are attributed to him: “Great Excitement,” and “Damages Awarded” [Branch, C of Call 300].

October 10 Monday – George Barnes, editor of the Call, fired Sam, less than five months after hiring him [MT Encyclopedia, McFatter 653].
“I neglected my duties and became about worthless, as a reporter for a brisk newspaper. And at last one of the proprietors took me aside, with a charity I still remember with considerable respect, and gave me an opportunity to resign my berth and so save myself the disgrace of a dismissal” [Roughing It, Ch.58].

October 11 Tuesday – The local article, “Had a Fit,” in the Call is attributed to Sam [Branch, C of Call 300]. This is the last article thought to be by Sam Clemens in the Morning Call while he was employed as a city reporter there.

October 15 Saturday – Sam’s review of a romantic comic opera, The Crown Diamonds, “Still further Concerning That Conundrum” was published in the Californian [ET&S 2: 79]. Sam’s focus was on the prop-man who moved furniture between scenes [Gribben 31].

October 18 Tuesday – Sam wrote from San Francisco to his brother Orion. Sam was out of work so asked his brother to “send the stock” (Hale & Norcross mining stock). Sam did continue receiving $12 for articles written for the Californian, but wrote only three of these [MTL 1: 320]. Sanford claims Sam wrote ten pieces in the Californian between Oct. 1 and Dec. 3 [254].

October – Sometime between this month and mid-1865, Sam wrote a parody of Poe’s “The Raven,” called “The Mysterious Chinaman,” for the album of Jim Gillis’ daughter, Mary Elizabeth Gillis. Sam wrote at the top of the manuscript, “Written for M.E.G.’s Album.” Sam had read Poe and knew the poem well. He also wrote a prose parody of it in his Dec. 20, 1867 letter to the Enterprise [ET&S 2: 62-3].

October 2 Sunday – The following five local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “The Last Hitch at the Mint,” “Benefit for the Santa Barbara Sufferers,” “Important Arrest,” “Last Night of the Fair,” and “Everybody Wants to Help” [Branch, C of Call 300].

October 21 Friday – Sam had to pay an assessment of $100 on four shares of Hale & Norcross mining stock [RI 1993, explanatory notes 701].

October 22 Saturday – Sam’s article, “Whereas” appeared in the Californian [ET&S 2: 86]. The story was shortened (later published in the Jumping Frog book) and re-titled, “Aurelia’s Unfortunate Young Man” [Wilson 1; Budd, “Collected” 1003]. Sam’s article, “Earthquake Almanac,” was published in the Golden Era [Walker 90].

October 29 Saturday – Sam’s article, “A Touching Story of George Washington‘s Boyhood,” was published in the Californian [ET&S 2: 94].

October 6 Thursday – The following four local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “Burglary—Two Men Shot,” “Great Seal of Nevada,” “An Interesting Correspondence,” and “Trial of the Folsom Street Wharf Rioters” [Branch, C of Call 300].

October 8 Saturday – Sam’s article, “Concerning the Answer to That Conundrum,” was published in the Californian [ET&S 2: 72]. The following four local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam:
“Judicial Change,” “A Rough Customer,” “Police Court,” and “Convicted” [Branch, C of Call 300].

October 9 Sunday – The following four local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “The Camanche,” “The Roderick Case,” “Miscegenation,” and “A Nuisance” [Branch, C of Call 300].

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September 1 Thursday – The following ten local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam:
“The Cosmopolitan Hotel Besieged,” “Strategy, My Boy,” “A Doubtful Case,” “Mechanics’ Fair,” “Police Subjects,” “Kane Presentation,” “Cannibalistic,” “The Theatres, Etc.: Mr. Masset’s Lecture —‘Drifting About’,” “Rincon School Militia,” and “Fine Picture of Rev. Mr. King” [Branch, C of Call 296-7].

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 11 Sunday – The following two local articles in the Call are attributed to Sam: “Attempted Assassination of a Detective Officer,” and “Large” [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 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 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 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].