It seems to me that it has nothing to do with privacy since all are long
dead with no living friends or family.  But it does go a long way toward
explaining the otherwise puzzling tensions, behaviors, and actions in the
Clemens household, which I think is a valid line of research. The more we
know, the better we understand the context (in those times) and the more
human they all seem. Any modern moral judgments anyone cares to make about
her sexuality seem to me to be piffle.

When I read those letters, looked at the photos of Susy at the time (nearly
always with a blank stare, a startling lack of facial aspect sometimes
associated with eating disorders and/or depression), and then looked at how
her family acted toward her, it's inexpressably sad. It's commonly thought
Twain grieved her loss so keenly because she was his favorite, but perhaps
it was because he was feeling some well-deserved (for a change) regrets and
guilt over how she was treated in her final years, perhaps as a result of
her parents' worries about her relationship with Louise (whether it was
lesbian or merely an expression of a loneliness or depression whose sources
were never explored or acknowledged). I dunno. Can any of us know?

Kevin Mac Donnell
Austin TX