Bob -- thanks for this. I did further searching and found an article
online at J-Stor.org by Paul Fatout that sheds light on Lafayette as well
as cites additional Lafayette press coverage and reviews of the Lafayette
appearance at the Grand Opera House.
The Twain-Cable Readings in Indiana
Paul Fatout
Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 53, No. 1 (March 1957), pp. 19-28 (10
pages)
This article is free to read for independent researchers if you have signed
up for a J-stor account.
Barb
On Tue, Aug 8, 2023 at 9:08 PM Robert H. HIRST <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Barb and Scott, here's a transcription of both letters. Little wonky
> because I had to convert from WordPerfect to Word. But the substance is
> accurate and I think clear.
>
> *To Olivia L. Clemens*
>
> *7 February 1885 **$** en route from Lafayette*
>
> *to Indianapolis, Ind.*
>
> (MS: CU-MARK, *UCCL *03156in,
>
>
>
>
>
> On the train,
> Feb. 7, 1885
>
> Although I slept an hour or two on the train yesterday morning, & 3 hours
> in the afternoon, I still wasn=t much refreshed, on account of having
> gotten up so early; so nothing but my black coffee at 7 pm enabled me to
> put the evening through creditably. *It* makes me cheerful, & easy, &
> confidential & conversational with the audience; & that is all that is
> necessary to success. But it cannot protect me against those curious &
> disastrous lapses of memory which come of over-fatigue. I had some of
> these, last night, but did not mind themCeasily covered them up. But not
> so, the night before. I got lost in the last third of AA Trying Situation@C
> couldn=t find my place again, & so concluded with a speech explaining the
> dilemma, & the speech was a rattling, not to say an electrical, success.
>
> At 11 last night I had been without food (barring my cup of black coffee,)
> for 24 hoursC consequently my health & stomach were in perfect condition
> again. Maurice Thompson the poet (ASongs of Fair Weather@ & the
> ANightingale
> @) came in at 10.30, & of course I was exceedingly glad to see him; but he
> stayed staid till midnight, & I didn=t like that very well, since we were
> to rise at 7 this morning.
>
> Mamma, I wrote to Susie the other day to ask if the Toronto people had
> returned Patrick a bearskin cape. Haven=t received an answer, yet.
> Therefore, you better write me now, to Toronto, (Rossin House,) or
> telegraph me the night of the 11th to Russell House, Detroit, concerning
> the matter.
>
> Just two was weeks more, & I shall see you at home at half past 3 on a
> Sunday morning Feb. 22! Good-bye sweetheart, I do love you.
>
> SSaml
>
>
>
> *É*
>
> * To Olivia L. Clemens*
>
> *8 February 1885 **$** Indianapolis, Ind.*
>
> (MS: CU-MARK, *UCCL *03158)
>
>
>
> Indianapolis, Feb. 8'85.
>
> *No*, Livy darling, don=t pay for the Artistic Homes, but just drop D.
> Appleton & Co a line, saying:
>
> AYour bill for Artistic Homes is received, & will receive Mr. Clemens=s
> attention when he returns, March 1st.@
>
> If they are not satisfied with that, answer no letters of theirs, & pay no
> attention to them in any way.
>
> ════
>
> I have learned my trade at last. I know how to read my stuff. At last I can
> stand on a platform & do the thing right. I did make =em shout last night.
> The blue-jays & the other stuff went booming; & I told about Tom Quartz
> (Baker=s Cat) for an encore. It is Cable=s fault that I have done inferior
> reading all this time. He has hogged so much of the platform-time that I
> have always felt obliged to hurry along at lightning speed in order to keep
> the performance within bounds; but now I take my own time, & give 25
> minutes to pieces which formerly occupied but 15.
>
> If this show were new, I would cut a third of him out of the program. But
> it isn=t worth while, now.
>
> I am paying Cable $450 a week & expenses. He isn=t worth a penny over $200.
> He is not a novelty anywhere. He has apparently been in every town in the
> country just about twice; & that is as long often as he is wanted.
> Especially as he offers his same old stuff all the timeCdoesn=t prepare
> himself with untried matter. He is expecting to continue on the program ne
> platform next winter. He will find a sickly way of making a living. When I
> am advertised for a new program, it is *all* newC& his is all oldCstuff
> which he has exploited in that tow town once or twice before.
>
> ════
>
> Last night I wished I was in front of an English audienceCit would have
> been good to see.
>
> ════
>
> Goodbye, my darling, kiss those rascals for meCfor I love you all.
>
> SSaml
>
> On Tue, Aug 8, 2023 at 6:25 PM Barbara Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> > Scott -- as to that Feb. 7 entry in DBD -- that could be based on a
> > misdated letter. It would be necessary to read those two separate letters
> > side-by-side that SLC wrote to Olivia that are catalogued online as Feb.
> 6
> > and Feb 7 and see if they are referring to only one train trip. Perhaps
> > one letter was a draft and revised or just sent along with another. You
> are
> > right that taking secondary sources literally is hazardous.
> >
> > Barb
> >
> > On Tue, Aug 8, 2023 at 6:47 PM Scott Holmes <[log in to unmask]>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Your point is well taken. I have been unable to locate an on-line copy
> > > of any Lafayette paper for that date. I was actually trying to find
> > > train schedules, such as I found for the Fort Wayne departure. My
> > > reference to Scharnhorst was not about the interview but about his
> > > paragraph in "The Middle Years" page 446. One needs to be careful
> about
> > > all secondary sources, however. This particular entry has them
> > > departing Fort Wayne before 6am, the Fort Wayne Daily Gazette, February
> > > 6, 1885 has the train departing at 6:30 am. I'm still bothered by the
> > > DBD entry for February 7th - why would he need to take a train to
> > > Indianapolis at 7am if he was already in Indianapolis. This would make
> > > more sense if he actually woke up in Lafayette that morning.As an
> > > asideregarding the interview, I enjoyed Twain's description of the
> canal
> > > and its comparison with Venice.
> > >
> > > On 8/8/23 15:30, Barbara Schmidt wrote:
> > > > Scott -- a couple of things to consider -- the two letters catalogued
> > by
> > > > MTP described as from Lafayette or en route from Lafayette may have
> > been
> > > > written on the same date or several hours apart but misdated or
> mailed
> > > > separately. I have found no convincing evidence that Clemens and
> Cable
> > > > lectured in Lafayette. They may have and the news accounts of it just
> > > have
> > > > not surfaced.
> > > >
> > > > Yes, there is that interview in Scharnhorst (#37) from the Lafayette
> > > > COURIER newspaper. Footnote 1 indicates a paragraph has been omitted
> > > > because it appeared in an earlier interview. The question that arises
> > for
> > > > me — Was this an authentic interview or a reporter’s spoof or hoax
> with
> > > > Clemens quoting poetry, drinking beer, and commenting on the mayor
> and
> > > tax
> > > > issues in Lafayette? To nail down whether the Lafayette interview
> is
> > > > authentic and if Clemens and Cable did lecture there, it would help
> to
> > > take
> > > > a look at issues of that paper for the week before and after the
> > > interview
> > > > was published to see if any lectures were advertised or reported.
> > > >
> > > > Barb
> > > >
> > > > On Tue, Aug 8, 2023 at 10:31 AM Scott Holmes<[log in to unmask]>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> While tracking the trains between Fort Wayne, Lafayette, and
> > > >> Indianapolis, I became confused over the Day By Day entries for
> > > >> February 6 and 7. It appears that both "Chronology of Known Mark
> > Twain
> > > >> Speeches,..." and "Touring with Cable and Huck" missed the Lafayette
> > > >> Lecture on February 6th of 1885. Gary Scharnhorst did not. What
> > caused
> > > >> me to stumble was the February 6th DBD entry that goes on to
> describe
> > > >> the February 7th lecture in Indianapolis and then the February 7th
> > entry
> > > >> that notes Sam had to get up a 7am to take the train to
> Indianapolis.
> > > >> Why would he need to do that if he was already in Indianapolis?
> > > >>
> > > >> --
> > > >> /Unaffiliated Geographer and Twain aficionado/
> > > >>
> > > --
> > > /Unaffiliated Geographer and Twain aficionado/
> > >
> >
>
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