I would like to determine the first solid evidence of where Sam Clemens 
was after departing New York in 1854. Is there any real proof that he 
arrived in St. Louis before taking a steamboat to Muscatine?  What is 
the first known date for Sam in Muscatine? What evidence did Paine have 
that Sam visited Pamela in St. Louis before departing for Muscatine?

I'd like to continue to believe Sam's recollection if only for its 
poetry but I'm at a loss as to how he got to St. Louis by train.