Barb:

My colleague Mike Frank checked the Fuller letter and has no doubt that
it was written in early 1880, not 1870. Mike writes: "In the winter &
spring of 1880, Fuller was clearly encouraging Clemens to invest in a
whisky still being promoted by one Clinton Furbish (probably its
inventor). See: Fuller to SLC, 23 Feb 1880; SLC to Fuller, 24 Feb 1880;
Clinton Furbish to Fuller, 21 Apr 1880; SLC to Fuller, 22 Apr 1880. This
seems to be just one of the unprofitable investments Fuller brought to
SLC. I find no further mention of it through 1882."

The letter is new to us, but from its tone and content it seems genuine.
It is not listed in _Union Catalog of Clemens Letters_.

Do you have a copy of the 1923 story on the Harbaugh estate auction, and
if so, could you FAX us a copy? The FAX number of the Mark Twain
Project is (510) 642-6349.

Thanks.

Ken Sanderson
Mark Twain Project