per Telegraph Operator
8 November 1870 • (1st of 2) • Buffalo, N.Y. (Paraphrase: New York Tribune, 9 Nov 70, UCCL 11734)
Mark Twain telegraphed last night from Buffalo, in answer to a frantic demand from The Tribune for election returns, that he had a son just born to him and had to play nurse, a vocation which he seemed to think preferable to that of reporter. We congratulate Mark, and know that nothing short of so momentous an event could have interfered with his devotion to our interests, or lured him away from the exciting study of election returns.1explanatory note
On 6 November Reid had written Clemens:
I don’t credit you with as profound a knowledge of election returns as would be necessary to constitute you editor of The Tribune Almanac, but you must have some person who can send us good dispatches on election night. I append a copy of a letter which we are sending out to friends in every district in the State. If you can’t do this for us yourself won’t you please put it into the hands of some trusty person . . . (Reid’s copy of letter, without enclosure, DLC)
The Tribune report of Clemens’s telegram was widely reprinted: for details see the textual commentary.
Paraphrase, “Mark Twain . . . ,” New York Tribune, 9 Nov 70, 4.
L4 , 227–228; “Somewhat Personal,” Elmira Advertiser, 10 Nov 70, 4; “Personal,” Buffalo Express, 12 Nov 70, 4; “Mark Twain, Junior,” San Francisco Alta California, 18 Nov 70, 1, in addition to the copy-text.