To Charles E. Perkins
4 July 1877 • Elmira, N.Y.
(MS, in pencil: CtHMTH, UCCL 01445)

Elmira, July 4.

Dr. Sir—

I have learned something about insurance. My brother-in-law1 here has had a building insured for $12,000 [or] the past 6 years. Lately it burned down. They calmly called a consultation-gang of insurance-thieves to sit on the case & they decided that labor &c are so cheap, now, that the building’s was only worth $8,000! That’s what they paid him—with a request that he would sit up nights & whistle or pray for the balance, according to the will of God.

Now therefore, please reduce our insurance TO the following figures:

	Barn ——— $12,	$6,000
	Furniture —— 10,	$12,000
	————
	$18,000
Leave the house as
it was before —		30,000
	————
	Total	$48,000.2

If there’s any question about the furniture being over-estimated, reduce it still further. It can’t be replaced for $30,000. Certainly not $25,000.

Yrs

S L Clemens.

Explanatory Notes | Textual Commentary

Editorial Signs

Click to add citation to My Citations.

1Probably Olivia’s brother, Charles J. Langdon, although Clemens may have been referring to Theodore Crane, her brother-in-law.

Click to add citation to My Citations.

2Clemens’s current property insurance totaled $61,000, as follows: barn, $10,000; furniture, $21,000; house, $30,000 (Perkins to SLC, 28 June 1877, CU-MARK). On 30 July Perkins reported: “I have had your insurance renewed for three years—to the amounts you specified” (CU-MARK).

Description of Texts and Provenance

Source text(s):

MS, in pencil, CtHMTH.

Previous publication:

MicroPUL, reel 1.

Provenance:

See Perkins Collection in Description of Provenance.

Emendations and textual notes:

or • [‘r’ partly formed]