Editorial narrative following 10 May 1874 to Frederick W. HaddonNo letters written between 10 and 20 May have been found. On 18 May Clemens took the train to New York City, where he stayed at the Astor House for only one night before returning to Elmira. The nature of his business has not been documented, but it could well have concerned his Gilded Age play. He may have hoped to meet with the prominent actor Lawrence Barrett (1838–91), who checked into the New York Hotel on 17 May; if so, he was disappointed. In a now lost letter written sometime in mid-May, Clemens offered Barrett the role of Colonel Mulberry Sellers. He also asked for Barrett’s opinion of Frank Mayo (popular for his portrayal of Davy Crockett) and John T. Raymond. Barrett’s reply makes clear that he had not seen Clemens in New York (CU-MARK):
tremont house boston
May 25th 1874.
My Dear Sir,
Your favor met me here yesterday. I have not forgotten the occasion of our meeting in San Francisco, and my admiration for Mark Twain, makes me regret that I have not had opportunities for cultivating the friendship of Mr. Clemens.
I scarcely know how to advise you about your play. I had already seen Mr. Raymond in N. Y. who spoke rapturously of his possession of Dinsmore’s dramatization of your novel, and of the golden future it opened before him, I am sorry there is a chance of his title being invalid, as he is a good actor, and one who is ambiti[o]us of success. My own repertoire is full, and constant performances of heavy tragedy unfit one for Comedy, in which I have not appeared for years,—therefore I could not hope to profit by your thoughtful proposal.
These are my thoughts upon your several questions:—A play by “Mark Twain” ought to be very valuable,—and the safest way would be to demand a royalty of such actor as you select to play it—holding the copyright still in your own hands. An original run in New York would be of great service to the play when offered to the provinces.
Royalties range along from ten to one hundred dollars per night. Your play would command at least $50 a night in New York, and $30 elsewhere.
I know of no one so deserving of success as Raymond, who would improve his performance by counsel with you,—he needs a new play—and would therefore be a zealous coadjutor.—Mayo plays his “Crockett”—and one piece is about as much as a man can swing.
There is not much written in this reply, perhaps, but it is all I possess. Ihope you will give the stage a play—and if you can help a worthy actor like Raymond, it would do good both ways. He is at the N. Y. Hotel, N. Y. Hoping to have the pleasure some day of renewing your acquaintance, and, in the meantime, professing a sincere esteem for one of America’s greatest writers, I remain, my dear Sir,
Very Truly Yours,
Lawrence Barrett
When Clemens had met Barrett in San Francisco remains undetermined. No evidence has been found that Clemens met with Mayo, a personal friend, while in New York. He may have already seen Raymond there on the evening of 18 May (the New York Hotel was very near the Astor House), and discussed the possibility of his appearing in a new version of the Gilded Age play: Raymond recalled being in New York and contacting Clemens soon after Densmore closed his San Francisco production in early May (see 5 May 74 to Warner, n. 2, and 3 Nov 74 to the editor of the Hartford Evening Post, n. 2; “Prominent Arrivals,” New York Tribune, 18 May 74, 19 May 74, 8, 12; Wilson 1874, 47, 967; L5, 61–62 n. 2).
