Description:

Samuel Clemens's Bankruptcy Proceedings Announced in 1894 Circular to Publishing Firm Subscribers

A 1p printed circular sent to "all the creditors and persons having claims against Samuel L. Clemens and Frederick J. Hall, co-partners composing the firm of Charles L. Webster & Co., lately doing business under the said firm name in the City of New York" announcing the opportunity to submit claims. July 18, 1894, New York, New York. Printed on a watermarked paper slip. Slight edge darkening, else near fine. 4" x 3." Accompanied by its original transmittal envelope addressed to one John F. Allen of Creston, Iowa. The envelope bears numerous hand stamps and philatelic markings including "Unclaimed" and "Return to Writer" hand stamps. Slightly browned and neatly letter-opened at top, else very good to near fine. Loosely mounted in an 8.5" x 11" paper display.

New York attorney Bainbridge Colby (1869-1950), of the firm Stern & Rushmore, was the assignee appointed to oversee the recent bankruptcy declaration of Samuel L. Clemens (1835-1910) and his business partner Frederick J. Hall (1860-1926). Following the court action, Colby diligently sent this announcement to Charles L. Webster & Company subscribers. Clemens and Hall had filed "an assignment without preference" on April 18, 1894 at the urging of Clemens's friend H.H. Rogers. Clemens had co-founded the publishing firm of Charles L. Webster & Company in 1884. Although the firm enjoyed some commercial success early on--publishing the memoirs of Civil War generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, and Philip A. Sheridan, among other literary works--the company took on considerable debts. Clemens's heavy investments in unsuccessful business ventures like the Paige typesetting machine and the Panic of 1893 pushed the teetering publishing firm into complete collapse.

The Elmira College Center for Mark Twain Studies offers an exceptional online resource, "Mark Twain Day by Day," which enables us to trace the progress of Clemens's bankruptcy litigation through the New York court system during the summer and fall of 1894. "The New York Times" reported in mid-September 1894 that Charles L. Webster & Company owed liabilities of more than $94,000 to "more than 200 creditors scattered all over the United States" ranging from individuals to lending institutions. In addition, the firm owed royalties to the Estate of U.S. Grant, to the estate of Philip Sheridan, and to Elizabeth Bacon Custer.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

September 6, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000