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Wednesday March 2
Same -- finished composition of my new story.
Thursday March 3
Cloudy -- worked at pruning down my new story --
Friday March 4
Clear, warm and springlike -- story pruning --
Saturday March 5
Same -- Aufere returned from the Argonaut --
Sunday March 6
Same --12 page letter from Bro Sam -- Evening down town --met Dr JH Rae from Dayton for SF on business, & to return soon -- I not seen him for over 4 yrs -- Been East --
Monday March 7
Variable -- pleasant --
Tuesday March 8
Same -- PM a light shower laid the dust -- Sent to Carson by Jerry Bray for my trunk and overcoat, at Dempsey's -- Col Marshal Ney Stone, of
18 -- Col Stone and Mark Feeney Dead -- Cryptogram The Golden Cryptgram Completed -- "Wildcat Joe" commenced -- My Trunk Received from Carson
Comstock palmy days, lawyer at Virginia, who married Libbie [Salkeld?], at Oakland, Cal last Friday, Native of Kentucky and veteran of the rebel
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army in the civil war -- Died of pneumonia -- about 65 yrs old -- Mark Feeney, another old time Comstocker died at Va last Monday, of Consumption - Native of County [Antrim?], Ireland, 69 yrs old --
Wednesday March 9
Same -- cooler -- PM & evening, light showers of rain & snow & some thunder -- melted off rapidly as fell -- Completed my cryptogram & made several copies of it -- The story itself: "The Golden Cryptogram" is all fixed complete --
Thursday March 10
Clear & cold -- AM down town -- My trunk arrived by local train from Carson & was delivered at my room, by Joe Lachman, -- PM arranging things -- Evening I commenced a new story, "Wildcat Joe" as a sequel to "The Golden Cryptogram" --
Friday March 11
Same -- warmer -- PM I wrote on Wildcat Joe --
Wintry - Wildcat Joe -- Zero -- 1898 Sharkey vs Choyinski
Saturday March 12
Cloudy, cold & blustering -- AM down town -- PM & evening I wrote on Wildcat Joe -- Bed 11 -- snowing lively --
Sunday March 13
Variable, blustering and wintry -- about an inch of snow on ground this morning -- mostly melted off before night -- Didn't go down town, but
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worked PM & evening on Wildcat Joe -- completed its penciled composition -- 22 pages -- Bed 12 -- clear, freezing hard --
Monday March 14
Same -- snow squalls -- AM down town -- PM, pruning Wildcat Joe -- Bed 12 -- starlight & very cold -- inch of snow on the ground --
Tuesday March 15
Same -- Sharkey and Choyinski fought 8 rounds at Woodward's Pavilion San Francisco last Friday evening, auspices of athletic club, Big crowd & big purse -- Sharkey knocked C through the ropes and off the stage in the 8th round and George Green, the referee, declared it a draw -- PM & evening I finished pruning Wildcat Joe -- and commenced final copying of The Golden Cryptogram -- Bed 11 -- Hazy starlight and very cold -- nearly zero last night --
20 -- Comstock Earthquake -- St Patricks Day Mrs SJ Hewlett of Como, Dead Manuel Aufere Sent for by the Chronicle!!!
Wednesday March 16
Worked hard at copying off Golden C -- Bed 1 -- Severe short jolt of earthquake at Virginia last Sunday morning about 8 oclock -- No damage -- other light shocks last two or three days.
Thursday March 17
Fine, clear St Patrick's Day like that of last year at Carson for the
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Fitzsimmons-Corbett tournament -- Finished copying the Golden C and commenced copying Wildcat Joe -- Worked till Bed at 1 -- Mrs Sarah J Foster, formerly Mrs Lon Hewlett of Como, died here last evening after 4 or 5 days La Grippe -- resided with her new husband Foster, father south of us on West st, about a block -- Leaves two grown up sons here -- by Hewlett --
Friday March 18
Variable -- cold -- Mrs Hewlett Foster's funeral this PM about 2 was poorly attended -- 3 or 4 carriages -- Got letter from MH de Young, saying that the MSS referred to in my letter of 20th [ult?] never been received -- I took it -- Manuel Aufere and mailed it to him with brief note by this evening's train at 10:10 -- Busy copying today, as yesterday -- Bed 1 --
"The Golden Cryptogram" and "Wildcat Joe" -- 1898 completed and shipped for Competition on a Very Wintry Day
Saturday March 19
Clear & pleasant -- Finished copying Wildcat Joe -- 22 pages -- 5,815 words -- Evening down town awhile -- Bed 12 --
Sunday March 20
Variable, cool and blustering -- PM polished off Wildcat Joe and both are now ready to ship East -- The Golden Cryptogram 23 pages -- 5,880 words -- Wildcat Joe 22 pages -- 5,815 words -- Total 45 pages -- 11,695 --
Monday March 21
Variable, blustering cold & wintry -- lively snowstorm early morning -- 2
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inches snow -- light snowsqualls during PM & evening -- Made a very careful researching review of both stories -- got postal order for $1.00 to cover two (50 cent) annual subscriptions to the "Black Cat" -- one for each story -- as per advertised stipulations in the competition -- wrote private note to go along, also stamped envelope for return M.S.S. Inclosed all in one envelope directed to Shortstory Publishing Co. 144 High st. Boston, Mass. marked "For Competition." The whole weighed over 9 ounces -- postage 20 cents, and return inclosed 20 cents more = 40 cents -- At top of first page of each story I had to give my full name and address:
22 -- "Black Cat" Competition -- Peter Jackson Knocked Out Charley Bowman -- Hon JP Jones -- Wintry
Alfred Doten, Reno, Nevada -- Both yearly subscrips to the Black Cat to same address at present -- Launched by boat on the postal car of East bound train at 8:30 PM -- Competition closes on the 31st instant -- 10 days hence -- decision within 60 days thereafter -- Bed at 12 --Clear and very cold.
Tuesday March 22
Clear & cold -- Evening down town. The Peter Jackson and Jim Jeffries contest at SF Friday evening last ended in 3d round, Jackson knocked out --
Wednesday March 23
Same -- AM I met Charley C Bowman,old Comstock boy, on street, 1st time in 3 years -- Been mining at Eldorado Canyon, Lincoln County, Nev, and
