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496 & literature, Catholicism, and American history. (Peter Dzwonkoski, ed., American Literary Publishing Houses, 1638–1899 [Detroit, Mich., 1986], Pt. 2:49; New York Times, 5 March 1906.) 4. Julia Brown Bemis (1846–1920) was the sister of Elizabeth Browne Chatfield (who had changed the spelling of her maiden name). The third Brown sister was Jean (c. 1860–?). 5. SBA stayed with Chatfield on 28 March 1894, when her tour of counties for the New York State amendment campaign reached Tioga County. (SBA diary, 1894, Film, 31:879ff. See also Papers 5.) 6. New York’s constitution required that voters be asked every twenty years whether a constitutional convention should be held. SBA has, in this sentence, added twenty years to the date of the most recent constitutional convention in 1894. In fact, the provision about calling constitutional conventions was amended in 1894,and the constitution now stipulated that the next vote would occur in 1916 and every twenty years thereafter. (New York Const. of 1846, art. XIII, sec. 2; New York Const. of 1894, art. XIV, sec. 2.) 7. Joseph Hodges Choate (1832–1917), a prominent lawyer and Republican in New York politics, chaired the constitutional convention of 1894 and appointed antisuffrage delegates to the convention’s suffrage committee. (ANB.) 8. Enclosure missing. Textual Notes¶1 l. 4 send it to Maggie and from nforp Maggie ••••••••• 246 • SBA to Elizabeth Smith Miller Rochester, N.Y., Dec. 15, 1903. My Dear Friend:—¶1 On Saturday the express man left a package at the door. I ran down to see what had come and found it was a beautiful plum pudding with a card to sister Mary and myself. We shall save it for about Christmas. The apples you sent are most delicious and are keeping beautifully. The girl looks them over every day and picks out every one that is at all specked,so that we are keeping the best of them just as long as possible. The Northern Spies remind one of the old fashioned Spitzenburg, and the Baldwins are almost as nice. Both are splendid, so I want to thank you over and over for them as well as for the plum pudding. 1¶2 We were very much surprised a week ago Sunday to receive a tele12 december 1903 ^ 497 gram signed Caroline F. Putnam, saying, “will arrive on Northern Central 8:17 Monday morning. Interment immediate, Mount Hope.” 2 Sister Mary could not understand it at first, but I had seen the notice in our papers that Mrs. Douglass was dead, so I was prepared to know. Monday morning sister Mary and Mrs. Blackall 3 and Mr. Gannett were at the depot. The train was late but it came with Miss Putnam as you have heard from her, with Miss Messer 4 and Mrs. Douglass’ brother Mr. Pitts. 5 Not one of the children of Frederick Douglass was along, nor have I heard from Rosa Douglass who lives in this city. 6 If Miss Putnam is still with you give her my love. I was exceedingly sorry not to go meet her. I thought she would surely come home with sister Mary and I was very much disappointed,but she thought you would meet her at the noon train. It was a lucky thing that she was with Mrs. Douglass during her last days. Sister Mary almost froze in riding around Mount Hope up to the monument of Myron Holley to look at the mound that covered Sally Holley. 7 Well, Mrs. Douglass has done with her troubles here. I have been expecting every day to see some objection on the part of Lewis or Charles Douglass or Rosetta Douglass Sprague, to the burial of Mrs. D. in the family lot, but they have not made any sign yet, so perhaps they will not. I hope not, for decency’s sake. 8¶3 The weather is so cold that I have not been out since the day after I left your house. I went to a Thanksgiving dinner the next day to Mrs. Greenleaf’s,and then on Friday evening I had a fainting and dizzy spell which prostrated me and I have been slowly coming up since, so that now I think I should venture out if it were not so cold. Mrs. Caroline Bartlett Crane spoke here Sunday night as you will see by yesterday’s paper. She is the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Gannet. She spent yesterday with us and Mrs. Gannett telephoned...

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