Forge was over. In his office as President he composed letters to the United States Congress and issued proclamations, just as Norton did. During the day he would often be seen in Montgomery Street wearing a powdered wig and tricorne hat and carrying a banner proclaiming himself "The Great Matrimonial Candidate". Initially he, Norton, and the two well-known stray dogs Bummer and Lazarus drew equal interest from the San Francisco newspapers who delighted in recounting their exploits. Coombs appears in a couple of satirical cartoons by Edward Jump alongside Norton and the dogs: in Ambling along Montgomery Street he appears in the centre of the picture in full uniform holding a banner with the words "And Still They Go Marching On", while in The Funeral of Lazarus he features as the gravedigger while Norton performs the ceremony. Although short, balding, and rotund, Coombs was pompous and vain, and thought himself to be a ladies' man. He believed this formed the basis of his dispute with Emperor Norton. Norton had torn down some posters that Coombs had put up in Montgomery Street and Coombs reported him to the police. As it was not a criminal offence the police told him they could do nothing, so in an attempt to raise funds for a civil action he sold his story to the Alta California newspaper. When the reporter asked him why Norton would have done such a thing Coombs replied that he "was jealous of my reputation with the fairer sex". This caused great amusement and a few days later the Alta California published a story mocking both the men in which they reported that the "light of insanity" could be seen in Coombs's eyes. Norton and Coombs, both convinced of their sanity, demanded a retraction, but Norton also issued his own proclamation against Coombs in which he ordered the Chief of Police to: New York Coombs left the city immediately, presumably for New York, as in 1868 he was discovered there by Mark Twain, still believing himself to be Washington and still convinced of the effect of his charms on the ladies, whom he entertained by displaying his legs on street corners. Twain reported that he travelled around New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington selling photos of himself visiting Benjamin Franklin's grave for 25 cents. When the William Penn Mansion in Philadelphia was proposed for demolition he asked Congress to give