Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-11-03
Mark Twain's First Experience In
Journalism.

Journalism.
Mark Twain's " Sketches."l
/ was very smart child at the age Of
thirteen, an unusually smart child, /
thought at the time. 1t was then that |
did my first newspaper scribbling, and,
most Unexpectedly to me, it stirred up
quite a sensation in the community. 1t
did, indeed, and was very proud Of it,
too.
l was a printers devil, and pro-
gressive and aspiring one. My uncle
had me on his paper (the Weekly Han
nibal journal, two dollars year in ad-
vance-tive hundred subscribers, and
that paid in cord wood, cabbages, and
unmarketable turnips) and on lucky
summers day be left town to be gone a
week, and asked me if thought could
edit one issue of the paper judiciously.
Ah, didn't want to tryit2 Hinton was
the editor of the rival paper. He was
lately Tilted, and one night friend
found an open note on the poor fellow s
bed, in which he stated that he could no
longer endure life, and had drowned
himself in Bear Greek. The friend ran
down there and discovered Hinton wad-
ing back to the shore. lie had concluded
be wouldn't.
The village was full Of it for several
days, but Hinton did not suspect IT,
thought this was fine opportunity
wrote an elaborately wrelehed account
of the whole affair, asd then illustrated
II with villainous wood cuts, engraved on
the bottom of wood. type with jack
knife, one OF them a picture OF Hinton
wadlng out in the creek in his shirt with
a lantern, sounding the depth OF the
water with a walking stick
| thought it was desperately funny,
aud was densely unconscious that there
was any moral obliquiiy about such a
publication. Being satisfied with the ef-
fort, looked about for other worlds to
conquer, and it struck me that il would
make good, interesting matter to charge
the editor of neighboring county pa
per with grauitous piece OF rascaliiy
and see him squirml | did il, puttipg
the article in the torn OF parody on
the burial Of "Sir John Moore" and a
crnde parody it was too.
Then | lampooned two prominent
citizens outrageousy-not because they
had done anything to deserve it, but be.
cause | thought it was my duty to make
the paper lively.
Next ! gently touched up the newest
stranger-the lion OF the day; the gor
geous journeyman tailor from Quincy
He was simpering coxcomb of the first
water, aud the "loudest' dressed man in
town. He was an inveteraie lady killer.
Every week he wrote some poetry" for
the journal about his newest conquest
His rhymes for my week were headed,
Mary in H, meaning Mary in
Hannibal, of course. But while setting
up the piece | was suddenly riven from
head to heel by what regarded as a
perfect thunderbolt of humor, and com
pressed it into snappy foot note ct the
bottom, thus: I'VE will let this thing
pass, just this once; but we want Mr.
Gordon Runnels to understand distinct.
ly that we have character TO sustain,
and from this time forth when he wants
to communicate with his friends in hill
he must select some other medium than
this journal
The paper came out, and | never
knew anything to attract so much atten
tion as those playful triaes of mine.
For once the Hannibal Journal was in
demand-a novelty it had not expe
rienced before. The whole town wa,
stirred. Hinton dropped in with q
double-barreed shotgun early in the
forenoon. When he found that it was
an infant, as he called me, THAT had done
the damage, he pulled my ears and ther
went away; but he threw up the stua
ton that night and left the town fol
good
The tailor came with his goose, and Q
pair of shears; but he despised me, too
and departed for the South that night.
The lampooned citizen came with
threats Of libel, and went away incensed
at my insigniRcanee,
The country editor pFanced in with a
war whoop next day, suffering for blood
to drink; but he ended by forgiving me
cordially, and invited me down to the
drug store to wash away all animosity
in a friendly bumper Of Fahnestock
Vermifuge. 1t was his little joke.
My uncle was very angry when he got
back, unreasonably so, | thought, con-
sideting Yhat an impetus had given
the paper, and considering, also, that
gratitude for his preseryatiop ought to
have been uppermost ip his mind; mas
much by his delay be had escaped dis
section, tomahawking libel and getting
! his head shot off. But he softened when
he locked at the accounts and saw that
/ bad actually booked the unparalleled
number ef thirty-three new subscribers
and bad the vegetables to show for il,
cord wood, cabbages, beals Rnd unsale-
able turnips enough to run the family
for two years to come.