Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-06-02
HOME CIRCLE.
MARK TWAINS MINERAL LANDS
Something About Twain's Early Life
East Tennessee Mountain Scenes

through the mountains. We crossed
the line of the Cincinnati Southern
at point, three miles west of this
place, known as Triplett's Gap. The
county road crosses over tunnel
near the northern end of Major II =.
Carlisle's contract. The noise of the
anvil, the mule driver, and the stun
ming blast, are in strange contrast
with the solitude, that reigned SUI.
preme a year ago, From this point
we rambled on promiscuously for a
few miles, when the "even tenor Of
our way" was interrupted by my
friend, who was in advance, suddenly
stopping, with a loud exclamation.
whats the matter?" 1 enquired,
as ] came up, and found him gazing
intently at the road.
Lookathere :"
| see nothing
The D Dickens you don'tW
No, what is it."
why look at that sign board ~
| looked and read to-wit:
ITO BIRTHSTONE TEN MILES,
"Not another step on this road"
continued my friend. It's the broad
road to destruction. I'm just as near
" Birthstone now as | want to be.n
1t took me some tune to explain to
him that birthstone was the classic
and euphonious pane of a mountain
stream, some miles distant. The ge-
MUS Of nomenclature was in playful
mood, when he, cor She passed
through this section. We had gone
some miles from this place, when we
were suddenly startled by the most
hideous racket, tearing down through
the woods in our right, and coming
directly toward rs
" The imps of Birthstone are upon
us'' shouted my companion, as his
mule took to its heels. / stood my
ground and WAS astoni-hed to see
three men, four boys and several chill
dren burst out of the thick woods, di-
Tectly in the read, making "a most I'M
earthly noise with belts tin pans, and
various other ratlls-rraps Ii they saw
u. hey paid no heed, but kept on
dove the road, in the direction my
friend hal gone, raising The very old
harry A. they went.
Al lat they stopped, and coming up
l loGnd that they were after "A fugitive
swarm of bee. Why ia the world
they should make -ucI noise j. more
than | can uuiers and. / wa ched the
proceedings while aud then entered
into conversation with one of The
men
Is there al game about in these
parts Pr | inquired.
" Yes, some
What kinda"
" Squirrels, 'possumS, cooms, aud
SIGH Things"
4" Any deer?'
oh, yes! tell you, stranger, |
come mighty nigh KILN fine buck
the other day"
All! What pity you didn't get
him"
" Yes, stranger it lcas a pity. You
see. the way of it was this. | was
gOIu' nut round my field late one
eveuin to look for some hogs, and /
jest happened to think that may he |
moght see "a deer, ana so I'd take my
gun along. Well, as | was pOkin
along around the fence, l jest hap
pened to look away up on the hillside,
not thiukin about seem deer, and
still thought may be ! mOugM see
one, and right up thar on The hill,
above me, what do you think / saw,
stranger ?'
4" ] suppose a deer +"
"No, stranger, did not see a darhed
thing, nor l hain't stem one since.
Cau't you give me ohaw of teTbacker,
stranger ~
MARK TwAIN's TENNESSEE LANDS.
l departed suddenly, sadder and
wiser man. Late in the evening we
came to jamestown. This is the coun-
ty-seat OF Fentress country. Here, a
few years ago, Calvin Logston paid
the debt Of nature, and of the law.
The gibbet where he suffered stauds
yet upon the green, terrible warming
to evil doors. AT this place / had the
good fortune to form the acquaintance
of Mr.. Orien Clemens, II brother of the
celebrated Mark Twain. Their father,
John NJ. Clemens, was Clerk of the
Circuit Court at jamestown for several
Years, along about 1925 and 1880. He
was afterward Postmaster at Pail
Mall. In the same county, for a mum
Der of years. In looking over the old
musty records at jamestown, | find
that he located some forty thousand
acres of mountain land in this county.
This wild laud, | am told, plays a
prominent part iu IWain's no, ell
Gllded Age.r From here they moved
to Missouri, Where Mark was born.
About the year 1887, Twaiii aud the
other heirs transferred their interest in
most or all of this land To their brother
Orien, "fOr one dollar aud other con.
siderations.n Just here thought oc-
ours to me which | am not willing the
world should lose. Suppose Twain
intead OF generously handing his in.
terest over TO his quiet, inoffensivt
brother, (whO never did him any
harm, had held on TO il, and haC
spent his time in trying TO work up
and straighten out these mountain
titles, THE Gilded Age" "Roughing
It," and "The Innocents Abroad, ;
would never have been written, til,
thouands Of believers and practicers o
the doctrine of Laugh and grow fat,
would to-day be lean, gaunt spectres
monuments of thwarted providence
and the immortal Mark, himself
would, in all human probability, hav,
been, ere this, raving, rowing inmat
of the lunatic asylum.
But he showed the thing off on hi
brother, went to work and turned tn