The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1877-01-04

conscience Though If passion should get the
better of the public, and in its blind fury
thew should do the traduCer bodily injury, 1t
Is but too obvious that no Jury would con-
Wet and no court punish the perpetrators OF
the deed.)
The ingenious closing sentence bad
the effect OF moving me out Of bed with
dispatch that night, and out at the back
door also, while the outraged and in
suited public" surged in the front way,
breaking furniture and windows in their
righteous indignation as they came, and
taking of such property as they could
carry when they went. And yet l can
lay my hand upon the book and say that
1 never sIandered Gov. Hofman's grand
father. More; never even heard of
him or mentioned him up to that day
and date.
RI will state, in passing, that the jour
nal above quoted from always referred
to me afterward as "Twain, the body
snatcher"
The next newspaper article that at
tracted my attention was the following:
A SWEET CANDIDATE-Mark Twain, who
was to make such a blightiDg speech at
mass meeting of the Independents last night,
didn't come to time! A telegram from his
physician stated that he had been knocked
down by q runaway team and his leg broken
in two pIaces-sufferer lying in great agony,
and so forth and so forth, and lot more
6 vt An inHnnhnH-
ents tried hard to swallow the Wretched sub
ferfuge and pretend that they did not know
what was the real reason of the absence Of
the abandoned creature whom they denOml-
nate their standard.bearer. A certain man
was seen to reel into Mr.. Twain's hotel last
night in beastly state of intoxicatiOn. 1t
is the imperative duty of the Independents
to prove that this besOtted brute was not
Mark Twain himself. We have them at last
This is a case that admits of no shrinking. The
voice of the people demand in thunder-tones;
"WhO is that man ?"
It was incredible, absolutely incredi-
bic, for a moment, that it was really my
name that was coupled with this dis
graceful suspicion. Three long years
had passed over my head since I had
tasted ale, beer, wine or liquor of any
kind.
III shows what effect the times were
having on me when I say that | saw my.
self confidently dubbed Mr.. Delirium
Tremens Twain" in the next issue of
that journal, without pang-notwith-
standing I knew that with mOnOtOnOus
fidelity the paper would go on calling
me 50 to the very end.
By this time anonymous letters were
getting to be an important part of my
mail matter. This form was common ;
How about that old woman you kiked of
your premisers which was begging.
And this:
There is things which you have done which
is unbeknowens to any one but me. You
better trot out few dolls to yours truly, or
you'll hear thro' the papers from
HANDY ANDY.
This is about the idea. l could con-
tinue them until the reader was surfeited
if desirable.
Shortly the principal republican
journals convicted" me of wholesale
bribery, and the leading democratic
paper "nailed" an aggravated case of
Matchmaking to me.
In this way acquired two additional
names: "Twain, the Filthy Corrupt
tionist," and "Twain, the Loathsome
Embracer."
BY this time there had grown to be
such clamor for an answer" to all the
dreadful charges that were laid to me,
that the editors and leaders OF my party
said it would be political ruin for me to
remain silent any longer. AS if to make
their appeal more imperative, the follow
ing appeared in one Of the papers the
very next day:
BEHOLD THE MAN!-The independent can.
didate still maintains silence. Because he
dare not speak. Every accusation against
him has been amply proved, and they have
been Endorsed and Reimbursed by his own
eloquent silence, till at this day he stands
forever convicted. Look upon your Candi.
date, independence Look upon the infa.
nous periurer! the Montana thief! the body.
snatcher! Contemplate your incarnate de.
lirium tremensl your filthy cOrruptionist
your loathsome embracerl Gaze upon him
ponder him well-and then say if you can
give your honest votes to a creature who has
earned this dismal array of titles by his hide.
GUS crimes, and dares not open his mouth in
denial Of any of them
There was no possible way of getting
out of it, and so, in deep humiliation, !
got nhnl nrenarinr 10 WansMerN q mass