The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1877-01-18
MARK TWAIN INTERVIEWED.

MARK TWAIN INTERVIEWED.
Mr.. Mark Twain has been chang
ing around" New York with a great |
deal of mischief in his eye, for several
days. He says positively that he came
down from Hartford with no other
purpose than to buy boot jack for the
holidays and meekly to eat his atom of
the New England dinner, but the Off
ciaIs ut the st. James Hotel, where he |
has retained bed, affirm that his GO
ings out and comings in have been, if
not mysterious enough to excite suspf- |
cion, at all events marked, aud it is
not denied by any one that the sugar
loaf seal-skin cap with which he has !
seen fit to adorn his head is quite large
enough to hold a very fair supply of
"papers" and documents, I" in addi |
ton To its usual miscellaneous cargo. |
1t is doubtless well remembered that
Mr.. Mark Twain took what, with 9TH {,
er men, might he called an active
part " in the Republican canvass last
fall-so, active that Rumor, with her
IS, 762 tongues, loudly proclaimed his
zeal to be begotten of an ambition to
he appointed Statistician of Deaths, or
To some other Office cOngeniai with his
temperament his movements since
the campaign, have, therefore, been
watched with some interest, not to say
alarm, by all lovers of political veraci-
ty. The exact date of his arrival in
this city is shrOuded in the deepest
mystery. Either he registered under
an assumed name, affixed his solemn
signature to a napkin, and announced
his arrival by "chucking" it at the
head of the dignified clerk. or, as is
quite likely, avoided the form altOgeth
er, for certain it is that neither the
name nor the well-known initials an.
t." appear upon the hotel records.
Possibly he might have tarried here
even longer and escaped unperceived
but for the absurd dignity of a waiter,
who said he'd be vummed if he was a.
going to crawl around on the floor and
pull tacks out of the carpet with his
teeth, mot to please no gentleman as
he ever waited on" This, to use a
parliamentary term, ''gave him away" {"
and after incessant waiting and watch
ing q reporter of the World succeeded
in intercepting him, and, it may be
said, in frustrating any contemplated
nefarious design, as Mr.. Twain began
rapidly to pack his valise on the in
slant of the reporters arrival. and
smiling the sad, wan smile of an un-
earthed coyote, fled with all possible
speed to the depot.
A the moment of his discovery Mr..
Twain may not have been reading Il
special dispatch from Zach Chandler,
but he was certainly not reading the
Bible. 1t may not have been a note
from Mr.. Kellogg instructing him to
indite hymn for the downtrodden
, Republican negroes of Louisiana that
he crumpled into a wad behind his
back on seeing the reporter, and SUBJ
seguently devoured in mouthfuls, his
eyes meanwhile fixed religiously on
the gas-fixtures overhead, but this by
no means proves that it wasn't; in
deed, there was AN air of guilt about
Mr.. Twain that no extraneous obser-
vatiOns upon the state of the Sabbath
school in New Zealand ayailed in the
2 least to dispel.
"Mr. Twain" said the reporter
"what have you to say on the political
situation ?''
"Sir," replied Mr.. Twain, bundline
: long white garment into his valise
] 'it is mixed"
a "And?" said the reporter.
" II didn't mix it, and L don't know
: who did, and can't straighten it, ant
v [ don't know who can, and-what d.
G you think, sir, of paving broadway
o with
J. Excuse me, Mr.. Twain now. ther
. are the Southern outrages-n
"Never heard of them; never, nev
:, er, never"
;, "Never heard of them, Mr.. Twain:
"NO, sir, / never did Thy this tim
- Mr.. Twain hal one side of h;s ba
packed, and was sitting on it; cain
+ in my line; let's talk about sOmethin
l efse'
le "Mr. Twain, understand you vote
sr the Republican tickel?'
Yes, sir; where's the whisk-broon
All, here il is; in you go. Sir, woul
you journey through life swiftly an
e In peace
!" EYES," replied the reporter; ''b,
Mr. Twain
" Never mind the butts. You mu.
l. make a rule of packing the whish
d broom first. Now for the pipe and tn
e Bible, and there Pm all packed; mus
|. go; got to catch a train in three min
E, utes; good-by;" and in a twinlling NJ
O Twain was on his way to Hartford.
v The reporter turned sadly to Ieav,
q when the pensive voice of the Reput
N lican politician was again heard, an
4 t lrning round he beheld Mr.. Twain
with his body in and his head out {
the elevator.
"I say, now, you had better not prin
e the information pve given you.
: "Why not?" s.
y Because it's private, and because
: you do I'll kill one of the editors yo