Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-02-23
lChicago Sun. |

Chicago Sun.
The San Francisco Call recently published an
article on Mark Twain's marriage, which, like
every other published on the same subject dur
ing the past few years, is about equally made
up of fact and fiction, and what is funnier still
a gentleman who was one of the "lnnocents''
immortalized in the famous trip of the ''Quak-
er City," and now a resident of st. Paul, while
properly correcting some of the ludicrous blum
ders in the article referred to in letter to the
st. Paul GLOBE makes one of the gravest errors
possible in asserting that the late Mr.. Jarvis
Langdon, of Elmira, N. Y, Mark Twain's faith
erin law, had no daughter of his own, but only
an adopted daughter, and that it was she whom,
Mark welded. AS the writer lived several
years in Elmira and was on the most intimate
terms with Mr.. Langdon and his estimable
family, hesdeems it proper to inform the limo
cent and misguided world that Mr.. Langdon
had two children by his sanity wife, boy and
girl, and an adopted daughter whom they took
to their home, which was perfect earthly
paradise when she was little waif, and raised
her to an exalted station in society, of which
she became one of the brightest and most re-
spected ornaments.
Charley, the son, as truly stated, was one of
the Innocents on the Quaker city, but his step
sister was married good while previous to
his going abroad, to his fathers business man
ager, and when Charley returned his sister
who was an almost helpless cripple from in
fancy-became SO interested on hearing of
Mark Twain's excentricities, requested her
brother to invite Mark to pay the family a
visit, and she soon had her wishes gratifed.
And if it be true, as has been stated, that he
fell in love with her first sight, it may be
said with equal truth that she fell in love with
him before she ever saw him. Mr.. Langdon
was imbued with remarkably generous i'm
pulses, in short, he was about near human
perfection as humanity can ever hope to attain
to, while his DEVOTED wife was a perfect type
of wifely, motherly sweetness. Possessing a
fine business tact, he had-despite reyerses-
amassed large fortune, although Mark would
surely have married his sweet-tempered angel
ic-faced darling, had she had nothing but her
loving heart and kindly hand to give him, as
his harm, sympethic feelings were doubtless
intensified by her sad physical affection. Their
wedding was of very queit and unostentatious
character, and Mark being then connected
with the Buffalo Erp,ess, departed with his
young and happy bride for that city the same
evening, amid aEgeneral shower of good wishes,
and every form of friendly sentiment and
feeling. A very pleasant surprise awaited the
happy pair on arriving at their destination,
on alighting from the car they found a car
rage in waiting for, them, in which they were
quickly driven to magnificent, brightly il
Illuminated mansion, on ascending the steps
were confronted by gentleman who handed
them title deed for the same The rich fur
nishings of the house were quite in keeping
with it's handsome exterior, and the substantial
marriage gift cost 49, 900. Their marriage oc-
CURED near the close of 1869.
Our memory takes a melancholy pleasure in
going back to the lovely summer evenings 1870
when MIR. Langdon was dying of a cruel and
unrelenting disease which both puzzled and
defed the best medical skill, and which was
never understood until it had done it's full
work. In anticipation of spending the even
in it's happiest moods, he had tasty summer
residence erected at lofty altitude on East
Hill, near the residence of the Rev. Thos. K.
Beecher, of whom he was a great admirer and
of whose church he was tho most generous
supporter, and which commanded a lovely
panoramic view of fair Elmira, and the rich,
beautiful, charming Chemung valley and it's
clear winding river, and it would be hard find
a lovelier spot than the site he selected else
where in the great land he loved SO we'll. At
this time the writer was employed in laying
out the grounds in perfect harmony with their
owners excellant tastes; and as he always liked
to hear of the progress being made in his fav-
orite work, it was his (the writer's) custom at
the close of the to repair to his peaceful abode
ond give him the much-desired information.
1t evidently did not occur to him until near his
end that he was dying, as he often spoke of
his prospective happiness at his mountain re-
treat. and seeming not to think that he would
soon experience perfect happiness at a, far
loftier altitude in his blessed eternal home.
His devoted wife lowered around him like a
ministering angel, and lest he would exhaust
himself with talking would kindly and gently
tell us to depart His sufferings increased
from day to day, and it was soon apparent to
him that death-for which he was always
ready-was near, and on a lovely day in Aug
death with the faith and hope Of Christian,
and the courage of true American.