The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-05-09
Mark Twain.
How He Escaped Being q Pocket Miner
and Wrote the jumping Frog"

Mark Twain's" narrow escape from becom-
ing pocket miner has never been told. 1t 3
worth recording, as it gave him the story OF the
jumping Frog" and sent him off along the
line of the literary lode, and set him to search
ing therein for pockets" fun. In 1866, Mark,
weary of Bohemian life in San Francisco, went
up into the mining regions of Tuolumne
county to rusticate with some old friends
Steve, Jim, and Billy Gillis. Jim Gillis was
and is one of the most expert pocket miners Of
California Although educated with a view
to eventually fighting the battle Of life as a
physician, and though still finding solace in
his leisure moments in the works Of Latin and
Greek authors that repose on their shelves in
his cabin, he is booked for life as a pocket
miner. The business has charms for him that
bind him to ii in chains of gold-chains that
bind more firmly than those of iron or steel.
Show him particle of quartz gold on the side
of the mountain, and il it came to where it
was found through the processes or accidents
of nature nndisturbed in any way by the inter-
ference of man, he will as unerringly trace it
to its golden source as the bee-hunter will fol-
low the bee to its hoard of sweets.
Mark Twain found the Bohemian style of
mining practiced by the Gillis Brothers to be
very attractive. He and Jim Gillis took to the
hills in search of golden pockets, and spent
some days in hunting for the und isturbed trail
of an undiscovered deposit. Finally they struck
q golden bee-line. They were two or three
days in following it up, as it was necessary to
carry each sample of dirt considerable dis
tance to a small stream in the bed Of a cahon
in order to pan it out. Each step made sure
by golden grains, they at last came to the pock-
ct. 1t was cold, dreary, drizzling day whom
the home deposit was found. The first sam
ed but few cents. Although the right
vein had been discovered they had as yet
found but the tail end of the pocket. Return
ing to the vein they dug sample from new
place, and were about to carry it down to the
ravine and test it, when the rain began to pour
down heavily and Mark, with chattering teeth,
declared he would remain no longer.
He said there was no sense in freezing to
death, as in day or two, when it was bright
and warm, they could return and pursue their
investigations in comfort. Yielding to Marks
entreaties, backed as they were by his blue
nose, bumped back, and generally miserable
and detected appearance, Jim emptied the
sack of dirt upon the ground, first having writ
ten and posted up a notice of their claim to
certain number Of feet on the vein, which no
tice would be good for thirty days. Angels
/. Camp being at no great distance, while their
cabin was some miles away, Mark and Jim
struck out for that place. The only hotel in
the little mining camp was kept by Coon
Drayton, an old Mississippi river pilot, aud ut
his house the half-drowned pocket miners
found shelter. Mark having for some years
followed the business OF pilot on the Mississip-
pi, he and the Coon were soon great friends
and swapped scores of yarns. 1t continued to
rain for three days, and until the weather
cleared up Mark and Jim remained at Coon's
hotel.
Among the yarns told Mark by Coon was
Ii.
as being so comical that he determined to write
it up in good shape; and when he returned to
the Gils cabin. Mark set to work upon it. He
also wrote some sketches of life in the mines
for the San Francisco Morning Call. Mark
did not think as much of the frog story after it
had received the finishing touches as he did
when he first heard it. He gave some other
sketches the preference and sent them to the
Call and other papers. Steve Gillis, however,
declared it was the best thing he had written,
and advised him to save and publish ii In
book of sketches that was talked of. A literary
turn having thus been given to tie thoughts Of
the INN ates of the Gillis cabin, a month passed
without a return to the business OF pocket
mining.
While the days were passed by Mark and his
friends in discussing the merits OF the Jump
ing Frog" other prospectOrs were not idle A
trio of Austrian miners who were out in search
OF gold-bearing quartz happened upon the spot
where Mark and Jim had dug into their ledge.
1t was but few days after thep had retreatsd
from the spot in the pouring rain. The Aus
trian prospectors were not a little astonished at
seeing the ground literally glittering with gold.
Where the dirt emptied from the sack had
been dissolved and washed away by the rain
lay some three ounces of bright quartz gold.
The Austrians were not long in gathering this,
but the speedy discovery Of the notice forbade
their delving into the deposit whence it came.
They could only wait and watch and pray in
the hope that the parties who put up the notice
would not return while it still held good. The
sun that rose on the morning of the day after
the Twain Gillis notice expired saw the Aus
trians in possession of the ground. with no.
tice of their own conspicuously and defantly
posted. The new owners cleaned cut the pock-
ct, obtaining little over 81 800 in few days.
Had Mark Twain's backbone held out a little
longer the sack of dirt would have been washed
and the grand discovery made. He would not
then have gone to Angels Camp, and would
never have heard or written up the story OF
the jumping Frog"-the story which gave
him his first "boost" in the literary world.
Had Mark found that gold he would have set
tied down as pocket!miner. He would never
have given up the chase, and to this day, when
gray as a badger, he would have been pound
ing quartz as Jim Gillis's 'pard" in the Sierra
Nevada mon ntaiuS