The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-07-01
HARK iiiWiliiS.
A Good Story That Lost a Good Claim
in the DigginS.
From the New York Tribune.l

in the Diggins.
From the New York Tribune.l
"Mark Twaiu's narrow escape from
becoming pocket miner has never besh
told. 1t is worth recording, as il, gafe
him The STORY Of The ''Jt1mping Frog, y
and sent him off along the line of the
literary lode, and set him to searching
therein for "pockets" of fun. In 1865
Mark, weary of Bohemian life in San
Francisco, went up into the mining re-
gions of Tuolumne county to rusticate
with some old friends, Steve, Jim and
Billy ellis. Jim ellis was and is one
Of the most expert pocket miners Of
California. Although educated with a
view of eventually fighting the battle Of
lie ba o physician, aid though still find
ing a solace in his leisure moments in
the works of Larin and Greek authors
that repose on their shelves in their
cabin, he is booked for life as pocket
miner. The business has charms for
him that blvd him to it in chains OF
gold-chains that bind more firmly than
IRON or steel. Show him d particle Of
quartz gold On the side Of d m6untaih;
and, If it came to where it was found
through the processes Of accidents of ma
tire; tindistprbed III any way by the ir-
reference Of man, he will as rinefringly
trace it to its golden source as the bee
hunter will follow the bee to its hoard Of
sweets.
Mark Twain found the Bohemian style
of mining practiced by the ellis brothers
to be very attractive. He and Jim Gillie
took 10 the hills III search Of golden
pockets, and spent some days in hunt
ing for the undisturbed trail of an I'M
discovered deposit. Finally they struck
a golden Decline. They were two or
three days in following it up, as it was
necessary to carry each sample of dirt
considerable distance to small stream
in the bed of canyon in order to pan 1t
out. Each step made sure by golden
grains, they at last came to the pocket.
It was cold, dreary, drizzling day when
the home deposit was found. The first
samples carried to the stream and
washed yielded but few cents. Al
though the right vein had been discov-
cred, they had as yet found but the tail
of the pocket, Returning to the vein
they dug sample from new place, and
were about to carry it down the ravine
and test it, when the rain began to pour
down heavily, and Mark, with chatter
ing 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 de-
iected appearance, Jim emptied the
sack of dirt upon the ground, first hay
ing written and posted up a notice of
their claim to certain number of feet
on the vein, which notice would be good
for thirty days. Angles camp being at
no great distance, while their cabin was
some miles away, Mark and Jim struck
out fer that place. The only hotel in
the little mining camp was kept by Coon
Drayton, an old Mississippi river pilot,
and at his house the half-drowned
pocket miners found shelter. Mark haV-
ing for some years followed the business
of pilot on the Mississippi, he and Coon
were soon great friends and snapped
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 that of the jumping Frog" and
it struck him as being so comical that
he determined to write it up in good
shape, and, when he returned to the
Gillis cabin, Mark set to work upon it.
He also wrote some sketches of life in
the mines for the San Francisco Norm
ina 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
ellis, however, declared it was the best
thing he had written, and advised him
to save and publish it in a book of
sketches that was talked of. A literary
turn having thus been given to the
thoughts of the inmates of the Gillis
cabin, month passed without return
to the business of pocket mining.
While the days were passed by Mark
and his friends in discussing the merits
of the jumping Frog" other pros
pectors were not idle. A trio of Austrian
miners who we're out in search of gold
bearing quartz happened upon the spot
where Mark and Jim had dug into their
ledge. It was but few days after they
had retreated from the spot in the pour
ing rain. The Austrian prospectors
were not 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 Austrians
in possession of the ground, with a no.
tice of their own conspicuously and de-
family posted. The new owners cleaned
out the pocket, obtaining little over
81, 500 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 Angles
Camp, and would never have heard or
written up the story of jumping
Frog the story which gave him his
first "boost" in the literary world.
Had Mark found that gold he would
have settled down as a pocket miner.
He would never have given up the
chase, and to this day, when gray as a
badger, he would have been pounding
quartz as jim ellis "pard" in the
Sierra Nevada mountains.
TallOW Candle Fish.
In the waters of British North Ameri-
ca, as we are informed, there is a fish,
an odd fish, as surprising in its way as