New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1882-08-23
Mark Twain.

A correspondent who writes from
Hannibal, Mo-, says:
Ifell in with John r. Richards, Mark
Twain's old chum, and who is the pro-
totype of Jack in tom Sawyer
The first place Robards took me to
was the old home of the Clemens family,
and where the early days of the illus
trious hnmorist were spent. The house
is an old twO-story brick and is occupied
by a colored family, who have no senti-
ment concerning the place of their
abode.
lin this house and under this tree
have I spent many pleasant hour in
company with Mark" said my compan-
ion, as we stood in front Of the old
house. &
The next place went to, q little way
down the river. is the cave by which
''Tom Sawyer made his wonderful es-
cape, and by means Of an underground
passage the city Of Hamilton is easily
regained.
us that cave story in Tom Sawyer
simply fictiOn?' asked.
lit is as true as am standing here.
! remember it as if it only happened
yesterday. And the little girl whom
Mark speaks of is no other than Mrs.
Koontz, wife of our present Mayor and
President of the Hannibal Printing Com
pany. The little boy whom Mark says
he had fight with about this little girl
is John II. Garth, now our Wealthiest
CITIZEN
Mr.. Robards next took me to one Of
the hills which surround Hannibal in =
similar manner to which Cincinnati is
surrounded. At the foot of this is the
old village blacksmith shop, which Mark
tells about demolishing by rolling big
boulder against it.
us this story true?" Iasked Richards.
Eyes, helped Mark to do it. We
used to play about this shop and were
alwaysin mischief. The old blacksmith
became SO provoked one day that he
caught Mark and with a single made
Mark so sore that he didn't sit down for
q week. As soon as Mark got well we
went up on the hill Immediately above
the blacksmith shop, and every day for
about week we worked at digging up
big boulder. Finally we got all the
earth from around it and all we had to
do was to give it shove and down the
hill it would 60 with terrible velocity
Saturday afternoon was always holt
day in Hannibal in those days. Well,
this particular Saturday was q beautiful
June day and the blacksmith shop was
closed. It was, as it is now, frame
building aud most of the material is in
it yet. About 8 o'clock in the afternoon
we started the boulder down the hill. 1t
struck the blacksmith shop and almost
demolished it."
I also met the original Mulberry
Sellers" who is an intelligent farmer
living short distance from Hannibal,
and who has always job or big scheme
under way, but which invariably proves
q failure. When met him he was So
liciting subscriptions to build railroad.
He talked so we'll that if had had 800
I would have invested it with him. He
is an uncle of Mark Twain's mother
He and John T. Raymond have met and
got to be great friends. Mr.. Richards
has several letters which he received
from Mark at different times after the
humorist became famous, of which I
have copies. One of them inclosed
800 check for the purpose of having
Richards purchase tombstones to be
placed over Twain's father aud oldest
brother, who are buried in Hannibal
1t is quite humorous. He says: Don't
fix the old mans grave too fine, for you
remember he was . very plain man dur
ing life, and if you did his ghost would
rise up and demolish the tombstone. -
ST. Louis Republican.