Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-11-07
A JOKER PLAYED ON,
How Mark Twain Was Fooled bv
His Printing Office Associates.
a Time When the STAR Got Even
With the Famous Mumorist
---Somethins Which .Mark
Never FOrSave.

With the Famous Mumorist
---Somethins Which, .IFark
Never FOrSave.
'About twenty years ago." said the mana,
ger of theatrical troupe to a Cleveland
reporter, III was printer on The Virginia
City Enterprise, and Mark Twain was on the
local staff Mark and I roomed together
across the divide, in a place known
as Gold Fill, about q mile from Virginia
City. In those days the divide was con.
sidered one Of the most dangerous places
for miles around, and scarcely night
passed but what some poor devil was wayiaiI.
robbed, and murdered. But the boys on The
Enterprise were never molested by highway.
men, and would think nothing of walking
from town to Gold Hill after the paper had
gone to press, generally about Q OF
5 O'Clock in the morning. Mark Twain and
would frequently go home together, but
occasionally he left for home earlier, for, as
said before, he was doing local work and
was setting type. He was very droll, dry
sort Of a fellow, delighted in practical Jokes,
and the boys had to be constantly ON the
lookout for fear of some new scheme that
Mark would spring on them. He never wore
white shirt only ON certain occasions when
he could forage on the printers because the
intellectual department of the paper could
not afford such a luxury, as they received
salary of $50 a week, while the printers re-
ceived 81. 25 per 1000 ems, thereby enabling
them to earn about S65 per week. A man
named Dan or Mike Mccarthy, 1 don't ex-
actly recolect, was foreman of the compos-
ing-room-
Zone fire evening, determined to get even
with Mari, re, in company with the staff,
heha secret meeting and unanimously con-
c}uded to get even with Mark in the shape
OF an immense practical joke, which the bows
were getting ready to play on him at the first
favorable opportunity. Sure enough, the
long-loolled-for opp ortunity arrived; we held
another secret meeting during Marks tenn
porary absence, appointed committee of
four to act as fulEfedged highwaynen,
dressed them up in the regulation outfit,
masks and all, and instructed them to Law in
wait on the divide, and when they saw the
gentle Twain approaching, ask him to stand
and deliver Everything worked to perfection
left the Office on some pretence or other, and
told Twain that I would not be able to &C
company him home that morning. We fixed
things up with Foreman Mccarthy, who was
chosen as his companion, and was instructed to
show no resistance, but throw up his hands
Immediately upon the appearance of the
typo-banditti. The two victims left the office
at about O'Clock III the morning Mark was
unusually happy, as it was a bright moon
light night, and said he was just in the right
mood to enjoy good walk. But what was
his establishment when completing one-half
of the distance the two travellers were con-
fronted by the four highwaymen, masked
and armed to the teeth with cooked revoI-
verS pointing at their heads, kindly request
ing them to halt and deliver their valuables.
Mccarthy was the first to throw I'D his
hands. Mark, evidently filled with terror.
followed his friends example, keeping his
arms in that position while the ceremony of
going through McCarthy's pockets was in
progress. For the sake of appearances Nc
Carthy was relieved Of his valuatfes: then
the fun began with the unfortunate hrnorist,
whom we robbed of everything but the clothes
on his back, including his watch, jewelry and
sum Of money. Glad to escape with his life,
he hurried home, terribly annoyed and badly
frightened. The day following the plumber
was examined by the boys who were in the
eecret; all the trinkets and money were
neatly packed up In a casa and laid aside to
await further Developments. Well, Mark
made his appearance m the Office, al out of
sorts, and worked his mad off By writing a
Swo-colnmn article ON the terrible Outrage
committed in the divide by four highway
enen. 1 can stin remember the comments of
Inc typos, especially those Of TIE highway
saen, as they were setting up the article, CIV
ing graphic account Of the great robbery
by moonlight.
GA short time after the robbery Twain
was invited to deliver a lecture at San Fran
CISCO As that was to be his maiden effort in
the lecture field the, boys thought that the
opportunity to carry the practical joke to a
successful termination was too good to be
lost, held another meeting and resolved to
present Mark with his own stolen valuables.
The day for the departure arrived, the stage
drove up in front Of the Office, Twain, as big
as life, walked out of the Office with all the
boys, about twenty in number, wis hing him
good luck, and all that sort of thing, close
behind him. AS he was about to step into
the coach he was confronted by one
of the crowd, who carried Marks
valuables nicely done up in
case, and with an earnest expression of coun-
tenance, told him how much the boys in the
Office thought of him as friend and COM
panion, and now that he was about to seek
fame and fortune in an entirely new field.
they had concluded to present him with a
small token of their regard and esteem, and
they hoped that he would prize it to remind
him of the boys on The Virginia City Enter
prise. believe, at the conclusion of that
speech, the recipient of the alleged gift was
the proudest man on earth. He made a
splendid speech of thanks in reply; said
how much he thought of all the boys,
and was quite overcome with emotion,
but as the driver of the stage was In the Sc
cret, and was told not to give him a chance
to open the box, he hurried him of by saying
that he was late and the coach could not
wait moment longer. Mark jumped aboard
with last farewell, the stage disappeared
and that WAS the last have ever seen of
Mark Twain ! would like to have watched
his face when he opened that case, but from
all could gather be did not take the Joke in
the light we imagined he would; he was quite
angry and never forgave US for TIL, little
practical joke"
nvr,a MA