Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-09-24

"FaPs Reeves story at the Pho.
mix H0teI-Where Mark Found
the Characters for the Gilded
Age.


with q party OF friends at the Phenix
Hotel yesterday about old times on the
big rivers. Captain Reeves is OF the
sedate and quiet type of pilots, and
while he has seen and enjoyed dead
loads Of fun In his active days along
the channel, be now takes equal de-
light IN recounting the trials and trib.
ulations and queer experiences OF
torty years experience in the profess
sion.
The conversation was quito desulto-
~, and finally driited around to Mark
Twain's stories and descriptions Of a
pilots life. The old captains blue
eyes sparkled at the name, and he ex
claimed; II knew that unlocked cub,
Sam Clemens, when he was only knee
deep TO a sand bar. His father. old
John Marshall Clemens. lived st Flor
ida, No, for years. and young Sam
was one Of the widest colts on that
river.
TwAIN's FoNDNEss FOR THE RIVER.
He had a natural liking for the
water, and used to run off from home
OF short trips up or down by the big
ooats Of the old Anchor Line. He
TODD in with alfhands, from captain
TO roustabouts aud while naturally
reckless and venturesome, we always
managed to look after and keep him
out Of any serious mischief. Many a
time when I've been standing my trick
at the wheel on the 'Ariadne' has Sam
come slipping up into the pilothouse
and his chief ambition was to be al.
lowed to hold her head He was
perfectly fascinated BY river lie, aud
L is small wonder he adopted q pilots
life when he started out for
himself. His father was an old fash.
Toned Virginia gentleman, whs was
land poor" He had come to Mis-
souri, fromthe neighborhoOd Of James
town, Tenn where years before Sam
was born he had re-empted and
bought some 10000 or $4,000 acres Of
mountain land. Sans mother was
Jane hampton, who was born in Adair
county, Ky. She was a fine woman,
and did the best she could to train up
her c~hildrenin that wild Southwest
ern country, and Orion, the oldest
boy, often speaks Of her with tears in
his eyes as the noblest woman that
yer lived. the father was q man
possessed by a mild mania for specu
.ation and had many ups and downs in
fortune, but finally died poor in every
thing but land.
A Commercial reporter who was
resent asked Uartain Reeves if he
lsd read Mark Twan's books.
Bless your SOUL OF course |
AVE- replied the cid man. Sam
ent me a special copy of every book
10 has written, aud | have laughed
! myself sore over the adventures Of
Tom Sawyer which is only the story
Of Sans own bOyish pranks down il
Missouri
J THE GILDED AGE,
J Where do you suppose the charac.
! ters in the 'Gilded Age we're obtained
y CaptainY' fgaftf
! Largely out Of the scrap bool
! which Sam kept in his head. TIT
? |, story could never have been writer
! except by a man who had been a rive.
. pilot. No class Of men on earth havI
better opportunities for studying al
I sides Of human nature than pilots do
. they see all sorts of people and have
9 much leisure to watch their peculiar
, tiles. There's where the material 70.
/ most Of the Gilded Age came from
. DO you recognize any Of the indi
= vidual c~harauters2"
fL"Only a few the maiority are type
J, too common to be picked out YER
2 closely. Now, the character Of IS
Hawkins was undoubtedly draw
from Sans own father, and his faith
9 er's circumstances and peculiar trait
] both 90 to prove this. He had al
: that tennessee land, and made thos'
lamlIy IemoVais anu eugAseu G - 1nos'
g sPecuiavions Eely muG9 a. law
| ME ulu ~ .ne stUry. OlAS nswAi1s
s %nsI. Ds JitSn Sle%su7l pau ? eius,
. ovsuei' anu OJTione. GTii's " "
sIou .uNSsS u no.isSllIe' me
Pl,s, ~ ~ noais, ~ ~ yMlii e GU na
g I'io iif'i ""u " '"o "''eipp
G 'SnsR.L p.;..iu, ;..h..
= Dy i0pleL
si,J,a.aj i Cyl
. NV ~ .qa, anu VI naJJi ~
nsmaroro M lba b;iIs wb;io ~,
5 ,inIt ~ ~
8 wosk.Osnn Wy "naaI
Nv sI5 sn;i
ILL., you u' "uiu Vo
5 E.Rt. ko.L =. L
: b,, oy0 bI;sS "p !
HE, IA saon "s1 ~. H. Wy IL III
B A. oamn"aa 100 I. ma 80
e Nh moI,h 49,. :" H. IA 49, ~,
0 ~rv bUrssn' tbon III aIso tSa, ~.
e nnhf;sbn5T v"
ST. SOME OF TWAIN 5 RELATIONS
Dr. Are any Of the Clemens family liv
ing in the Southwest at ne present.
Yves; DR.. John Marshall Clemens
, pam COUSIN, nalnPd aioer MS iather
,oss tishs IsIe 10 touisylllei D!
M - &c ~.
Nv bis mali IsOs ]sc ~ ! ai' !s sua's zee i anS
uu?e sveI Iesrs aso any
f,II Of on. snd ;soa .S al y siSI daIG u
%scnoun 20 - az nv lin Nann, hnm
b.J ~ ,,o, 20 r ~ n y
Tol " p.ese9e sns gay eatup
a;d ~ tn Vm e,IIo,eriu sle iAGs Il
a lu ~ ~ n.erS eIue' wy ~ cnlm'
w n.i1 "u.o wa
so .onnns nasp,aoe 0Is u OiocHs
oaoO ho.sJ 81. Sa,heS ~ FAe
snJ ,%eli;ns bow worr;ad bo snis V,;i
ks sot tbs feIIow ~ mild n n ~ nId
e Wy ~. ns M aUd s"e oiu
Tba S va. 10 nsst 4 oS ~, 1tiO T:.no...o
gTeaIer parI Of me tennessee
tracs mas long since passed gu. OF me
mn.,htoa was mostly
va H. iol siiTu,aulaI purposes
~ 1fe WI ~a Psospo' ol lhe
miuolei We y e'eI yvlne drought