Delta chief., 1884-04-30
THE JOKE ON MARK TWAIN.
How George w. Cable and Rev. Mr..
Beecher Fooled the Humorlst.

How George w. Cable and Rev. Mr..
Beecher Fooled the Humorist.
New York World.
Mr. George w. Cable sat in his room
in the Everett house yesterday when a
reporter called and asked him about
the result of the practical joke played
upon Mark Twain on April l., of which
Mr.. Gable w:s the author. Mr.. Cable
said that he had kept out of Mark s way
since that time, and really could not
tell how Mark took it, and he was not
anxious to know if he would have to
meet Mark face to face.
During the winter l was lying i'll at
Mr. Twain's house, said Mr.. Cable,
land as improved he and l used to at
tend to our correspondence together.
Occasionally would open letter con-
tanning an application for my auto
graph and he would open another ask
ing for his. One day when he had an
unusually large mail | remarked that
these autograph applicants were insult
ferable bo1es. / left him on February
ls and started over to Philadelphia.
While lecturing there the idea of play
ing my friend Clements joke occurred
to me. Now, | am not a practical
joker; in fact, have always considered
myself incapable of perpetrating joke
with any kind of point in it. Therefore.
when this suggestion occurred to me, |
hattered myself that had struck some
thing rich. Henry Ward Beecher was
in Philadelphia lecturing in the Acade-
my and ! was reading in Association
hall. We were both stopping at the
Lafayette. In all the fullness OF a SIM
pie and guileless heart impaired nv
plot to Mr.. Beecher, and he was charm
ed with it. had previously mentioned
it to johnson. Of the Century. and
when met him again he reminded me
of my proposed JOKE and insisted upon
my working it up. Even then l did
not fully make up my mind to do it,
and l went off west on a tour. About
the twenty-sixth Of March my manager,
Major Pond. reminded me again of the
proposed joke, and stated that Beecher
and johnson were ripe for it. ] immc-
diately sat down and wrote out cir
cular. The circular asked Mark for
his autograph. also forwarded some
to J. r. Osgood, asking him to pass
them along. But he was away at the
time, and did not receive them until it
was too late. Mr.. Beecher WAS tickled
with the idea. He loves a joke better
than girl loves ice cream. l am sorry
Osgood missed that bundle. as we were
out on DR.. Holmes and lot of Boston
fellows. There were only 100 circulars
printed, but the word was passed among
Clements friends. and the result was
that about the first Of the month he was
with appalling piles OF mail
from every quarter containing applicn-
tions for his autograph from authors,
publishers. bankers. merchants, actors
and actresses, editors and society la
dies.
Occasionally Clements, when other
wise engaged, puts aside his mail for
day or so, and to prevent our Joke from
being spoiled by such n circumstance.
| wrote to Rev. Joe Twitchell TO go
over to Clements house and make him
take his medicine. ! went off on the
road, going as far west AS Madison,
Wis, and MS far east rs New Bedford.
| came here from the east, but took
special pains to come by another route
than that touching at Hartford. am.
however, inclined to think that he was
n mad man about the first of the month,
but don't see what he has particularly
to growl about. II he don't want his
collection I'll take it"