The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-05-15
MARK TWAIN ON WARTS.
The Humorist Relates How Even Tia ito
Mark Can BE Removed.

Mark Twain is, as his signature shows, res
sponsible for the following in the New York
Sun: Sir-I find the inclosed derelict wan
dering about the ocean OF journalism:
I'D give thousand dollars" said awell-to'
do New Yorker the other day, 'to have that
mark removed" and he held out a well-shaped
and well-cared-for hand, on the back of which,
between the thumb and hrst finger was tat
tooed big blue anchor. "Mheu was little
fool at school, with my head full of
stories of adventure, my highest am
bltlon was to go to- sea. An
old sailor who lived in the village tattooed
about dozen of us on the sly, and remember
the lies | told my mother, as kept my hand
done up In a rag, pretending L had cut
it, till the sore healed. Then she gave
me such thrashing as broke up my plan,
fortunately, TO have fine red and blue heart
done on the back of the other. The dis6gure-
ment has caused me no end of annoy
ance and since has cost me considerable money
for gloves, which | always wear winter and
summer, though detest them in warm weather.
But man can't wear gloves at the table, and
often at restaurants | catch people staring at
my hand, and wonder if they think have
served my term in the fO'castle of some oyster
scOw or lumber schooner"
A tattoo mark is easily removed. May drop
into personal history When / was small
boy ] had my share of warts. | tried in turn
the 36S ways of removing them, but without
results; indeed, / seemed TO get wartier and
lated TO me the 369th way and tried il. Thus:
l drove a needle down into the basement of the
wart; then held the other end of the needle to
the fame Of candle some lit
tie time; the needle became red
hot throughout its length and proceeded TO
cook the wart. Presently | drew the needle
out; if il had white atoms like nits sticking
about its point that wart was done; if the point
was clear | drove it in again and cooked till /
got those white things. They were the roots
of the wart. Twenty-four hours later the wart
would become soft and fiabby, and l removed
it with single wipe Of my hand Where it
had been was a smooth surface now, which
quickly healed and left no scar. Within two
days was wartless and have so remained until
this day
Well, long time afterward, when 1 was six
teen years old, q sailor tattooed an anchor and
rope on the back of my left hand with India
ink. The color was deep. dark blue, and
eXtravagantly conspicuous | was proud
of it for awhile. but by the time
had worn it nine years | was tired OF it and
ashamed of it. | could find nobody
who could tell me how to get rid OF it; but at
last my wart experience of near half gener-
alton before occurred to me, ard got me sew
eral needles and a candle straightway.
drove the needles along just under the sur
face of the skin, and tOlerably close to-
gether and made them include the whole
tattoo mark; them | fired up on them and
cooked the whole device thoroughly. Next day
wiped the device off with my hand. The place
quickly healed and left no scar. A faint blush
tint remained but | was minded to begin again
and cook that out; but as it was hardly detect
able and not noticeable, it did not seem worth
the fuel and left it there, and there it is yet
though l suppose l am the only member of my
tribe that knows it.
was in London a good many years ago,
when the Tchborne claimants case was being
tried, and batch of learned experts testified
that an lnnia ink tattoo mark could not be re-
moved; but | was not asked to testify, and so
those people don't know any better to this day
Let the "well-to-do New Yorker" fetch me
some needles and candle and name his bet
will take him up. MARK TWAIN.