Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-26
LETTER FROM HON. MARK TWAIN.
How to Remove Warts and Tattoo
Marks.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun
To THH EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: find the
following suggestive derelict wandering about
the ocean of journalism:
"Td give thousand dollars" said well-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 first finger, was tat
tooed big blue anchor. when was a little
fool at school, with nv head full of stories of
adventure, nv highest ambition was to go to
sea. An old sailor who lived in the village tat
tooed about dozen of us on the sly, and re-
member the hes / told my mother, as kept
my hand done up in rag, pretending had
cut 1t, till the sore healed. Then she gave me
such thrashlng as broke up my plan fortu-
nateiy to have fine red and blue heart done
on the back of the other. The Disagreement
has caused me no end of annoyance since and
mas cost me considerable money for gloves,
which l always wear, winter and summer.
though detest them in warm weather. But a
man can't wear gloves at the table, and often
at restaurants l catch people staring at my
hand and wonder If they think have served
In the focastle or some oyster scow or lumber
schooner
A tattoo mark is easily removed. MAY drop
into personal history? When 1 was small
boy had my share of warts. L tried in turn
the three hundred and sixty-eight ways of re-
moving them, but without results; indeed. l
seemed to get warter and vartier right along.
But at last somebody revealed to me the three
hundred and sixty-ninth way, and / tried it.
Thus: drove needle down into the basement
of the wart, then held the other end of the
needle in the fame of a candle some little time:
the needle became red hot throughout its
length. and proceeded to cook the wart Pres
emily drew the needle out if it had white
atoms like nits sticking about its point. that
wart Wac done; II the point was clear, drove
1t in again and cooked till l got those white
things. They were the roots of the wart.
Twenty-four hours later the wart would become
soft and iabby. and I removed it with a 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 wart-
less. and have SO remained unto this day.
Well, long time afterward when was six
teen years old, sailor tattooed an anchor and
rope on the back of my left hand with India
Ink. The color was deep, dark blue. and eX-
travagantly conspicuous. L was proud of it for
awhile, but by the time l had worn it nine
years was tired of il 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 generation before occurred to me,
and got me several needles and a candle
Straghtway. l drove the needles along Just
under the surface of the skin and tolerably
close together, and made them include the whole
tattoo mark; then l fired up on them and
cooked that device thoroughly. Next day I
wiped the device off with my hand The place
quickly healed. and left no scar. faint blush
tinge remained, and l was minded to begin
again and cook that out; but as it was hardly
detachable, and not noticeable, it did not seem
worth the fuel, and so 1 left it there, and there
it is yet, though suppose am the only MEM
Der of my tribe that knows it.
was in Londona good many years age, when
the llchborne claimants was being tried
and a batch OF learned experts testified that an
India ink tattoo mark could not be removed;
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. MARX TWAIN
HARTFORD, April IS.