Arizona republican., 1891-07-19


 thoughts on paper. It seemed an assist ance to thinking more clearly. We may think more things in sixty seconds than we can write out in sixty minutes The time occupied in putting our thoughts down on paper seems as a sort of gov ernor to regulate the outflow of our mental steam or idea. If you could do this without the aid of pen and ink to keep from thinking too fast you might live for hours in an extempore poem, fancy or fiction of your own.
 The first article ever had published appeared in the columns of The Union Democrat, of Sonora, Tuolumne county, Cal. It was an account of the yearly fall spree held by the river miners when the Tuolumme rose in its wrath two months earlier than was expected five years out of six and swept away all our summers work, dams, fumes, wheels, sluices and other river mining machinery, It was not 30 much an account of tho spree as of the results of it, and the feel ings, mental and physical, remorse and repentance, contrition and headache, re- ahzed the day after.
 The article struck sympathetic chord throughout the entire county. Four fifths of the population had been there themselves.
 wrote this sketch one Sunday after noon under a big pine tree near my cabin. It was in little gulch, and through the gulch flowed little brook. A hundred yards distant the muddy cur rent of the Tuolumne roared and rushed and howled through the Willow Bar and over prosperous claim.
 There came floating in its current a log or part of Hume or a sluice box or wreck of q water wheel, which the mad river tossed about as if in derision of mans puny work, and perhaps flung it on half submerged rock and crashed it to splinters. l know not why, but the picture of the birthplace of my first article has remained firmly imprinted in my brain.
 For about three years between whiles of mining, prospecting, teaching school, running for office, featuring and organ izing gigantic mining enterprises, all of which perished prematurely, wrote al most gratuitously for The Democrat over the signature of "Dogberry." By that name I became pretty well known in Tuolumne and the adjoining counties.
 had no ambition to become known as writer. My highest aspiration was the possession of a gold claim which would pay four or five dollars day. As such aspiration increased the daily income of such "diggings" as took hold of diminished. At last such income de- scended to the scale of seventy-tive cents per diem. All my worldly goods were an old gun, saddle, pair of blankets, an enfeebled suit of clothes and trunk with abundant room for many things not in it.
 At this crisis in the early fall of 1866 received an unexpected letter from MT. Joseph Lawrence, publisher of The Col den Era, then the leading literary week ly paper of San Francisco, asking me to take place on it. To San Francisco went straightway, and more forlorn, seedy specimen of literary impecuniosity never set foot in that city. MT. Law, renee placed me at one of the leading hotels, were he lived, and by the agency of some fresh apparel made me in a measure presentable. I felt very much out of place among the stylish people with whom found myself
 However, filled my position on The Era, believe, acceptably. It was only at certain times, with pen in my hand that felt raised above my average shabby, inassertive mental level. was called modest and retiring. That was not it at all. l was cowardly, and thought almost every one l met who had pretentious air was in some way to me unknown my superior.
 Bret Harte had then local California reputation. So had Mark Twain. Imet both of these gentlemen frequently ir The Era office. Charles Warren Stod dard, Ralph Keeler, who died so myste' riousiy in Cuba; Newell prpheus C. Karr), Artsmus Ward, Adah Menkeu and several other bright people were regular or occasionAl contributors to The Era.
 I remained on The Era about year, MT. Lawrence went to theeastern states I left the paper soon after his departure and sustained myself on meager in