Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-10-13
A Strange Story.
The Innu.nee OF One Mind a, Auo,s.

Under the title of Mental Telegrsphy"
Mark Twain contributes an interesting
article to the December number Of Hdr.
per's Magazine, in which the following
story Is told
Now | come to the oldest thing that
ever happened to me. Two or three years
ago was lying in bed idly musing, one
morning-t was the I'd day Of March
when suddenly a redhot new idea came
whistling down into my camp and .x-
ploded with such comprehensive effective
ness as to sweep the vicinity clean OF rub
oishy reflections, and flll the air with their
dust and flying fragments. This idea,
stated in simple phrase, was that the time
was ripe and the market ready for GER
tam book; book which ought TO be writ,
ten At once; book which must command
attention and be of peculiar interest-to
wit book about the Nevada silver mines
The Great Bonanza" was new wonder
then, and everybody was talking about H.
IL seemed to me that the person best quail |
fled to write this book WAS Mr. William II
Wright, journalist Of Virginia, Nevada,
by whose side had scribbled many months |
when was reporter there ten or twelve |
years before. He might be alive still: | |
could not tell but would write him any.
way | began by merely modestly suc. |
Interest grew ss | went on. and ventured |
10 map out what thought ought to he the |
plan Of the work. he being an old friend. !
and not given to taking good intentions |
for Ill even dealt with details, and smg. |
gested the order and sequence which they |
should follow. | was about 10 put the |
manuscript in an envelope. when tn. |
thought occurred 10 me that II this book |
should be wEtten at my suggestion, and |
then no publisher happen to want It. |
should feel uncomfortable so concluded |
10 keep my letter back until | should have |
secured publisher. | pigeou-holed my Z
document and dropped note to my own .
publisher, asking him TO name a day for 4
a business consultation. He was out Of \
town 90 a far journey NV note remained Il
unanswered. and at the end Of three ur \
four days the whole matter had passed out |
OF my mind. On the 9th.of March th, \
postman brought three or four letters.
among them thick one whose super 4
scription was In hand " hich seemed dim Il
ly familiar 10 me. could not place" IL Il
al first, but presently succeeded Then |
| SAID 70 visiting relative who was pres H
eut
Now | will do miracle viii tell 4
you every thIng this letter contains-dat.,
signature. and all-w ithout breaking the
seal. Il j. from Mr. Wright. Or Virgin H
IN, Nevada, and il dated the ind Of March n
seven days ago. Mr.. Wright proposes
To make book about the silver mines and .
the treat Bonanza. and s.k@ what | a. A .
friend, think of The idea. He says his
subjects are - hc aud 50, their order
and sequence 80 and so. and he will close
with history Of the chief feature OF the
book, the Great BONANZA"
| opened the letter. and showed that I
had stated the date and the contents cor
rectly. Mr.. Wrights letter simply con-
tained what my own letter written on the
same date contained. and mine still lay In
It's pigeon hole, where IL had been living
during the seven days since Ii WAS writ
ten.
There was no clsiryoyance about this,
II rightly comprehend what ciairvoyahce
IS think the Clairyoyaut proie-Se. to
actually s'e concealed writing, and read Il
81 word for word This ws- not ms case
only seemed 20 know, and to know sb.
-"lutely, the contents of the letter In de-
tai. and due orier, but had to cord them
myself. translated them, so 10 speak.
out of Nrlght's language into my own
Wrghts letter and the one which hai
written 70 him but never sent were 10 snb-
stance the same.
ID
dent; such elaborate accidents cannot HAP
pen Chance might have duplicated one
or Two Of the details, but she would have
broken down IN the rest could not
douht-thcre was no :cuaht reason for 4
doubting that Mr.. Wright'- mind and
mine had been in close and crystal clear
communication with each other across
three thousand miles OF mountain AMI des-
ert on the morning Of the "a Of March
dti not consider that both minds or1Jin1t-
Ell that succession Of ideas but that one
mind originated them and simply tele-
graphed them - the other. | WAS curious
To know which brain was the tclcgrapher
and which the receiver 30 wrote and |
asked for particulars. Mr.. Wright's reply
showed that his mind had done the origi- |
mating and .eicgraphing and mine receiy-
ing Mark that significant thing. now |
consider for a moment how many a spleu- |
did orig nal" .dea has been unconsciously /
stolen from man three thousand miles |
away II one should question that this "a
50. let him look INTO the Cyclopa'dia and /
con once more that cuTi"u, thing in the /
history Of inventions which has puzzled /
every one 80 muCh-that is the frequency /
with which the same machiue or other CON
trivance has been invented at the same /
time by several Persons In different quar- 4
tcrs Of the globe. The world was without \
an electric telegraph for several thousand I
years then Professor Henry, the Ameri- \
can, Wheatstoue IN England Morse on the 4
sea, and German 10 Munich. all invented .
1t At the same time. The discovery Of
certain ways Of applying steam was made 4
In TWO or three countries In the same year
Is IL not possible that Inventors are con
stantly and unwittingly stealth. each 9th /
err, ideas whilst they stand thousands Of I
miles asundert