Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-03-04
TWAIN WAS A LOAFER,
so WAS HARTE. ACCORDING TO
JIM GiLLIs.
Historic California Cabins-where
the Now Famous Literary Men
"Deadheaded It,"

Up in the historic sections Of Tuolum-
ne, Calaveras and Stanislaus they do not
say very nice things VI Bret Harte, Mark
Twain and Prentice Milford, the men
who struck mines OF literature in the
Table mountain country, while other men
found mines Of gold. Some Of the resi-
dents of the carly SOS are residents still,
and having more appreciation for mug
gets Of gold than gems Of prose and
verse, their opinions run contrary to
those who have had more experience
with the latter than the former. Within
fortnight it has been declared by a
resident Of Jackass Hill that the trio
were about as shiftless, no-account
three as ever struck the camps, and
that it is hard to imagine how the boys
refrained from ordering them out Of the
district.
Poor Milford is dead now, aud will
be considered omitted from the excori-
alton, but Bret Harte and Clemens are
alive aud hourishing aud can afford to
have the old cracked mirror he'd up to
them.
Their principal occupation in the flush
days Of the Hin. Ange~, Tuttletown,
Whimtown, Robinson's Ferry, Shaw's
Flat, Table Mountain and lot of other
places used to consist Of changing their
spots. First they would visit q hospt-
able friend In one camp and then call
ON another In some other camp. They
seldom undertook to do anything. and
when they did they usually failed. To
this duy there are peOpu-h0nest hard
working miners, some with wealth
and some with0ut-who solemnly affirm
that Bret Harte never could write any
thing straight, l. e., as It really occurred
and that frequently he wrote pack Of
lies about things that never occurred at
all.
H. however the native inhabitants of
this region made famous by the prose
and poetry Of the dcspised authors have
no reverence for thing, historic, the rest
of the world has \ relir-hunter from
san Francisco made ~ trip through Stan
isluus, lUOiumup and Cuhycrns recently
in search Of spoil. He returned with
unlimited enthusiasm and q carload of
photographic negatives which he turned
over to the Examiner. He found that
the population In this section spends most
Of It's time hunting for gold pockets,
and only attends 10 bus In aides.
UllOIN sort u u Muls III AAlaNttAAAN VI
! this sort OF thing was encountered at
Tuttlo,ONn, where the relic-hunters met
an old friend who is chasing pockcls
| In JackAss Hin. the home of Jim Gills.
An invitation to liquor was accepted, and
| the party Of three entered n saloon I'm the
old French store, There was no sign of
| life In the street nor was any one TO be
| found in the saloon. Gross walled be
hind the bar, served out the drinks and
cigars, and then discovered that he could
not make change. He wrote his uan5
and the amount on Il scrap OF paper
weighted II with bottle, and 10 prove
| hhnt this was common way OF doing
| business exhibited half dozen similar
chips from previously passing thirsty
| souls.
Half an hour later the proprietor %
Che saloon crawled out from under {
| chiclIenhouse n couple of hundred yNrd'
| distant drngging after him trpWe
md pan Of dirt. The dirt was washe'
| and the yellow specks left IN the phi
| were said TO be worth about 80 cents
| The saloon man explained that tho chick
| cmhouse had been n store In the day
| Of "dust" as circulating medium, an,
| that In careless handling q good deal v
| the yellow metal slipped through th
| cracks Besides, II wac located IN hmon
! pocket ground, aud Us the house was {.
he torn down he thought 1t was woru
| prospecting.
lin ellis Is Ghe present king of Jack
ass HE'LL He controls IL all and Is sup
posed TO be ON the ragged edge Of opu
ionce Mr.. Gills has lost his taste 70
hard work. and Is now content Wit
grubshkinE wandering miners and TAX
lug % per cent of whatever they strike
Strikes are not nfrequent on the hill II
this DAY. When the relic hunters foun,
G3llis he was with his brother Steve u
the edge Of q pocket hunting shaft frog
which three miners had Just taken 500
worth of flee gold. and before the da
was over this had been increased {
5000 worth, But that was all thor
was In 1.-THE pocket was empty.
Mr.. ellis was fairly good nature
when first encountered, aud chattc
over old times pleasantly enough III
an the names OF Clemens and Mulfor
came mp Thea he wanted It INSTINCT
understood that he. J mes ellis, WA
not Truthful james, OF Table Mountain
living Jim Townsend, now Of Mon
conntv. was the man whose yarns il
splrcd Clemens, and ellis could prov
It by hundred different men If the
were alive. The jumping frog story Wa
as old M the hills, and Townsend ha
been heard to tell 1t u hundred times l.
fore il ever saw the light of duy
print.
The cabin where Clemens and Nh
ford used 10 make ellis their host wee
in aud week out still stands ON the IA
Of the hill, aud ellis designated an on
tree near II, the shade of which const
tutcd Mulford's favorite dreaming plac
lIe was only known as Dogherry In tho.
days. aud Mark Twain was unkuow
on title page. Both were outrageousl
, lazy. and were fit companions for I.yln
Jim Townsend, the veracious story-tcllo
who, Mr.. ellis says, inspired Clemen
: Bret Hnrte did not belong to the c
terie. He visited another good nature
man over on Albany fiat aud the cab
that sheltered him Is still standing
worn, weathcr-beaten and decayedEs
the peak of The ridge. His sojourn WI
! along about 'o3 and "a and Is only r
. membered Through his writings. lie hs
! a position in the mint, hut II was a de
ultory sort Of job, and gathering NOT
! for his poetic pencil was much more co
4 genial occupation for Harte than cleric
work under the government.
I RohnsOn's Ferry, where the "socie
on the Stnnislaus' had It's existence m
busted up.n is still In existence. hut ii
I old ferrymnn signs and shakes Mis- he'
y when ne thinks Of the hig strike on a.
. son Hin, when the Cat boat earned Sll
COO IN six weeks.
All the old glories have depar,ed
Ike manner save the view from Loci
Q llirs sum init Here Knights Fc,rv
b the San Joaquin valley Is discern;hle On
g clear day. and Casth Peak IL OOO q
< high, near Aurora. New, 100 miles "a,
a I loOka Ms though IN vsera fnt y