Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-07-09
FUN AMONG AUTHORS.
Mark rwAin,s Friends Asked For His Auto
 graphs In Wholesale I.ofa.


 A number of Mark Twain's friends who had been victimized at various times re- solved to give him an unhappy quarter hour one April fools day. George W. Cable, knowing Mark had a special horror of the chronic autograph collector, ar ranged with a couple of hundred well known people to come down on him si- simultaneously for a specimen of his hand writing. Some of the demands were very funny. Edmund Clarence Stedman's let ter was a good burlesque of the average schoolgirls. Many of the words were un- derscored, and Mir. Clements was tickled with such phrases as ''my favorite Amer ican author" your well known kind ness" etc. Mfr. Stedman not only solicit cd different kinds of signatures, but want ed a sentiment in Marks handwriting or a few pages from "Roughing It. The Prince Abroad' or The Innocents and the Pauper." John Hay wrote from Cleve- land, asking Mark to take n leisure hour or two aId copy for him a few hundred lines of ''Young's Night Thoughts and aa equal amount from Pollock's ''Course f Time.'' Thomas W. Knox's request came from the Lotus club. He had a royal commission from the king of Siam, hc said, for autographs for the kings 25S children, but begged to suggest that the order be filled for 800, as the kings fam fly was increasing. stephen Fiskc wanted a Mark Twain autograph for a friend who was going abroad and wished to takc 1t along as a mascot, and Mrs Fiske modest ly spelled the name Clements and sOlic ited l6O autographs for O church fair booth.
 II. C. Burner of Puck wanted an auto graph for his awecks-Old granddaughter, adding, The littlo innocent abroad in I this strange world of ours will value your gift when she is old enough to appreciate it." Joe Howard, Jr., recalled meeting Mir. Clemens si years before in front of the New York city hall and appealed for an autograph on that ground. c. C. Buel of The Century wanted n humorous article for publication With Mir. Clemens sigma turc attached tO every paragraph, so thai the "copy" could bc sold to advantage. While Robert Underwood Johnson applied by postal card Us follows: Gould you let | me have an autograph for n lame boy | whose mother has interested him in things | spiritual by encouraging him 10 make an autograph collection tO bc raffled for at a fair, the proceeds to gO to the Society FOl the Suppression of Toy Pistolst''
 Mark gave his prosecutors something oi a fright in rctuFn. He published an inter | view in which he stated that he intended | to make up pamphlet of their letters, | with various humorous and satirical AnnO tations of his own, have it illustrated and issue 1t in suitable form for salc at thu ncwsstands and on tho railroad trains The profits, he dCclarcd, he should pocket entirely himself, and if he found, whcr the book was ready for tho printer, that il did not seem sensational enough to catcf the public fancy he would cnlaryc it by the addition Of n lot of the private letter, he had received from time to time iron these ladies and gentlemen, drsScd uI with concentrations from his own Pcn whicl would make them morc spicy. Ho nevCl carried out his threat, howcvCr.-kat, Fields Washington.