Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-22
FUN AMONG AUTHORS.
Mark Twaiu's Friends Asked For His Auto-
 graphs In Wholesale Lots.

Mark Twaiu's Friends Asked For His Auto-
 graphs In Wholesale Lots.
 A number of Mark Twain's friends who had been victimizctl at various times re- solved to give him an unhappy quarter hour one April fools day. George w. Cable, knowing Mark had special horror of tho chronic autograph collector, ar ranged with couple of hundred well known people to come down on him si- multaneously for specimen of his hand writing Some of tho demands were very funny. Edmund Clarence Stedman's let ter was d good burlesque of the average schoolgirls. Many of the words were un derscored and MT. Clements was tickled with such phrases as my favorite Amer ican author your well known kind ness, etc. Mir Stedman not only solicit ed different kinds of signatures, but want ed a sentiment in Marks handwriting or flow pages from "Roughing It, |" 'sThe Prince Abroad" or "The Innocents and the Pauper" John Hay wrote from Cleve- land, asking Mark to take leisure hour or two and copy for him few hundred lines of "Young's Night Thoughts" and an equal amount from Pollock's "Course of Time" Thomas W. Knox's request came from the Lotus club He had a royal commission from tho king of Siam. he said, for autographs for the kings 259 children, but begged to suggest that the order be filled for 300, as the kings fam fly was increasing. Stephen Fiske wanted a Mark Twain autograph for friend who was going abroad and wished to take it along as mascot, and Mrs Fiske modest ly spelled the name Clements" and solic- tied 160 autographs for a church fair booth.
 H. C. Burner of Puck wanted an auto graph for his 2-wceks old granddaughter, adding, "The little innocent abroad in this strange world of ours will value your gift when she is old enough to appreciate it." Joe Howard, Jr., recalled meeting MT. Clemens 24 years before in front of the New York city hall and appealed for an autograph on that ground. c. O. Buel of The Century wanted humorous article for publication with MT. Clemens sigma ture attached to every paragraph, so that tho 'copy' could be sold to advantage. While Robert Underwood Johnson applied by postal card as follows: Gould you let me have an autograph for lame boy whose mother has interested him in things spiritual by encouraging him to mako an autograph collection to be rallied for at q fair, the proceeds to go to the Society For the Suppression of Toy Pistoisf"
 Mark gave his prosecutors something of fright in return. He published an inter- view in which he stated that he intended to make up pamphlet of their letters, with various humorous and satircal anno- tations of his own, have it illustrated and issue it in suitable form for sale at the ncwsstands and on the railroad trains. The profits, ho declared, he should pocket entirely himself, and if he found, when tho book was ready for tho printer, that 1t did not seem sensational enough to catch tho public fancy he would enlarge it by tho addition of lot of the private letters ho had received from time to time from thcsc ladies and gentlemen, dressed up with cmendations from his own pen which would mako them more spicy. He never carried out his threat, however. Kate Fields WaSbinQtOn