The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-07-23

FUN o AUTHORS.
Mark Twain's Friends Asked For His Auto
graphs In Wholesale Lots.

merk IWolns FRIENDS ASKED FOR HIS AUTO
graphs In Wholesale Lots.
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 q couple Of hundred well
known people to come down on him ST.
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 Mr.. Clements was tiokled
with u phrases as 'my favorite Amer
lean author, F" your well known kind
nesG, T" etc. Mr.. Stedman not only solicit
ed different kinds of signatures, but want
ed n sentiment in Marks handwriting or
q few pages from ''Roughing 1t, 1.-THE
Prince Abroad or 1.-The Innocents and
the Pauper." John Hay wrote from Cleve.
land, asking Mark to take a leisure hour
or two and copy for him q few hundred
lines of ''Young's Night Thoughts and
nm equal mount from Pollock's Course
of Time" Thomas w. Knox's request
came from the Lotus club. He had a royal
commission from the king of Siam, no
said, for autographs for tho kings 25S
children, but begged to suggest that the
order be filed for 800, as the kings am
lily was increasing. stephen Fiske wanted
q Mark Twain autograph for q friend who
was going abroad and wished to take it
along as a mascot, and Mrs. Fiske modest
ly spelled the name" Clements and solic-
tied 100 autographs for q church fair
booth.
III. 6. Bunner Of Puck wanted an auto
graph for his adwccks-old granddaughter,
adding, Tho 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
Mr.. Clemens "a years before In front of
the Now York city hall and appealed for
nm autograph ON hat ground. G. G.. Buel
OF The Century wanted a humorous article
for publication with Mr.. Clemens sigma
ture attached to every paragraph, so that
tho copy could DO sold to advantage.
While Robert Underwood Johnson applied
by postal card as follows: Gould you let
mo have an autograph for q lame boy
whose mother has Interested him I'm things
spiritual by encouraging him to make an
autograph collection to be rallied for mt a
fair, the proceeds TO go TO the Society For
the Suppression Of Toy PistolsP"
Mark gave his prosecutors something of
q fright In return. He published an inter
Wow In which he stated that no intended
to make up a pamphlet of their letters,
with various humorous m s~atirical ammo
tations of his own, have IL illustrated and
issue 10 In suitable form for sale nc the
pcwsstands and on tho railroad trains.
The profits, no declared, he should pocket
entirely himself, and II ne found, when
the book was ready for tho printer, that it
did not seem sensational enough to catch
the public fancy he would enlarge it by
tho addition Of a lot Of the private letters
no had received ron time to tire from
these ladies and gentlemen, dressed up
with cancellations from his own pen which
would make them moro spicy. lie never
carried out his threat, however. Kate
Eeld's Washington