The San Francisco call., 1896-05-17
'.'.N1~Z US
- e o.
American public little know
how near they came TO losing Mark
Twain, their greatest humorist,
N by his becoming a pocket-miner

ana II 1t had not been for heavy
rain the probabilities are that Twain would
to-day be still panning out on Jackass
Hill. 1t was close by this famous mining
camp that the humorist got his jumping
frog story, which brought bim promi-
nently before the public as writer. AS the
incidents leading up to his celebrity as
writer are extremely humorous in them
selves, and as they have never been writ
ten, l will take this occasion 10 set them
before the public.
Mark had been reporting on the San
Francisco CALL, and becoming tired of
newspaper work he thought he would try
the mines. Accordingly he dropped into
Jackass Hill, Tuolumne County. and got
acquainted with Jim Gillis, then as we'll as
now leading miner. He found ellis
kindred spirit, and the two formed
partnership. Gillis, who is noted as a
raconteur, never tires of telling how funny
Twain was
He SAYS the humorlst was never more
funny than when angry. AFTER 1 had in
structed Mark in the mysteries of pocket
mining" says Mr.. Giliis, 1--WE went into
partnership in a claim on what is now
known as Thompsons Hill. One cold
winter morning, when gold, grub and
everything else had run very short, we
went to work. l had dug out two pans OF
dirt and got a very good prospect when
heavy rain came on. To this was added a
cold north wind. One an Gever appre-
ciate how cold it is panning out on
morning like that unless he has had the
actual experience. Twain stood by squeal-
ing like a stuck pig about the colo
weather. 'Oh, come, jim, let's go homei
there's nothing in the = ground any
l. I hal s,,c$ duo y,nt 40 n
and had started to wash II when he began
to below again, and this time threw the
dirt out on the side of the hill and started
for home with him.
at continued TO rain for four days, and
we did not go back to the claim, taking
trip to Angels Camp shortly after. At
that time mining location was only good
for one month If it was not worked. The
pan Of dirt that l threw on the hillside
was washed out by the rain, and 1t con-
tanned five ounces OF gold. Two Austrlans
came along that way, saw 1t and waited a
month for our notice to run out, relocated
il and took out SO, 600 in two days. Thus
you will see how near Mark came to get
ting pocket and becoming a pocket-miner.
shortly after this we started from Muir
phys Camp for Angels. An hour after We
started it became very dark and began to
rain in torrents. We had only gone
short way when We discovered we were on
the wrong road by running into pile OF
brush. We retraced our steps TO the road
we had left and there discovered two roads.
LAS there were good many brush roads
in that country at the time, we agreed to
separate, each taking a different road, and
as soon as one discovered his TO be the
main road he was TO notify the other by
hollering. In a short time l heard
Twain's voice calling me. l went back
and took his road. When l got up to
where he was he was seated on fence,
surrounded by a lot OF dogs, barking and
IL \ don't tall
found an Italian vegetable garden. The
men of the ranch followed their dogs out,
but as none of them could speak English
it did not benefit US uny. l actually think
they took US for robbers. When L asked
Twain to come on to the other road he
would not stir, but sat there and cursed
the United States Government for allow
ing anybody to come here who could not
talk the English language. Although he
sat there in a heavy rain, bowling like
coyote against the G vernment, foreigners
and everything pertaining to foreigners,
throughly enjoyed it and even forgot the
rain. We finally found the road and got
to Angels a little before II o'clock, but all
efforts 10 divert Twain's mind from any
thing else but the Government and those
non nglish-speaking Italians were futile.
I'VE were nicely tucked in a warm bed
in Angels but short time when the fire.
bells began to ring for New Years day.
Now, Sam l said, let's exchange keep
sakes.' Well, all I've got is button, he
said. He handed me the button and L
gave him dime. Many years after | re-
Ceiyed u letter from him stating that he
still retained my keepsake; but l always
had suspicion that it went over the bar
the next morning. 1t was here Clemens
got his jumping-frog story, and it actually
occurred. 1t was in the leading hotel
there that frog-iumping match was ar
ranged, while one of the participants
loaded his opponents frog with shot.
we had an eccentric character on the
hill named Jack Joyce. Jacks eccen
tricity frequently crossed the border line
and finally resulted in positive insanity;
but he was regarded kindly by the little
community OF pocket-miners, and his
many escapades were only laughed at, no
one thinking that possibly he might be
dangerous character. Jack was a firm be-
lever in witches and spirits and the occult
knowledge OF birds and animals, and
hater of every man whom he thought pos
sessed more intelligence than himself;
and one of his stereotyped remarks, made
in all earnestness. was that such and such
man was too smart to live Jack had a
thorough contempt for the recognized
mode of searching for pockets and placed
his dependence on the guidance of spirits
and jaybirds and Jacobs "a little black
woodpecker who gets his name from his
peculiar cry of Jacob JacobpJ.
lone day Jack notified one OF his friends,
Dick Stoker that he had received a COM
bined pointer from Jayb and a Jacob,
and was sure of striking a handsome
pocket OF gold. So he shouldeTed his
pick, pan and shovel and started for his
hidden treasure. An hour or two later
Jack was observed stirring up painful of
earth and quartz in the large 'panhole'
which was the common property of the
miners on the hill. Shortly he was heard
10 give whoop and to sing out with the
whole strength OF his lungs, Struck it !
And he had, for in the bottom of his pros
pecting-pan lay three or four ounces of
shining gold. He deposited his find in an
empty oyster-can and rushed back to his
diggings for another pan of dirt.
''In the panhole a little spring frog had
made his home, and as he was a very
Teticent frog and frog that minded his
own business and never interfered with
that of others he was never disturbed by
the miners, but was allowed to enjoy his
little life in peace and comfort.
When Jack got back with his second
nf dirt Ihp frog eli ~