Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1897-04-28
TWAIN AS A REPORTER.
The First PEN Name Used by the Humor
LIST Was Josh"

/ when he commenced to write for
Joe Goodman's Territorial Enter
prise in Virginia City, New, about
1868, as correspondent from Esme-
ralda district, where he mined for a
living, was Josh. The fun and hui
NOR that bubbled up in his letters
tickled the Washoeites and made
the paper sought after. They sent
for him, and he came, gladly relin-
gushing the pick and shovel, the
windlass and the bucket, for the
journalists pen. Mr.. Clemens came
to Virginia City dressed in the usual
garb of miner, we'll worn at that,
and demeaned himself with all a
miners freedom. He had also, in a
greater degree than subsequently,
the exceptional drawl in his speech
which he chose to consider one fac
| tor in the sum of his distinctive in
.dividuality. He took readily to re
porting the varying fortunes of the
mining community and strengthen
ed the writing force on The Enter
prise materially, while at the same
time availing himself of legitimate
opportunities to acquire feet in
the Comstock and shares in different
outlying mines. He was accounted
quite rich in this kind of property
at one time. With liberal remunera-
ton for his work, his personal APP
pearance rapidly improved, and he
grew to be a swell in mild way,
besides cleaner in speech as we'll as
in dress.
Becoming dissatisfied with his pen
name Josh, he changed it to Mark
Twain, by which at the present day
he is known in the literature of the
world.
About 1864 Mr.. Clemens came to
San Francisco. 1t cannot be said he
made many friends in Nevada.
There were some who affected his
company on account of his writings,
but he had not the faculty OF. win
ming friendship. Before he arrived
in the city he had accumulated, as
before stated, good deal of money,
every silver of which he sunk in
Hale & Norcross. Then he took up
the burden of literary life again
He wrote San Francisco letters to
his old paper, The Territorial Enter
prise, and for some real or fancied
cause attacked the local police so
persistently and fiercely that Mar
tin g. J. Burke, who was chief Of
the force at the time, brought a suit
for libel against the paper. Such
enyenomed communications as Mr..
Clemens wrote on this subject have
rarely been penned. They made the
official equanimity of the old city
hall boil like a caldron Of asphaltum,
the fume and stencil being in pro-
portion He also contributed for
Charley Webb (..'Inigo , to The Cal
ifornian for The Golden Era, and
did all sorts of literary work where
by he could turn cent 1t was a
terrible uphill business, and a less
determined man than himself would
have abandoned the struggle ard
remained at the base Mr.. Clemens
was at Steamboat Springs, New, for
his health, when the letter was
written offering him place on The
Call. He came down shortly after,
but judging from his appearance
fortune had been playing seurvy
tricks with him in the interim. With
out doing the gentleman any injus-
tice it can be freely stated that al
though at the time a good general
writer and correspondent, he made
but an Indifferent reporter. He only
played at itemizing.
Considering his experience in the
mountains, he had an inexplicable
aversion to walking, and in putting
his matter on paper he was, to use
his own expression, slower than
the wrath to come" Many funny
and characteristic incidents occur
red during his few months stay on
The Call. He only wanted to remain
long enough, he said, when he en-
gagged to go to work, to make a
stake, = but on leaving his purse
was no heavier than when he came.
The most notable thing he did that
can now be recalled was philippe
against some undertaking employ
ees, where the morgue happened to
be, for the deadhouse in those days,
like the old fashioned plan with the
country schoolmistress and the vii
layers, was boarded round, " each
undertaken accommo dating the cor
oner in turn. 1t appears some one
about the place refused to give Mr..
Clemens information or to let him
see the slate, and next morning
he got such a dose, commencing
" these body. snatchers, that a gen
eral apology was Immediately made
by every man in the ablishment.