Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-07-31
TWAIN AS A REPORTER.
The First Pen Name Used by the hu'h"'-
ist Was josh"


prise in Virginia City, New, about
1868, as correspondent from Esme-
ralda district, where lie mined for q
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 lelin-
gushing The pick and shovel, the
windlass and TIE bucket, for the
journalists pen. Mr. Clemens cnmo
TO Virginia City dressed in the usual
galb of IL miner, well Worn at that,
and deme;Mcd himself with all
miners freedom. He had also, i'll
greater degree than subsequently,
the exceptional dluwl i'll his speech
which he chose to consider one rae
tor in the sum of his distinctive i'll
dividuality. He took readily to re-
porting the varying fortunes OF the
mining community and strengthen
ed the writing force On Tie Enter
prise materially, while at the same
time awaiting himself OF legitimate
oppel tunitics to acquire feet in
the Comstork and shares i'll 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 ap-
pearance rapidly improved, and he
grew to be swell in a mild way,
besides cleaner in speech as well 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 tho faculty of win
ming friendship. Before he arrived
in the city he had accumulated, as
before stated, u good deal of money,
every silver of which he sunk in
Hale G. 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 OF fancied
cause attacked tho local police so
persistently and fiercely that Mar
tin G. j. Burke, who was chief OF
the force at the time, brought suit
for libel against the paper. Such
envenomed communications as Mr..
Clemens wrote ON this subject have
rarely been penned. They made the
official cquanimity of the old city
hall boil like a caldron of asphaltum,
the fume and stencil being in pro-
portion. Ho 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 Il cent. 1t was a
terrible uphill business, and a less
determined man than himself would
have abandoned the struggle and
remained at the base. Mr.. Clemens
was ut Steamboat Springs, New, fol-
his health, when the letter was
written Offering him place on The
Call. Hc came down shortly after
but Judging from his appearance
fortune had been playing scurvy
i tricks with him III the interim. With
out doing the gentleman any injus
tice it can lie freely stated that al
though at the time good genera
writer and correspondent, he made
; but an Indifferent reporter. He only
played ut itcmizing,
Considering his experience in thu
mountains, he had an inoXplicabl'
d. aversion to walking, and in putting
his matter ON paper he was, to u.s.
his own expression, "slower thai
the wrath to come" Many funn.
: and characteristic incidents occur
: red during his few months stay OF
The Call. Ho only wanted to remain
long enough, he said, when he eli
= gagged to go to work, to make :"
stake" but on leaving his pura
T was no heavier than when he CART
The most notable thing he did tina
d can now be recalled WAS philippi
against some undertaking employ
ees, where the morgue happened t
be, for tho dcudhOuso in those days
y like the old fashioned plan with tn
country schColmistrcss ard TIC vi
~ layers. was boarded round, "cuc
undertaken accommodating the COZ
oncr in turn. 1t appears some on
~ about tho place refused 10 give Nj
10 Clemens information or to let hi
M Ice "ihc State" and next m0lnill
w he ct such Il ,:Jsc, commcncin
o "tn, : body snutcbers, y that Il ecI
No eral III ology WIS Immediately mac
10 by svrry man in the establishment
~ The proprietor was east ut the tim
a but when he read the article l
10 riiyci@d, ~ ho confessed afterwar'
% und u"s!dciod his business RUNE
y 81. P,mcna parted from The Ca
:" !. ople on tic most friendly term
Is When it vh. ia. I'D necessary to NAL
the local department. moro ctricien
a admitting rs reportorial shortcol
thls ant' Expressing surprise tn
20 20 they Sere not sooner discovered.
IS Sli Francisco Call.
Is