Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-11-02
MARK Twain,s Debut.

eastern magazine was made over the
name of mike Swain" How it came
abou. he explains in the November
Century.
In those early days l had already
published one little thing ("The Jump
ing Frog'O in an Eastern paper, but
did not consider that that counted.
In my view, a person who published
things in mere newspaper could not
properly claim recognition as a Lit
erary Person; he must rise away
above THAT; he muct appear in mag
azlne. He would then be a Literary
Person, also, he would be famous
right away These two ambitions were
strong upon me. This was in 1866. I
prepared my contribution, and then
looked around for the best magazine to
go up to glory in. l selected the most
important one in New York. The
contribution was accepted. l signed 1t
Mark Twain; fer that name had
some currency on the Pacl1c coast,
and it was my Idea to spread it all
over the world, now lat this one jump.
The article appeared in the December
number and I sat up month waiting
for the January number; f'r that one
would contain the years list cf con-
tr. utors, my name would be in it, and
| should be famous and could give the
banquet l was meditating.
| did not give the banquet. had
not written the Mark Twain" dis
tinctly; it was a fresh name to eastern
printers, and ley put it Mike Swain"
or "MacSwain," l do not remember
which. At any rate, l was not cele-
brated, and did not give the banquet.
was a Literary Person, but that was
ala buried one, buried alive.
My article was about the burning of
the clipper-ship Hornet on the line,
May 8, 1866. There were thlrty-one
men on board at the time, and l was
in Honolulu when the fifteen lean and
ghcstly survivors arrived there after
voyage of forty-three days in an op-
en- boat, through the blazing tropics
on ten days rations of food. A very
remarkable trip; but it was conducted
by captain who was very remark
able man, otherwise there would have
been no survivors. He was a New
Englander of the best sea-going stock
of the old capable times-Captain Jo-
san Mitchell.
was in the islands to write letters
for the weekly edition of the Sacre-
mento Union" a rich and influential
daily journal which hadn't any use
for them, but could afford to spend 500
week for nothing. The proprietors
were lovable and well-beloved men;
long ago dead no doubt, but in me
there is at least one person who still
holds them in grateful remembrance;
fer | dearly wanted to see the islands
and they listened to me and gave mt
the opportunity when there was bu
slender likelihood that 1t could prom
them in any way.
| had been in the islands severa
months when the survivors arrived
was laid up in my room at the time
and unable to walk. Here was grea
occasion to serve my journal, and
not able to take advantage of it. Nee
essarly I was in deep trouble. B!
good luck his EXcellency Arson Burl
ingame was there at the time, ON hi
way to take up his post in China
where he did such good work for tn,
United tates He came and put me oil
a stretcher and had me carried to th
hospital where the shipwrecked mel
were, and never needed to ask a ques
tion. He attended to all that himself
and | had nothing to do but maxi
notes. 1t was like him to take tina
trouble. He was a great man and
great American, and it was his fin
nature to come down from his high of
fee and do a friendly turn wheneve
he could.