Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-11-27
MARK TWAIN'S DEBUT.
How the Famous Fun-Maker Became
"a Literary Person."


Mark Twain's first appearance in an
Eastern magazine was made over the
name of Mark Swain" How it came
about he explained in the Century
Magazine:
In those days I had already pub
lished one little thing C"The Jumping
Frog) in an Eastern paper, but | did
not consider that that counted. In
my views, a person who published
things in a mere newspaper could not
properly claim recognition as a liter
ary person; he must rise away above
that; he must appear in a magazine.
He would then be a literary person;
also, he would be famous-right away
These two ambitions were strong up
on me. This was in 1866. | prepared
my contribution, and then looked
around for the best magazine to go to
glory in. | selected the most import
ant one in New York. The contribu-
tion was accepted. | signed it Mark
Twain" for that name had some cur
rency on the Pacific coast, and it was
my idea to spread it all over the world
now, at this one jump. The article
appeared in the December number,
and | sat up month waiting for the
January number; for that one would
contain the years list of contributors,
my name would be in it and | would
be famous and could give the banquet
l was meditating.
| did not give the banquet | had
not written the Mark Twain distinct
ly; it was a fresh name to the eastern
printers, and they put it Mike Swain"
or "MacSwain," | do not remember
;nl, > n1n
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 3, 1866. There were thirty
men on board at the time, and | was
in Honolulu when the fifteen lean and
ghostly survivors arrived there after
a voyage of forty-three days in an
open boat, through the blazing tropics,
on ten days rations of food. A very
remarkable trip; but it was conducted
by captain who was remarkable
man, otherwise there would have been
no survivors. He was a New England
er of the best sea-going stock of the
old capable timeS-Captain Josiah
Mitchell.
was Ill lut lSlCIu W Wlltt ltllSlo
for the weekly edition of the Sacra-
mento Union, a rich and influential
daily journal which hadn't any use for
them, but could afford to spend twenty
dollars week for nothing. The pro-
prietors were lova5le and well-beloved
men; long ago dead, no doubt, but in
me there is one person who still holds
them in grateful remembrance; for
/ dearly wanted to zee the islands, and
they listened to ne and gave me the
opportunity when there was but slen-
der likelihood that it would profit
them in any way.
had been in the islands several
months when the survivors arrived. |
was laid up in my room at the time
and unable to walk. Here was great
occasion to serve my journal, and |
not able to take advantage of it..
Necessarily | was in deep trouble. But
by good luck his E,xcellency, Anson
Burlingame, was there at the time, on
his way to take up his post in China,
where he did such good work for the
United States. He came and put me
on a stretcher and had me carried to
the hospital where the shipwrecked
men were, and | never needed to ask
a question. He attended to all that
himself, and | had nothing to do but
make the notes. It was like him to
take that trouble. He was a great
man and great American, and it was
in his fine nature to come down from
his high office and do friendly turn
whenever he could.