Evening star., 1900-10-16
MARK TWAlMS RETURN
FAMOUS HUMoRIsT LANDS IN NEW
YORK.
Had Been Absent Nine Years - He
Talks Of His Experiences


The New York worff of today says: ~
was a tight squeeze for Mark Twain. A
few minutes more and the good ship Mime
haha. which brought Bausvel Clemens over
the ocean after nine years residence abroad.
would not have been allowed to land at her
pier last night. But she was docked at the
foot Of King street few minutes after ~
o'clock. and the halest, ruddiest, heartiest.
most cheerful passenger who stepped down
the gang plank was Mark Twain. humorlst
aged sixty-five.
There was the familiar bushy hair, the
twinkling, semi-mysterious eyes. the pecu-
liar drawing voice. half Yankee. half south
ern, the low rundown collar OF the west
and the immaculate. shiny silk hat ana
long frOck coat OF the effete east. lie
looked as young as he did twenty years
ago. and younger than he did when ne
shook American dust OF his feet in 1891.
Mr.. Clemens will spend the winter in New
York and go to his old home in Hartford.
Conn. next spring. He registered at the
Darlington. West 9th street last night
where he expects to make hts home for the
winter.
are solemn in everyday life. 1t was with
joke that Mr.. Clemens made his way
down the gang plank, escorting Mrs. Glenn
ems and the Misses Clemens. Clara and
mo, didn't get off on the other side OF
the boat he said to the people there to
greet him. and impatient because he
nearly the last one off. dozen hands were
extended toward him and he shook them
heartily in return. Then the reporters sur
rounded him.
An Anti-Imperialist Now.
Are you going to stay here now. MIR.
Clemens?"
Il guess So" replied the author This is
a pretty good place. Pm going to stay in
New York all winter. anyway. and I'm go
Ing up to Hartford in the spring. Tnats
the best place in the world"
Are you going to vote there7'
Now you've got me. l don't know. i
pay taxes there. but I've been away for
You've been quoted here as an anti-im-
perialist.''
well. I am. A year ago / wasn't /
thongnt IT would be great thing to give
q whole lot Of freedom to the Filipinos. but
L guess now that It's better to let them give
1t to themselves. Besides, on looking over
.he treaty l see we've got to saddle the
irlars ana their churches. l guess We don't
want to-
Then you're for Bryan7'
NO, LIN a mugwump, and a mugwump
mas TO make up his mind before he votes.
And l guess they won't let me vote So
won't have to make up my mind But IN
know lot more about that the day after
tomorrow"
II you get vote. pwll you cast your
II guess not. I'm rather inclined toward
Mck kinley, even If he is ran. imperialist But
don't ask political questions. for all know
ABOUT them Is from the English papers"
May Run for'1'resident.
Then you haven't made up your mind
about the presidency2"
mo, l may run as an independent candi-
date myselfr' - eo.1f
Asked about the autobiography which
he Is writing to be published one hundred
years hence. Mr.. Clemens declared that it
must be taken seriously
isn't 1T all joker '/h
That's just ft-a joker Never. When
ever want to tell the truth people think
m lying, and whenever I lie there's some
BODY BODY sure to think that I'm talking gospel
truth. Some people write facts that are
taken for fiction, but whenever I write
hcIon It's taken for truth. This time I'm
writing facts, and everybody thinks It's
going to be fiction. Anyway, there'll be a
lot about people Of today that other people
will read when they and we are all dead"
Mark Twain. however, hasn't finished
writing for the present generation. He
said last night that he had couple Of
books under way and several ma gazine
articles.
But I'll never lecture again." he added,
IF ! can help it. Major Pond offered me
IOT nlgnt But m getting old,
and 1t meant travelling ell over the United
States during the winter. and 1 got out OF
It, But l expect to keep writing right
along
Doesn't Owe a Dollar.
There was one thing to which he refer
red proudly. He doesn't owe dollar In
the world. When the firm Of Webster g.
Company went to the wall five years ago.
Mr.. Clemens was found to be involved with
Nha 6r,, ho1
II resolved" said he last night, "to clear
1t up in three years. l did 1t in two years
and a half. l started the latter part of
1895 and finished in the early part of 1893
IN clear now"
Mr.. Clemens ran briefly over his abid-
ing places for the last nine years. He left
New York on June &. 1891, spent the sum-
mer at Aix-le-Baines, wintered in Berlin
and spent three months on the Rivera after
an attack of lung fever. The baths at
Frankfort and a house in Florence took
UP his time till 1893. There he wrote Joan
of Arc" and finished "Pudd 'nhead Wilson"
Then there We're two years in France,
where his daughters learned French.
I'm still learning French was their
fathers plant.
There was fleeting visit to America in
1895 and then lecture trip to Sidney and
other Australian places where he was we'll
received. India, Ceylon, Mauritius. Della
goa bay-he found himself in Pretoria in
the spring Of 1896.
Cheereu the PrfsOnefS.
II had read all about old Kruger and he
was just like what I'd read-silk hat, old
pipe and everything. There had just then
been the trouble in the Transvaal. The
Jameson raiders were all In Jail went
down and looked them over. Then gave
them little talk. I told them that they
were In just as good jail as any other.
tried to impress upon them that they were
just as well of there as rowing about and
getting into some other Jail. 1 told them
that some Of the best books In the world
had been written in Jail.
II informed them that Pilgrims Prog
ress' would never have been written If John
Bunyan hadn't beeen locked up in Jail: and
1 asked them II Don Quxote' would ever
have been produced II Cervantes hadn't
been jailed / tried to- cheer them up by
telling them that many men had spent
their entire lives withoAt having had such |
an experience. L guessssome of these Eng
lishmen are just seeing the Jtpke."
Afterward Mr.. Clemens Went to England,
where he took g. house In sGuilford. Then |
he went to Vienna and hts daughter took
music lessons 80 D.. .Is
Are you going tooostays here now for
goodT 1i- areo.k uu4f ~.
WELL" whispered Mr. Clemens. II told
my friend, Col. Bass.s .whD's on the boat,
that If i once 1ot ashore again IN tina