Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-11-06
Chicago Chronicle.

Chicago Chronicle.
1t was in the Office of the Courier. a
small paper printed In Hannibal Mo-, that
Samuel L. Clemens MARK Twain) began
to earn his own living some five and forty
years ago. 1t may be that young Sam,
even at that early stage of what was des-
tined to be a remarkable career, dreamed
of fame and fortune yet to come, but If
he did 1T was while he was busily engaged
in something more practical. For the du-
ties of the future noted humorist in those
days were numerous and varied. They In
cluded milking the EDITORS COW, cutting
his wood, building fires, sweeping out the
office and all the various small and dirty
jobs that fall to the lot of the devil in a
country print shop. In the same office at
that time was a compositor named Van
De Lashmutt ''just out of his time" and
still in his teens. Mr.. Lashmutt is now a
well-to-do mining operator of Spokane.
Wash. This early life of the humorist and
some Of his strange adventures as re-
porter on the Enterprise of Virginia City,
New, during the early days of the mining
excitement are thus entertainingly told
for the first time by Mr.. De Lashmutt:
During his apprenticeship on the Cour-
fer Clemens had to board in the family or
the editor and proprietor, who lived well
out in the suburbs of the town, and In the
morning was supposed to milk the cow
and cut enough wood for the day while
waiting for his breakfast, whichem must on
week days be served in time for the men
to get to their work by o'clock He had
to get to the Office little earlier to sweep
out, build the fire, bring in bucket or
two of water, and later on to cut and
bring in sufficient firewood to last over the
following day. The arrival of the stage
was Samuel's opportunity. 1t was the on
ly bright spot in his monotonous routine
work, for It gave him an opportunity to
go to the postofice and frequently wait
for two or three hours until its arrival.
In the meantime he had to tell every other
man he met about what time to come
around in order to catch the editor in his
office. When not thus engaged he usually
found time to play little ball or a game
of marbles with his chummies.
after 9 O'Clock in the morning when
the actual work of the day began, he
was kept alternating between his case
I'm the office, where he was undergoing the
rudimentary lessons of learning TO SET
type, and the nearest saloon, whittier he
went at intervals in quest Of the editor
I'm order to get more copy or at the re-
quest of some subscriber; or more likely
someone with bill to collect, who would
always sit down in the editors sanctum
and look over the exchanges while he
was bringing him. This latter task was
no easy matter anu CdAeu LUZ a 5OOA NC~
| of diplomacy, for the editor was sure to
be in the midst of a game Of pool OF
! cards, or standing up at the bar with q
PARTY of friends endeavoring to show them
why it was that Thomas Jefferson was
entitled to the honor of being called the
| father of democracy or why Andrew
Jackson was justified in annulling the
bank act.
I'm the meantime he had to stand de-
, murely by and await his opportunity to
speak to the editor without disturbing
him; had to catch the eye at the end OF
| the game or after a round of drinks Oh
at the end of a sentence, and II frequent
" took him an hour or two to get his
man. It was thus that his duties caused
him to be regarded in the community as
| a sort of a private secretary to the edi'
| tor. and people would hand him theil
| correspondence and say to him: Now
sonny. II you win get the old man Il
| publish this I'll buy you new Barlow
knife with horn handle etc. Advertise
ments were most generally handed to him
for the reason that they were more GER