The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-06
DANISH WEST INDIES.
What Mark Twain Wrote About Them
Thirty-FOur Years Ago.

Omana bee.
The Danish West India islands. about to
transfer their sovereignty to the United
States, were the object of extended negotia-
tons having the same end in view over
thirty years ago. Mark Twain was the
Washington correspondent of the New York
Tribune in 1867, when the question of pur-
chase was under consideration and wrote
several letters ridiculing the proposition.
One of these letters, dated Dec. 10, 1861 is
a characteristic Jolly and serves to show
the change public sentiment has undergone
in a third of a century.
Under the heading Information Want
ed" Twain wrote:
Gould you give me any information re-
specting such islands, if any, the gov
eminent is going to purchase?
1T is an uncle of mine that wants to
know. He is an industrious man and well
disposed, and wants TO make living in an
honest, humble way, but more especially he
wants TO be quiet and transformations. He
has been to many of the new isands-St.
Thomas-but he says he thinks things are
unsettled there.
He went down there early with an at
tache of the State Department, who was
sent down with money to pay for the
island. My uncle had his money i'm the
same bank. and so, when they went ashore.
getting a receipt, the sailors broke open
the box and took all the money, not MAX
ing any distinction between the government
stolen. and my uncle's, which was his own
private property, and should have been re-
spected.
But he came home to get some more and
went back. And then he took the fever.
There were seven kinds of fever down
there, you know, and. as his blood was out
of order by reason of loss of sleep and gem
eral wear and tear of mind he failed TO
cure the first fever. and then somehow he
got the other six. He is not a kind of man
that enjoys feverS, though he is well mean
does what 10 IL
right. So he was a good deal annoyed
when II appeared that he was going TO die.
But he worried through and got we'll and
started a farm: He fenced it in, and the
next day that great storm came and
washed the most Of il over to Gibraltar. or
around there somewhere He only said in
his patient way that it was gone and he
couldn't bother about trying TO find ii and
where ii went to. though it was his opinion
that it went to Gibraltar
Then he invested in a mountain, and
started a farm up there, so as to be OUT of
the way when the sea came ashore again.
Ii was good mountain and "A good farm,
but il wasn't any use-an earthquake came
the next night and shook it all down. 1t
was all fragments, you know. and so mixed
up with another mans property that he
could not tell which were his fragments
without going to law and he would not DO
that. because his main object i'm going TO
ST. Thomas was 10 be quiet All that he
wanted was 10 settle down and be quiet.
He thought il all over and finally con-
cluded TO try the low ground again esDe-
cially as he wanted TO start a brick ward
this time. He bought a fiat and put out
10000 brick TO dry preparatory TO baking
them But luck appeared To he against
him. A volcano showed itself through there
that night and elevated his brick 1000 feet
in the air. 1t irritated him a good deal file
has been up there and says the brick are
all baked right enough. but he can't get
them down. At first he thought maybe the
government would get the brick down for
him, because the government bought the
island il ought 10 protect the property when
a has invested in good faith; but
all he wants is quiet, so he is not going 10
apply for the subsidy he was thinking
about.
"He went back there last week I'm a
couple of ships of war to prospect around
the coast for safe place for farm. where
he could be quiet, but another earthuua ke
came and hosted both Of the ships out into
one of the interior counties and he came
near losing his life. So he has given up
prospecting I'm a ship and is discouraged
We'll, now he don't know what to do
He has tried Walrussia ALASKA had Just
been bought of Russia), but the bears kept
after him so much and kept him so on the
Jump, as il were that he had 10 leave the
country. He could not be quiet there. with