The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-25
IDENTITY OF HUCK FINN.
Mark Twain Says Captain Tonkray
Was Not Original of Character.
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Win is Huck Einn7

New York Tribune)
Who is Huck Finn2
From out of the west there came the
from this life in the person of Captain
A. o. Tonkray, who died at Murray,
Ida, from heart failure.
But Tom Sawyer, alias Mark Twain,
alias Samuel L. Clemens, the one man
who really knows who Huck Finn is,
says that the hero of his interesting
book is not dead, that he is now a re-
spected magistrate in a far western
state, but he refuses to divulge his
real name. The report from the west,
which comes in the form of a press
dispatch from Wallace, Ida, said in
substance that Captain Tonkray,
whose death occurred at Murray,
had been a playmate of Mr.. Clemens
in his bOyhoOd days and that he was
the original of Huck Finn, the happy
go-lucky daredevil character whose
adventures did so much to keep Tom
Sawyer in hot water and to make the
pages of the book in which they both
figure such interesting reading.
When Mark Twain, otherwise Sam
ueI L. Clemens, and by many believed
to be the Tom Sawyer of the interest
ing story of which he is the author,
was shown this report at his Fifth
avenue home, in this city, he denied
that he had ever known Captain Ton
krav. and said that he was not the
original of the character in the book.
Asked to tell just who Huck Finn IS,
Mr. Clemens sent to the editor of the
Tribune this note
"21 Fifth Avenue, Feb. 10, 1906.
Dear Sir-I believe that the original
of Huck Finn is still alive. He is
magistrate in a far western state, and
is a respected and espect-wOrthy man.
I do not consider myself privileged to
reveal his name. Truly yours,
"S l. CLEMENS"
In the preface to The Adventures of
Tom Sawyer" Mr.. Clemens wrote:
Most of the adventures recorded in
this book really occurred. one or two
were experiences of my own, the rest
those of boys who were schoolmates of
mine. Huck Finn is drawn from life;
Tom Sawyer also, but not from an in
dividual: he is a combination of the
characteristics of three boys whom l
knew, and therefore belongs TO the
composite order Of architecture.
The same characters also appear in
the later volume "Huckleberry Finn.
Since then the world has been guess
ing who Huck Finn is, and thus far
with moor results. From time to time
reports have been circulated that this
or that man was the original of the
character. but both Tom Sawyer and
Huck Finn have maintained a silence
as complete and effective as II they
had formed a compact like that de-
scribed in Tom Sawyer" when, after
witnessing the murder in the grave
yard at night. they signed a pact, writ
ten on a single in blood pricked from
Toms finger, and reading in this wise;
''Huc< Finn and Tom Sawyer swears
they will keep mum about this and
they wish they may Drop down dead
in their Tracks if they ever tell and
Rot"
Now. why should that worthy west
ern magistrate who really was HuCk
persist in living an obscure life when
he might win worldwide notoriety and
get his picture in the Sunday paper by
revealing his identity? Speak up,
HuckI Hundreds Of thousands Of
warm friends. as vet unknown to you,
are waiting to welcome you.