The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-11-30
The Father of sMark TiOdin, |
 He Was q Justice tn Missourii

~Wonder to me that the fellows that 1oli6ht 70 much in writing stories 4bont Mark Twain never give 2 Ghought to Sam's father. John M. Glenn ooa. remarked Col John l. RoBards yearp his junior. the other day. Jus t1ce Clemens stoood high in Hannibal d . most conscientious magistrate and man Of unusually good sense. He vas studious and took his position with much seriousness.
 tMost case then ended in the ,squire'l court which was e tribnnal of import ance. Justice Clemens .righted things outside of court as well as In 1t when the emergency demanded it. Two iiti- gants. after decision by the justice went away quarreling. once in the street. they went from words to blows then clincned and soon were rolling each other hs the dirt. Justice Clcm- ems picked up his gavei and hurried outside. There he tapped each of the con1batants on the head and command edpeace. The fighters looked up. and, terrified at the sight of court that might be in session anywhere. they let go of each other, apologized to the jus tioe and went taeir way.
 "That iilustrates the man He was quick to act and generally was In the Tight.
 s1n Is4i. soon after coming from Florida to Hannibal with his fam fly. John Clemens was member of a jury in the Circuit Court fhat found three men guilty of stealing slaves and fixed their punishment ut twelve years In the penitentiary. Tne case became historic. George Thompson. James Burr. and Alanson Work came from Quincy Into Missouri and conferred with some slaves working near the month of the Fabius River. The plan was to meet the negroes on certain night and escort them to libery. The negroes agreed to the plot. but told their masters. who arranged to capture the liberators. This was done with the aid of the slaves who we're to be freed and the slaves actually guarded and prevented from escaping the three mon who had come to iiberate them. The populace was mucn angered over the matter. of men coming from ari- other State into Missouri to run, off slaves and the prisoners came near to. being lynched The defendants were indicted for grand larceny, tried be- fore Judge Mcbride. and all found guilty. Before long. howeyery. the Governor pardened them.. -.
 sar4
 Colonel RoBards hasa number of legal instruments executed by Justice Clemens and bearing his signature: :: They are written in careful. easily read hand. he unmistakabie work of the ccholar.
 Justice Clemens's office building stands today on Bird Street between Main Street and the river. just as 1t did In the '40s. with the exception of a possible coat of paint now and then. This is the office to which the body of . murdered man was taken one night. to await Justice clemens's officiai in- vestigatfon the next day. ..Sam' fAark Twain ) hadn't been notified about the sinister guest in his fathers of- flee. and, as 1t happened. he had been resolved to sleep in the office rather han to arouse the family at home, with consequences that experience had taught him to dread. So he turned In on the lounge in his fathers office, un- til yagrant moonbeams revealed his whereupon he left, taking the window sash along.
 Tn front of the justices offIce Is a gutter of a sort that may have been quite an improvement when the nineteenth century was wearing short dresses. Across from the office. southeast. is the lumberyard. with scarcely the change of stick, where raids were planned and the loot di- vfded in the darkness of the night.
 Looking up Bird Street from the river, 1t Is difficult to see where any notions of paving or buiid- Ing have marred the civic system of Tom Sawyer's and Huek Films day On the corner of Main street Is a two-story frame building with imita- tion Grecian columns. huted and sur mounted with mock capstones. This make-beiieve grandeur adorns the old building on both sides that are exposed to view when Mark Twain was here on his last visit he remarked to George Malian. the attorney with whom he was standing in the heart of his old play district:
 we boys could understand in dim way why he might want to put on aira by having those phony pillars run up there. but 1t was quite beyond us to. imagine why he'd go to the extraordi-, nary expense of fiuting 'em.",
 The humorist nesitaated moment and then, reching Into his pocket. pulled out some change and regarded itl thougftfuily. Then selecting guar ter. he went into the store and bough t H pound or ulIXoQ canuief. He came out and offered the package to bis friends.
 T can say now. with truta,'' he re- that I've been buying candy at that shop sixty years. Used to go there when was boy, you know"
 The people of Hannibal have not given up hope that Sam--they all. call him that here-will come back to them. Out in beautiful Mount Olivet Ceme- tery, lordly hill, overlooking the Mis- sissippi River. and the counties of Pike and Rails, is a stone chapel, faced with ivy All about 1t are frs and ever greens; the carpet of grass is soft and veivety. In that chapel. fastened to the far end by wire. Is an old-fashIoned fiat tombstone. On 1t is this inscrlp- tion:
 Passed On rf
 JOHN M. CLEMENS,
 Born In Campbell County, I
 Virginia.
 August II, 179S Died