The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-04-22

OF the layman would be that he had
weakened his heart by overhaul gence
in tobacco. Doctor Halsey said tonight
that he was unable to predicate that
the angina pectoris from which Mark
Twain died was in any way a sequel TO
nicotine poisoning. Some constitutions.
he said. seem immune to the effect of
tobacco. This was one of them.
Longed for a Smoke
Yet it is true that since his illness
began the doctors had cut down Mark
TWain's daily allowance of 20 cigars
and countless pipes 10 four cigars a
day.
No privation was a greater sorrow to
him. He tried to smoke on the steam
er while returning from Bermuda, and
only gave il up because he was too
feeble to draw on his pipe. On his
deathbed, when he had passed the point
Of speech and il was no longer certain
his ideas were lucid, he would make the
motion Of waving a cigar and smil-
ingly eXpel the air from under the mus
tache still stained with smoke.
Where Mark Twain chose to spend
his declining years was the first out
post Of Methodism in New England and
it was among the hills of Redding that
General Putnam Of Revolutionary fame
mustered his sparse ranks. Putnam
park now incloses the memory of his
camp.
Mark Twain first heard of it at the
dinner given him on his SEVENTEEN
birthday when a fellow guest who
lived there mentioned its beauties and
added that there was a vacant house
adjoining his own.
Il think you may buy that old house
for me-" Mark Twain said.
Loved a Good Listener
Sherwood Place was the delectable
name Of that old house, and where it
stood Mark Twain reared the white
walls of the Italian villa he first named
Innocents at Home, but a first expert
ence of what New England winter
storm can be in its whitest fury quickly
caused him to christen it anew Storm
field.
In this retreat the innocent at home
loved 10 wander in his white f1annels
for gossip with his neighbors. They
remember him best as one who, above
al things, loved a good listener, for
Mark was mighty talker. stored with
fairy tales for the little maids he
stalwart masculine ears. 1t is a leg
end that he was vastly proud Of his
famous mop of white hair, and used
10 spend the pains Of court lady in
getting il to just the proper stage of
artistic disarray.
DIED OF BROKEN HEART
Last summer the walks began to
falter; last fall they ceased for good.
The death of II. II. Rogers, a sclose
friend, was \ severe blow. The death
Of his daughter. Jeane. who was seized
with an attack Of epilepsy last fall
while in her bath, was another blow
from which he never recovered. 1t
was then that the stabbing pains in the
heart began. Mark Twain died. as
truly as II can be said of any man, of
= broken heart.
The last bit Of literary work he did
was Z chapter of his unfinished auto
biography describing his daughter
Jesnes death He sought diversion in
Bermuda. where he was the guest of
the American vice consul. William II.
Allen, whose young daughter, Helen,
acted as amsnuensis for what few let
tiers he cared TO dictate.
The burial will he in the family plot
81 Elmira. \. Y, where lie already his
wife his two daughters.f Susan and
Jeane and his infant son, Langhorn. No
date has Yet been set, as the family is
still undecided whether there shall be
public fUners in this CifV