The Washington herald., 1910-04-22
SKETCH OF MARK TWAIN
SHOWS EVENTFUL CAREER.

the site could be made OF great CONNER
claI importance in the rapidly growing
Western trade. because the branches OF
the Salt River in the fork Of which the
town lay were navlgable 10 that point
from the Mississippi and could be made
navigable much higher up. His failure
10 induce Congress or individuals TO i'm
prove the river discouraged the older
Clemens and in 1888 he moved to Han
nibaI Mo. a fourishing town on the Ms
sissippl about l25 miles above st. Louis /
There Young Clemens learned TO know |
and love the river which has so fire. /
quently and prominently appeared in his /
stories.
At Florida the family had lived in a |
two-room log cabin, ceiled with sawn /
black walnut a somewhat superior habi- /
tation for the place at the time. The
story is told that an hour after Mr.. and
Mrs Clemens had deserted the Florida
cabin with all the household goods and
presumably all the family loaded on COW
cred wagons a neighbor a Mr.. Donald
son. riding past the cabin, heard walls
from within. He Disappointed from his
horse entered the cabin and found young
| Clemens in a cupboard into which he had
crawled. possibly to avoid taking part
| IN the wearisome work Of packing The
youngster was restored TO his parents,
| Mrs. Clemens having overlooked his abb
sence in the worry OF nursing sick baby.
Daughter Owns Piano.
Judge Clemens built in Hannibal its
first two-story house and bought for his
daughter the first piano seen in the little
town. from which it seems reasonable TO
dismiss as unfounded the stories OF Mark
Twain's dire poverty in his youth. Young
Sam was sent TO the village school. and
in vacation was not put 20 work but
allowed 20 explore the Elens, cliffs.
islands. caves and marshy shores Of the
Mississippi. explorations which disclosed
!. mysteries and beauties he made the world
familiar with in Tom Sawyer"
The school Sam attended in Hannibal
was taught and owned by a Miss Lucy
Davis. for the public school was not yet
known there. and the schooluistress IS
reported 10 have had frequent occasion
| 10 cut a hazel switch from among the
many which grew in the school-yard as
an aid 70 induce Master Clemens 70 give
proper heed 10 his studies. He was
taught there the three RS and a little his
tory. and beyond that he had no school
ing.
Al twelve wears OF age Samuel went int,
1.-THE composing room Of the Hanniba
. Weekly Journal 70 learn the printer
trade. and he learned fast. soon becoming
an expert compositor. Also. in the alb
sence Of the editor he set up and smugsle'
into the forms some OF his own writings
among them some verses, but those VIII
had occasion to judge Of the merit o
n these early compositions were not i'm
= pressed. The young printer was advise,
10 stick 10 hts stick and not bother Wit
= the ink bottle.
= He determined that II he must be
prlnter he would be a tramp printer an
II before he was sixteen he had worke
d, in the composing rooms Of newspaper
r. in st. Louis. Cincinnati. Philadelphia, an
A. New York
d, The river called him back. In ISL h
returned 90 Hannibal determined 70 b,
ID come a pilot. or. as it was called. Z
N learn the river" This was not an ine'
70 pensive matter Master pilots demande
3. 500 10 stake a cadet and thoroughly II
IS. struct him in the business Youn
r.. Clemens could not then pay any premium
o. but ne worked for several years with q
sold end in view, making money as
10. printer at times, at times working as
IN clerk on river boats In 1857 he was alb
IS. to satisfy a master pilot OF his ability
pay the $500 fee. and two years later
10 Ihad a pilots license. his first boat beir
IS the Alonzo Child. under Capt. De Haven.
IS In 1861 he enlisted in the Confedera
n army Of Gen. Sterling Price. but after
rs few months he returned 20 st. Louis
N ioin His brother Orrin, who had be-
IS. appointed secretary Of the Territory
on Nevada. end went with his brother as
clerk to Carson City.
Tn in Esmeralda County.e Nevada, ne
the present Goldheld mines. in can
II called Aurora, men were finding rich e
quartz in surface outcroppings and Z
excitement OF this rush" drew Cleme
from his desk in Carson City. The 7
"A nance OF a new mining camp near Z
~ very paak Of the Sierra Nevada address
the svmpathies OF the young adventuT
more than the hard work Of prospect
for nav rock. he made no discover
ITS of importance in mining, but he ma
many accuaintances with stage drive
Gamblers, and bad" men, all of who
appear in "Roughing It."
Goes 10 Nevada.
After year Of rough mining camp l
ION Clemens went to Virginia City, New,
IN civilized camp by comparison, and tool
al place on the Enterprise, a morning da
ma naper On the editorial staff of u
IAN paper were two men who immediate
KY and notably affected Clemens work a
'ay career. one was a gentle, kindly m
known then throughout the Pacific Co
pa only by his pen name Dan de guile
on Guile was a scholar, book man. v
in had drifted to the bleak sides of No,
axe Davidson-who knows why? He WI
cen editorials. serious articles on mining. Z
the quantity humorous stories. These lat
aid her signed with his pen name. He kee
I'M watched the work of the new report
ore soon saw that "the cub" had T
)m- humorous vein and earnestly encourai
him to work il. Another man on the ]
ngs terprise was Dennis Mccarthy. Def
tan that a San Francisco newspaper m
the who had trained into the ways OF ne
of paper work many writer's on far West
ling papers.
ted Mccarthy shared Dan De DULLES ju
eets ment of the new mans special vein.
cry he too drilled him, not oyergently
It the art OF writing entertainingly.
in three became inseparable chums, and
will resources they found for amusement
vers and about Virginia City and their man
OF exploiting those resources furnish
topics Of stories told by oldsters in
+. ginia City to-day.
Four A thrifty German arrived In Virg