The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-04-22
2eIiabIe Accounts Solicited.

Of lu,VUU Souls LpE "IaL SNNAfAN~ ~
them a land OF brighter promise. They
settled at Florida, hamlet. described
Try tnE author IN taver years az the
settlement that Just divides the desert
from the town"
1t was there that the future Mark
Twain was born, and here il was also
that he first encountered that CAPRI
cious fate. which at the age of three
years foretoId the anomalies OF MS
esFeef.-=-----
His father, an absent-minded soul
wary OF the scant opportunities al
faraea by his reund!Ess-mtz-ated
from Florida without thought of the
little human baggage who laughed and
eooed in the delightful occupation OF
raud-pie baking In the sun-bathed
garden, oblivious to the Disappearance
Of the household cavalcade across the
sky line. Two or three hours later a
relative found the eomplacent young
! ster, overlook the parents on the
wagon road to Hannibal, and remind
| ed them Ia no uncertain terms OF the
7 consequences of such carelessneda-
! Who knows but this incident was the
( turning point in little Samuefs life
] the Influence that set in motion that
4 rernorseless pendulum of fate?
/ The father served for some years
/ as magistrate In Hannibal. was elect
/ ed county judge, but died in 1S47
! without assuming office, His death
marked the end of the youths syste-
matte education, which had previous
ly been indifferent, owing to his I'M
certain health,
A brothers print shop became his
4 high school. At intervals, shortly
after he was twelve years old. he edit
ed the little newspaper to the amaze
mcnt CT the subscribers and the dis
comfiture of the elder brother. whose
responsibility az publisher bore the
brunt of hostile complaints against
the personal Journalism" 6f the 3uTe-
nileg
fished From River.
Time and again in leisure hours lht
boy was fished out OF the river al
most drowned, but the fond mother
out of her utter confidence in his
future, would remark each time. al
; Is no matter. one who is born 70
be hanged is surely safe in the water.
Stricken with "a sudden 1T OF in
herited Wanderlust, young Clemens
disappeared from Hannibal in 1853. Bs
this time he was accounted ut itin.
Grant typesetter. BY dint of hard
work and the saving OF money fol
travelling expenses he saw the world!
fair at New York and visited all tn,
eastern cities, but was finally com
PEELED. hy financial stress. to seek cove
near home.
At keokuk he apprenticed himsei
to Captain Bixhy to learn the intinit
mysteries OF steamboat plotting. Thos
were the DAYS when the wheeimen o
Mississippi river packets were at
counted princes Their dress was a
I'd once the joy and perplexity OF tn
Ffkt la
fought their way by a singular code o
honor up and down the mystic river
: famed for Its capricious habit %
: changing beds over night. In Ton
! Sawyer" "Huckleberry Finn" "Pud
u din Head WILSON, and Life on tn
Mississippi" which came from his PEI
Z in later years. every incident OF thi
u vanishing estate is dwelt upon loving
: ~.
In the midst of this phase of hi
y career the civil was declared, an
born of alave-holding parents, Tn
e youth piioted his boat through tn
. blockades to the north and Joined tn
= Confederate army, This army ex
perience lasted two weeks, when h
S resigned. assigning the Gauge to 'in
q capacity by fatigue through persisten
s retreating"
n Returning to Hannibal he joine
HIS brother, Orion, who had accepte
II the appointment as first secretary q
e the new teri TRY of Nevada. SnmuS
n accepted the private secretaryshiI
n which his brother explained was -
q good job. with nothing to do and II
,r salary
" At Virginia City young Ciemen
amused himself by writing letters t
Il. the VifGinia city Territorial Ente;
~ prise, anu was finally engaged as legis
latiye correspondent at Carson Cit,
TO these letters he first signed tn
name Marx Twain" which he adopt
ed from Inc old Mississippi river teri
for "a two iaIhom sounding
one Il hi- barbed literary shaft
:. struck e-pital spot in the emotion
a OF Editor f.1trd of the virginia UnioI
u The latter proposed duel as a sale
= 60 his ho'ipr. Colts revolvers hcin
- the nn's available weapons. Twai
Is sought of the proposed duehn
n grounds for practice expending a
enormous amount of ammunition an
n hitting everything but the mark. A
% the appointed hour Of the meetin
j. Mark was taking last practice she
n. when luckless bird collided with
Il random bullet. Laird, from afar OF
IT saw the deeapitated bird III Its fall
IL the ground, and lost no time maxim
n the apologies necessary to the abaf
n Comment Of the duel.
Is The authorities, however. were M
IF satisfied, and determined 10 make a
example of those who broke the la
n forbiddinG the acceptance of a du,
70 challenge. As a result Mark Twai
n and the conFpirnt0rs were hustle
rs across the border into California
i 1is First Scoop"
. firing ~ his berth rs city editor
- the San FRANCHISES c1fi. Mark Twaf
!, penetrated the Sierras in search of sol
ar but. being inapt as n prospector, /
=, sailed Tor Hawaii aa correspondent
= the Sacramento Union, arriving just
: time 10 repc-t the sensational burnin
!. - ~ the clipper Hornet. which was h
: FIRST r@ai scoop"
4. AFTER six mouths stay he returne
= To California, and Joined the ttuaky
=. c;sts seNeAtNsIszn 50 the doly LHnr Il
representative of Alta California. q
this. one OF the first personally cnndue
~ ~ eG we~ld tours, Mark Twain Cbtains
y the material which found Its way ini
AZ Innocents Abroad"---iis first real II
"a trpdactiaa to the world of iiteratar
y Another Hateful influence upon his III
q was furnished by the Quaker City q