The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-08-02

Burlington Hawk-Eye; When Mark
Twain lived in Keokuk there was no
railroad bridge there. People used
the river mainly for travelling back
and forth long distances. And stage
coaches served largely for land travel
to and from the interiors. At that
time Keokul's population, as now,
contained brainy men and attractive
women. 1t did thriving retail and
wholesale business. Mark Twain
Sammy Clemens-was small part OF
the active life of the city. For five
years in the SOS he lived there with
his brother, Orion. Part of the time
he was a printer in the Office of the
old Keokuk Post, published by the
Rees brothers. The first writing
Twain ever did for publication was
! for the Post. 1t consisted Of two art
Iicles, descriptive of journey from
Keokuk to Cincinnati. The Post paid
Clemens SIS each for these articles
and then kicked on the price, offering
to pay So for subsequent efforts OF
| the kind Clemens struck and re-
fused to write any further articles at
the reduced prices. Certified copies
of these articles, taken from the Keo-
kuk Post, still in existence in Keokuk,
were secured by Mr.. Albert Bigelow
4 Paine, the biographer of Mark Twain,
who was in Keokuk several days Luis
week collecting data of Mr.. Clemens
life there The articles will be given
an important place in Mark Twain's
history, as the first products of his
pen which brought him financial re-
turn.
Mr. Paine secured a good deal of
interesting data for his biography of
the noted humorist while he was in
Keokuk. Zone of the most interest
1 ing things come across, said he,
was the testimony of the Older peo-
pie here concerning the habits Of
young Clemens. One lady told me
/ that she had seen Sam Clemens come
/ into her fathers home many time
! carrying volume of Dickens under
his arm. This was the first evidence
have been able to secure that Mr..
Clemens was fond Of Dickens. The
humorist was tireless and Unsuitable
! reader, always selecting the best
classes of literature for digestion He
had wonderful memory for such
things, and he retained much of every.
thing he read. But there is no evi-
dence in all his writings that he ever
consciously or unconsciously adopted
the style of any of the authors he
read His style was always peculiar
ly his own, and one which many have
attempted to copy
1t is interesting here to observe thai
Mr.. Paine himself, in his "ShiI
; Dwellers,' fascinating story of tray
ell through the Mediterranean regions
openly and confessedly made an eff
fort to follow the style of The limo
cents Abroad" The journey of the
ship Dwellers" was deliberate fol
: lowing of the footsteps of Marx
Twain's pilgrims. The best critics o.
: Mr.. Paine's book admit that he came
i cleverly near succeeding in his imi
: tation of Mark Twain. At all event:
"The Ship Dwellers is most de
!, lightful and interesting book, as vel
Y as being one full of valuable informa
t ton for European travellers.
There are no written records 0
! Mark Twain's life in Keokuk. TIL,
:. fact that he was a resident there 70
n five years is largely matter OF pei
= sonal memory with the older peopl
who knew him. So inconspicuous wa
q the young man in those days tina
there was little about him to impress
J. itself upon the thoughts of the peopl
! among whom he mingled He cam
and went with little notice, except
# the young people with whom he a!
IS ISOLATED. His trip to Cincinnati wa
a mere tramping tour, made from
, desire to see the world. No one j
:. Keokuk remembers anything about i
+ The two articles in the files of tn
n Keokuk Post alone bear mute test
mony to it. Thomas Rees, of th
IS Springfield Gll.) Register, son {
s one of the Rees brothers who pull
lie lished the Post, has given the fact