The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-08-29

Mark TWain'S impecuniOsity when he
was reporter in Virginia City, New.
and when he was private secreatry to
Senator Jim" Nye. of that state in
Washington. in the later sixties served
to provide an interesting background
for the prosperity which came to him
as soon as 'InnOcents Abroad was
published. He came to Hartford to
nave his books put on the market, and
n was as poor when he first arrived as
he was rich very soon thereafter. His
marriage to Miss Langdon, of Elmira,
allied him with a WeIl-tO-dO family
and he was in very comfortable cir
cumstances ever afterward. in spite Of
the impression to the contrary which
was allowed to prevail for time after
the failure of his book publishing en-
terprise-for business reasons.
The eminent humorist built his home
IN Hartford in the early seventies and
he has told in his "reminiscences how he
started out with the idea of spending
$4,000, and ended by putting six OF
seven times as much into the Farming
ton avenue establishment now owned
by Mr.. Bissell, of the Hartford Fire In
surance company. Nothing very beg
carly about that 1t may be we'll to
add few facts about his subsequent
financial experiences, since there is 50
much carelessness in dealing with the
subject in some of the newspaper of
fees.
Hundreds of thousands of dollar.
came to Mark Twain in the years he
spent in Hartford-say from 1872 until
1890. His friend. the late Henry c.
Robinson, was fond of telling of a
game of billiards he played in Mark
Twain's house with the owner of it.
During the game visitor was an
nounced. The servant was told to
show him into the billiard room Mr.
Clemens talked with him without de-
laying a shot on the billiard table. The
errand of the visitor, WHO was a pub
a fo off
for a series of short stories which
could be brought out in a single vol
ume, after being published serially.
The amount of material asked for was
comparatively small. Clemens rejected
the offer quickly-almoSt abruptly. Mr..
Robinson ventured, when the visitor
was gone, to express his surprise that
the humorist could turn down" what
seemed like prodigicus sum for a
small amount of copy But Mark
Twain dismissed the incident nom
chalantly.
He had the narrowest kip1 of escape !
from being multimiltonaire. He !
missed his chance to WIN a great for
tune when he put his money on the |
wrong horse" by backing the Paige |
typesetting machine agairs, the limo |
type machine He was besought by |
the men who invested altogether !
$500, 900 in developing tho linotype /
idea between 1875 and 1890 to come |
his judgment was better than theirs, |
and he sank $225,OOO in the Paige APP
paratus for setting UP movable types. I
The machine was not q success. With |
the same money he could have had a
controlling interest in the linotype
and the Investment would
have brought an average annual in
come of $1,000, 900 or more during the
past thirty years. With that income
he might have left as large an estate
when he died as that Of his friend
Henry II. Rogers.
The Paige illusion was only one of
the good things in Hartford that
caught him for round sums. Probably
he sank half million in that way al
together Then came the Grant book
"a brilliant idea-and tie publishing
Arm of Webster & Co, whose final
together with his other heavy
losses, took all he had and involved
him temporarily in debt. But the books
which he wrote and published between
1890 and 1900 and the lectures he de-
ivered, brought him ane the fortune.
put of which the obligations of Web
ster & Co. were easily taken care of.
That in spite of the loss of fortune
after fortune in his bus. ness ventures,
Re actually left accumulationg of over
5000. 900. all gained from his books.
and the copyrights which will long
bring a handsome annual income to his
laughter shows what a literary genius ,
ne was If he had been a cunning in ,
7estor he would have been the richest
writer the world has ever Produced
Hartford Times.