The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-02
MARK TWAIN WAS ONCE LOST IN CAVE With a Number of Play mates He Explored Cavern ORIGIN OF STORIES Characters in His Books Are His Boy hood Friends-The Old Twain
 House Still Standing in
 Hannibal

From the Kansas City Times.
 When one thinks of Hannibal Mo, his mind reverts unconsciously to Mark Twain. The two are inseparable; and, all though it is now an important and pro- gressive city. Hannibals chief claim ot fame will be as the home of America S greatest humorist-as the place where he spent his boyhood and where he gathered the materials for the two books so dear to the heart of every boy. And Hanni- bal is proud of the distinction. The Com mercial club is now making plans for the dedicatory exercises when the home of the author will be presented to the city and preserved
 Not long ago it was said that the home of Mark Twain was to be torn down to make room for a modern apartment house. Hannibal was justly indignant To prevent this desecration George A. Ma han, a wealthy lawyer of Hannibal and a great admirer of Mark Twain bought this house and gave it 10 the city.
 When Mark Twain's father moved to Hannibal from Florida. Mo, in 1889, it was already a corporate community and had an atmosphere of its own. It was town with a distinctly southern flavor, and a somnolent slave holding commu- nity tranquilly content It had it's own aristocracy and was proud of it. The chief characteristic of the place was the natural beauty with which it was sur rounded. There were glens and cliffs and islands, with caves which would inspire the imagination of any boy of an adven- turous nature. And with the broad Mis- sissippi in the foreground there was little to be desired in the way of setting.
 So 1t was into this community that Judge John Marshall Clemens moved his family November 13, 1889. He built two story house on Hill street, said to be the first of it's kind that the town could claim. And it is this same house, fairly well preserved. that will be officially pre- scented to the city of Hannibal with ap- propriate exercises.
 Young Clemens and his gang ranged from Holidays Hill on the north to the now famous cave on the south. and over the fields and through all the woods about. They navigat-d the river from Turtle Island to Glasscocks Island (now Pearl, or Tom Sawyer-s Island) and far below; they penetrated the wilderness of the Illinois shore. It Is no wonder that among these surroundings the youth formed a restless. rowing spirit, and that many of his stories were merely of his experiences, assisted py the unlimited fund of humor and fertility of imaeina- ton that have made the name of Mark Twain famous.
 The thrilling experience of Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher and Injun Joe in the cave is founded on fact. and the old cave Is now the chief point of interest in Han nhal. Tourists often go out to wander over the great cavern so graphically de- picted in From Sawyer. and some enter prising customer has installed electric lights in it. At the ti.>.e the incident de- scribed in Tom Sawyer took place the cave had been open to visitors only a few weeks, it having been closed by its own CT, an eccentric phys-can of St. Louis, once connected with the earliest medical college established in that city.
 For some unexplained reason he had the entrance to the cave closed. This proceeding naturally excited the curiosity of the whole community. All desired to