Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1921-12-24

again."
49, With character
80. %S fstfc humOr Sam
e-S-===z==a=s----e4- - ueI Ian & Orne
Clemens indicated
the vicissitudes of his early days. He
was born in Florida, Mo-, Nov. 80, 1895.
The common schools gave him all the
formal education he got.
"ROuEhing It," "The Gided Age" Gin
conjunction with Charles Dudley War
ner), "Tem Sawyer" "A Tramp Abroad -
"The Prince and the Pauper." "Huckie-
berry Finn" "The Tragedy of Pudd'n-
head Wilson, were some of the va
riOus books which kept Americans and
Europeans laughing for many years.
sIark Twain died April 81, 1910.
NAWSON'S LANDING. on the
Missouri side of the Missis-
sippi in 1880, was modest
village with few claims to distinction
Conspicuous among her first citizens
was York Leicester DriscOu. forty
years of age, judge of the county court,
of unblemished Virginia stock, unhap-
PLY childless, and esteemed by every
body that knew him. Another citizen
of repute was Col Cecil Burleigh Es-
sex, who, except for one important
particular, later disclosed, has nothing
to do with this story. Resident here
also was a certain Percy Northumber
land Driscoll brother of the Judge,
married, and a prosperous owner OF
slaves, among whom was a likely
wench of twenty, Roxana by name.
Into the Driscoll home on the first Of
February, 1880, two boy babies were
born. One of these. christened Tom
WIS the son of Percy Northumberland
4 The other, tagged with the name o.
/ Valet de Chambre. or chambers" for
short, was the son Of the slave-girl
/ ROxana. by a father at first unknown
( but later revelaed to be Colonel Essex.
/ Within a week Of the birth of Dris
/ coils son the mother died, and in the
natural course of events both boys
/ were entrusted to the maternal care
/ of the slave-mother.
About the same time into this quiet
community came one David Wilson
hopefully anticipating a successful
I legal career, hope blasted in the
/ borning, since a gift of irony, one of
/ David's most tangible assets, fell upon
ears so literal as to be unapprecia-
tive and suspicious of humor
Il wish l owned half of that dog,
said David one morning when a snaFl-
/ ing yellow cur disturbed him.
"Why?' asked somebody.
Because then I would kill my half =
replied David.
/ His hearers fell away from him in
alarm. How could man kill half of n
! dog without killing the other half also ?
/ Surely this man must be out Of his
/ mind.
"A lummox," said one.
"a perfect jackass," said another.
Hes pudd'nhead, that's what he
Isl" said a third.
And from that day forward "Pudd In
! head Wilson" he was.
! Now Puddnhead had two fads-
/ palmistry, and finger-prints. The first
/ he occasionally practiced lacking eli
entS to practice law upon, and the
( second he collected with great assidu-
/ entered the circle Of Puddnhead's ac-
/ quaintance without leaving a finger
/ print, or his thumb-mark, behind. and
/ all Of these were carefully named. re-
/ corded. dated and fled. Thus il hap
/ pened that one day came Roxana and
( Der two charges Tom, the son of Drs-
coll. ana Chambers, the son of her
/ self and another AS like as two peas
/ were the babies, in color. size and
/ lineaments-sO like that save to .
( mothers eyes they were indistinguish-
/ able, and the finger-prints Of all were
I taken. labeled. dated, and added 70
+ the collection Of Puddnhea Wilson.
What more natural than that the
( likeness Of the two infants-Tom'
own father could not tell him from
/ the slave-baby-should suggest 70 a
/ mothers heart an interchange Of the
children by which the slave should be
cone the master and the master the
slave especially when the heart was
/ constantly oppressed by the fear that
when her babe grew TO manhood hc
might be "sold down the river" that
ever-prcsent torrnentng dread Of the
slave Of the upper waters? What
more natural that. there being no
chance Of detection, Roxana for love
Of her son should yield 10 that tempta-
ton aad forthwith turn Chambers into
Tom and Tom into Chambers by d
single interchange NJ garments these
being the only outward and visible
signs by which the boys We're differ
entiated anyhow? II was in this man
ner that II cane 70 be the proud off,
spring Of the house Of Driscoll grew
/ into the slSve-boy Chambers, abused