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


Lss=-=z s4'ss@s2zsM ueI L. an & orne
Clemens indicated
the vIcissitudes of his early days. He
was born In Florida. Mo, Nov. so. 1885.
The common schools gave him all the
formal education he got.
"ROughIng It," "The GiIded Age" Gin
conjunction with Charles Dudley War
ner), "Tom Sawyer" "A Tramp Abroad -
"The Prince and the Pauper." "Huckle-
berry Finn" "The Tragedy of Pudd'n-
head WILSON," were some of the vn-
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 a modest
village with few claims to distinction.
Conspicuous among her first citizens
was York Leicester Driscoll, 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 Is
/ 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
was the son of Percy Northumberland
The other, tagged with the name o,
Valet de Chambre, or chambers" foi
short. was the son Of the slave-gir
Roxana, by a father at first unknown
but later revealed 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
We're 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
legal career, a hope blasted in tn,
borning, since gift of irony, one Of
Davids most tangible assets, fell upon
ears so literal as to be unapprecia
tive. and suspicious of humor
II wish / owned half of that dog,
said David one morning when a snaFl
ing yellow cur disturbed him.
"Why?" asked somebody
Because then would kill my half =
replied David.
His hearers fell away from him II
alarm. How could q man kill half Of Q
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 a pudd'nhead, that's what h,
is - said a third.
And from that day forward "Puddn
head Wilson" he was.
Now Pudd'nhead had two fads--
palmistry, and finger prints. The frs
he occasionally practiced, lacking eli
entS TO practice law upon and th'
second he collected with great assidu
ity. No man, woman or child, ever
entered the circle of Pudd'nheads ac
quaintance without leaving a finger
print. or his thumb-mark. behind. anc
all of these were carefully namei, re
corded. dated and fled Thus it hap
pened that one day came Roxana anc
her two charges, Tom, the son of Dris
coll. and Chambers, the son Of her
self and another. As like as two peas
we're the babies, in color, size anC
lineaments-so like that save to {
mothers eyes they were indistInguish
able. and the finger-prinfS Of all were
taken. labeled. dated, ana added <
the collection Of Pudd'nh Wilson.
What more natural than that tbt
/ likeness Of the two infants-Tom'
own father could not tell him from
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. suggest 70 6
mothers heart an Interchange Of tht
children by which the slave should be
come the master and the master th'
slave. especially when the heart wa'
+ constantly oppressed by the fear that
when her babe grew to manhood Do
might be "sold down the river" tha
ever-prceent tormenting dread Of the
slave of the upper waters2 VIVA
more natural that there being ID
/ chance Of detection Roxana for Low.
~ her son should yield r. that tempta
ton and forthwith turn Chambers into
Tom and Tom into Chambers by
single Interchange # garments. These
being the only outward ana visible
signs by which the boys were differ
ent.ateE anyhow? # was in this man
ner that IT came 70 he The proud Of.
spring of the house ri priscoil grew
into the sl6ve-boy Chambers, abused