Interesting facts about Mark Twain

INTERESTING FACTS about MARK TWAIN In the hamlet of Florida, Miss., a frontier reg1on "that just đivides the desert from the sown," Samuel Langhorne Clemens first saw the 11ght, Nov.30th, 1835. His father, John Marshall Clemens was a Virginian of Engl1sh descent & held the position of County Judge at Hannibal, Miss. His mother, also of English de- scent, was a Kentucky belle whose vivacity & wit were perpe tuated in the brilliant genius of her son. The Clemenses were earnestly desirous of a liberal education for their children, but Sam was a delicate boy & in consequence his schooling was somehwat er- ratic. School aays came to an end when his father died in 1847, and this boy of 1l entered the univer- sity of a rich & infinitely varied experience. fore he was 13 "he was extracted 3 times from the Mississippi & 6 times from Bear Creek, in a substan- tially drowned condition!" In the printing office of his elder brother, Orion, he was initiated into the mysteries of the printer's art & from thence wandered from one printing office to another, reaching New York in time for the World's Fair. Be- Like many a wanderer, a financial squall brought him home. Soon we find him at St. Louis, Muscatine & Keokuk & in 1857 he acquired the no mean accomplishment of steamboat piloting on the Mississ- ippi, acquiring that wealth of amazing experience so charmingly conserved in "Tom Sawyer" "Diploma of the River University" before the Civil War broke out. Clemens was in New Orleans &, at first, sympathized with the South. He joined the Harris Brigade as a 2nd Lieutenant, but 2 weeks later resigned, "incapacitated by fatigue through constant retreating. Later, his elder brother was appointed Secretary of the New Territory of Ne vada & Mark Twain went along as his private secretary, "with nothing to do & no salary". The two crossed the plains in the Overland Coach in 18 days, & a year of fortune hunting among the silver mines of Humboldt & Esmeralda Counties followed. He next joined the staff of the Virginia City "Territorial Enterprise", leading news pa per of the territory. Every Sun day a letter ap- peared, written by Clemens as legislative correspondent at Carson City which attracted much attention by its originality, wit & fearless satire. It was at this time the cognomen of "Mark Twain" was adopted, from the Mississippi leadsman's call for 2 fathoms mark twain. A quarrei with the editor of the "Virginia Uni on" called for a duel, a passing fashion on the Comstock at that time. Experts with the pen but dullards with the pistol, bo th men practised in adjoining gorges in preparation for the combat. One day Mark Twain's second shot the head off a small bird just as the enemy came over the ridge. Supposing Mark Twain to be the author of the shot & being assured by his sec- ond that such things were not in the least remarkable for Mark Twain, điscre- tion became the better part of valor: a formal apology was offered & peace restored, leaving Mark Twain with the honors of war. sent to arrest the combatants for violating a new law prohibiting duelling, but friends rushed the warriors over the border into California. For 2 years Mark Twain was associated with the San Francisco "Morning Call". Then the lure of gold led him hunting in the pocket mines of Jackass Gulch, Calaveras County, After 14 years the frowm of the gods drove him back penniless to San Francisco. A "scoop" as news paper correspondent in Hawaii was followed by his first ven- ture on the lecture pla tform. His experiences as correspondent with the Quaker City excursion to Europe & the Holy Land in 1867 inspired "The Innocents Abroad," which ma de his inter- national reputation, 100,000 being sold the first year. It was on this trip that he met Miss 0liva L. Langdon of Elmira, N.Y. & the most ideal marriage of 11terary history followed in February, 1870. Mark Twain became domesticated in Buffalo, where he purchased a third interest in the "Buffalo Express." In Oct., 1871 he joined the 11 terary colony at Hartford, built a house of charm & beauty & settled down to a steady literary outpour. A stream of matchless wri tings bubbling with irrepressible humor & 1iterary charm followed in quick succession, reaching the peak of achievement in "Personal recollections of Joan of Arc." In 1873 Mark Twain & his family visited England & Scotland & for several we eks he lectured in London. Another European itinerary in 1878 lasted 18 months, "A Tramp Abroad", etc. resulting therefrom. The tide of fortune had steadily risen with Mark Twain's ever increasing popularity, but the financial ebb commenced with the loss of a fortune in an ingenious but too complicated typesetting machine.. A publishing house, sup- posed to be doing a profitable business, became involved in financial diffi- culties. Mark Twain contributed $65,000 in an effort to save it. closed its đoors with liabilities of $95,000. The credit of the company had been based largely upon his name & he nobly undertook to meet 1ts obligations. Taking his wife & second daughter on a worid tour in 1895-6 he lectured & wrote, aking sufficient money to cær the house in full, Deluged with honors & surrounded with friends he passed Beyond, April 18th, 1910.--Intere sting Facts series No. 17. ASHERS' PEÓTOS, Coloma, Caiifornia. %3D "Life on the Mississippi," etc. He had scarcely received his 11 Officers of the law were It finally