University of South Carolina Libraries
MARK TWAIN DEAD. Brilliant and Revered American Au thor and Humorist Has Passe-l to the Great Beyond. Redding, Conn., April 21.-Samael Langhorn Clemens (Mark Twain) died painlessly at 6:30 o'clock tonight of angma pectoris. He lapsed into coma at 3 o'clock this afternoon and never recovered consciousness. It was the end of a man outworn by grief and acute agony of body. Yesterday was a bad day for the little knot of anixous watchers at the bedside. For long hours the gray, ,aquiline features lay moulded in the inertia of death, while the pulse sank lower and lower, but late at night Mark Twain passed from stupor into the first natural sleep he had known since he returned from Beermuda, and this morning he woke refreshed, even faintly eheerful, and in full posses sion of all his faculties. Tbe Last Words. He recognized his daughter, Clara, Mrs. Ossip Gabrilowitsch, spoke a word or two and, feeling himself un equal to conversation, wrote out in pencil: "Give me my glasses." They were his last words. Laying them aside, he sank first into reverie and later into final unconscious-eSs. There was no thought at the time; however, that the end was so near. At 5 o 'clock Dr. Robert Hallsey, who had been continuously in attendance, said: "Mr. Clemens is not so strong at this hour as he was at the corre ,sponding hour yesterday, but he has wonderul vitality, and he may rally again." Albert Bigelow Paine, Mark Twain's biographer. and literary executor, said to a caller, who desired to inquire after Mr. Clemens: "I do not think you will have to call oftem again" Nevertheless, Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Loomis, who had come up from New York to give their love in person, left Stormfield, Mr. Clemens's home, without seeing him and only heard of his death just as they were takdng the train to New York again. Mrs. Loom is was Mr. Clemens's favorite niece, and Mr. Loomis is vice-president of the Laekawanna railroad. Similarly, Par'vis Langdon, a neph ew, who had ran up for the day, left evan earlier and wholly nnainformed. At the Death Bed. At the death 'bed were only Mrs. Ga.brilowitsch 1(Cara Clemens), her husband, Dr. Robert Halsey, Dr. Quintard, Albert Bigelow Paine, who avill write Mark Twain's biography, and who is his literary executor, and the two trained nurses. Restoratives twere administered but the patient failed to respond. A tank of oxygen still stands un called for at the Redding station. The valvular action of the heart was niot disordered. There was only an ex treme and increasing debility, accom panied by labored respiration. Augina pectoris is a paroxisnmal af fection of the ehest, of baffling and obscure origin, characterized by severe ~pain, faintness and depression of the spirits. The pain is severe and of an oppressive, crushing or stabbing char acter. The attacks progress in fre quency and severity, with uncertain intermissions, sometimes of long dura tion, to a fatal termination. End Peaceful. Mark Twain did not die in anguish, edatives relieved his pain, but in his momrents of conscousness the men tal depression persisted. On his way up from Bermuda he said to Albert Bigelow Paine, 'who had been his con stant companion in his illness. "This is a bad job; we'll never pull 'through 'with it." On shore once more, and longing for the serenity of the New England hills, he took heart and said to those who noted his 'enfeeblement in sor row:--9 "Give me a breath of Redding air once more and this will pass.'' But it did not pass, and, tired of l>ody and wearly of spirit, the old warrior against snobs and shams, said faintly to his nurses: "Why do you fight to keep me live? Two days of life are as.good to me as four.'' it 'is certain to be recalled that Mark Twain wa's for more than 50 years an inveterate smoker, and the first conjecture of the laymen would 'be that he had weakened his heart by over-indulgenc'e in tobacco. Dr. Iialsey said tonight that he was un able eto predicate that the angina recoris, from which Mark Twain died, waa in a.ny way a sequel of nicotine .poison.ing. Some constitutions seem im:n ::e from the effects of tobacco. Tii- o::e of the:n. Yet it is true 'that ;;e hi~s illness began the doc tor .1ut down Mark Twain's daily al. 'e of t wenty eigars and cou.s:less pipes to four cigars a day. Smoking His Greatest Pleasure. No deprivation was a greater sor row to him. He tried to smoke on the steamer while returning from Bermu da, and only gave it up because he was too feeble to draw on his pipe. Even'on his death bed, when he had passed point of speech, and it was no longer certain that his ideas were lucid, he would make the motion of waring a cigar and smiling, expel empty air from unde,r the mustache still stained with smoke. Where Mark Twain ehose to spend his declining years was the first out post of Methodism. in New -England, and it was among the hills of Red ding that Gen. Israel Putnam, of the Revolutionary war, mustered his sparse ranks. Putnam Park now encloses the memory of his camp. Mark Twain first heard of it at the dinner given him on his 70th birthday, when a feellow guest who lived there menitioned its beauties, and added that there was a vacant house adjoining his own. "I think you may buy that old house for me," said Mark Twain. Innocence at Home. Sherwood Place was the delectable name of that old house and where it stood Mark Twain reared the white walls of the Italian villa he first named "Innocence at Home," but a first experience of what a New Eng land winter storm can be in its whit est fury quickly caused him to ehris ten it anew "stormfield.' Through the lines about his place the "innocent at home" loved to wander in his white flamnel for 'ome ly gossip with the neighbors. They refember him best as one who, above all things, loved a good listener, for Mark -was a mighty talker, stored with fairy tales for the little maids, he adored and racier, ruder speech for more stalwart, masculine ears. Last summer the walks began to falter, last fall they ceased for good. The death of H. H. Rogers, a close friend, was a severe blow. The death of his daughter, Jean who was seized with an attack of epilepsy last fall while in her bath, was an added blow from which he never recovered. It was then that the stabbing pains in the heart began. Mark Twain died as truly as i can be said of anjy man, of a broken heart Last Literary Efforts. The last bit of literary work he did was a chapter of his unfinished autobiography describing his daugh ter; Jean's, death. He sought diver sion in Bermuda, where he was the guest of the American vice consul, Win. H. Alen, whose young daughter, Helen, acted as amanuensis for what letters he cared to dictate. His winter 'was gay but not happy. 'When he heard of the successive deaths of his two friends, Wmn. M. Laffan, of the Sun, and R. W. Gilder, editor of the Cenrbury, he said sadly: "How fortunate they are--no good fortunate of that kind ever comes to me." Life had no furher allurements for him. Will Rest Beside Loved Ones. The burial will be in the family plot a.t Elmira, N. Y., wher'e lie al ready his wife, his two daughters. Susan and Jean, and his 'nfant soti, Langhorne. No date has yeet been set, asthe family is still undecided wether ai not there shall be a pub lic fanoral first in New York city. Mr. Paine said tonight that Mark Twvain i1ad put his affairs in perfect order, and that he died well off, though hyno means a rich man. Ha~ leaves a considera.ble number of un finished manscripts in all stages of completion, and of all characters, many of them begun years ago and put aside as unsatisfactory. Mrs. Garilowitsch will aid Mr. Paine in the final decision as to what use sha1l be mnade of these. Mark TwaAi's Life. The mere chronology of Mark Twain's life is soon told. Like most dwellers in the imagination, his significance~ to posterity lies not, as with men of action, in how he wrought upon events, but rather in how events wrought upon him; for from such re actions resulted his imaginative out put-one of the most considerablee of his time and, as it no.w seems, one of the securest. Briefiy, then, Mr. Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, in Florida, Missouri, on No vember 30, 1835. "My parents,'' he writes in his own burlesque antobiography, "were neith er very poor nor conspicuously hon est.'' The earliest ancestor the Twamns have any record of was a friend cf th: family by the name of Higgins. His Inh.eritance. " The coun:ty chronicles haves it that the elder Clemens failed in busi ness arid died, leaving his son the ample wo;rld to mako his fortune in.'' Educated only in the publie schools, Mark T,wain was appren.ticed to a printer at thirteen and worked at his trade in St. Louis, Cincinnati, Phil ould gratify a boyish ambition to be 'ome cub to a Mississippi river pilot. Both these happenings reacted pro foundly on his later life. How Pseudonym Was Acquired. His knowledge of river life, ac quired when he was a pilot, took form in "'Tom Sawyeer,"' liueklberry Finn'' and "Life on the Mississippi,'' regarded abroad as his surest title to fame. It even suggested his pseu donym, for "Mark Twain" is a linesman's cry to the pilot when the boat gets into shallow water. And his familiariy with printing took him naturally first into newspaper work, then irsto creative writing and finally into the publishing business, wherein, like Sir Walter Scott, he suffered a bankruptcy disastrous to everything ibut his honor, and like Sir Walter again. paid off his pen debts, not of his own making. Rise to Fame. With Mark Tvwain's lecture trip around the world began his interna tional celebrity and his gradual rise into a figure, taken in some sense to typify the American spirit. From hu morist he became the kindly but mocking moralist and philosopher of ary output became more occasional, and though written with more finesse, more critical and less creative. His public appearadees gre'w more fre quent, his whimsical utttetrances gain ed greater currency and a whole lit erature of aneedotes about him grew up. Yale gave him the degree of M. A., and later. of LL. D., in 1901; the University of Missouri, his native State, followed with LL. D. in 1902, an.d in 1907 the University of Oxford, with great ceremony, made him Litt As Told by Himself. In due time Mark Twain became a full fledged pilot. He tells the rest himself in a chapter of life on the Mississippi. ".By and by the war came com merce was suspended, my occupation was gone. I had to seek another livelihood. So I became a Bilver min er in Neva;da; next a gold miner in California; next a reporter in San Franciseo; next. a special correspond ent in the Sand%wich Islands; neext a roving correspondent in Europe and the East; next an instructional torch bearer on the lecture plaform, and, finally, I became a scribler of books, and an immovable fixure among the other rocks of New England. Sufifeered Fiancial Reverses. This was in 1872, two' years after he had married Miss Oliva L Lang don, of EJimira, N. Y., who brought him an independent fortune. At that time his writings were in growing demand he had an assured income, owned his home and seemed indeed a fixture. But in 1885 his popularity as an author and his ac quaintance with the mechanics of the publishing trade,besides being a practical printer, he 'had ben part owner of the Buffalo Express before his marria.ge--drew him int othe firm of C. L. Webster & 'Co., puxblisheds. The firm brought out the memoirs of Gen. Grant and paid his widow $350, 000, ;bu-t its prosperity was short lived, and it failed with liabilities of $96,000. The failure 'had already sucked in $65,000 of Mark Twain's cash, but he determined also to shoulder the debts, and to pay them off he undertook, in 1895-96, a lee ture trip around the world. Mark Twain was an investerate smoker, and one 'eof the most leis urely men. in the world. Discharged All Obligations. Yet this easy going dawdler ao quitted ~himself of a prodigious deal of work in his life, and bound him self voluntarily to pay of debts that he could have dischargede ewithout hurt to his good name by passing .through 'bankruptey. He did not practice as he preached. Four children were born to Mark Twain:, of whom two, a son and a daughter, died early. One daughter, Jeean, who had been an invali'd for life was found dead in her bath tub last fall, in her home at Redding, Conn. A third daughter, Clara, is Mrs. Ossip Gaib rilowitsch, wife of the pianist, whom she married last year. Best Known Works. Mark Twain's first book was the 'Jumping Frog.'' His best known work in this coun try is possibly "Innceence Abroad." His surest title to fame is general ly believed to be "Tom Sawyer" and its companion volume, "'The Adven tures of Huckleberry Finn." In all, his 'books had a sale of more than 00,000 c:opies, and were translated into six languages. Others among the better known are: "A Tramp Abroad," "The Prince ed the Poweiir."' "Paddinhiead Wil on," 'Dramatized," "John of Are. "A Double Barrelled Detec ive Story," and ''Eve's Diary." He left aa unfinished autobiography, portionis of which had appeared se rially_ F The New NI At the Close oi Condensed I RESOURCES. Loans and discounts Furniture and Fixtures Overdrafts secured and unse cured Bonds and Stocks Cash and due from Banks 40f Paid JAMES MCINTOSH, President. %y Worry ABOUT WHAT TO EAT When you can get just what you are wishing for breakfast, dinner or supper at the up-to-date Grocery store of W. 0. WISON The wide-awake man who keeps a full line of Staple and Fancy Groceries, Coffee, Tea, Canned Goods, Fruits and Vegetables. Tell your troubles to Phone No. 202 - A Store Is Known By the Goods You will find here, a t all times, the freshest stocks of the most carefully selected care in fihlir g al orders large or smal to akethi themost satisfactory pa ce to buy food suphopoliesi searching out the best goods we mention FLECTA COFFEE a superior brand that will warm the heart of the most discriminating cAn ecsive process of preparation sNo coffe so goda Eectahas ever been offered, because nothing omes n seld tins. No hands 0 om h iunland get a pound can today. SE. M. LANE & C. NOTIGE TO DB~MOCRA.TIC GLUBS. In accordance with the constitu tion of the Democratic party ol South Carolina the Democratic elubs of the County of Newberry are here by ealled to meet at their respective places of meeting on saturday, April 23, 1910, for the purps of reorgan tion. At this meeting in addiion to the election of officers for the club there should be elee'eted on member from each club to serve as a member of the county executive coimmittee for two years, and also deleates to Ithe county convention which will con -ene at Newberry court house on Monday, May 2, 1910. Each club is entitled to one delegate for eevry twenty-five members and one delegate for a majority fraction thereof. Fred. H. Dominick, Cant'v Chainnan. IEPORT 01 berry Say .WBERRY, S. 'the Business Nov rom Report to State BE 269,495.25 Capital 2,275.00 Undivided Deposits 1,75860 Notes and 680.00 ed 59,437.65 333,646.50 On Savings] fir TEA T & CALL AND STO( TeahTmble At various pi cheap I also have a other glasswe Mayes' B "HOUSE OF A Ti STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, COUTNTY OF NEWBERRY. IN PRiOBATE COUE~T. George B. Cromrer as administrator, Plaintiff, against Leland Coppock Spears and others, D}efen'dants. By order of the probate court in the above entitled action., dated April 7, 1910, I will sell at public auction, in front of the court 'house, within the legal 'hours of sale, on salesday in May, 1910i, the real estate in the town of Newberry, S. C., of which Leland M. Speers died seized; bounfded by Nance street, Cline street, Speers street, and lot of J. A. Rikard, the same to be sold in three or more lots plats of which are on file in my ,)f Iflee. The purcharser will be required to pay one-third of the purchase money in cash, an'd secure the balance by his bond and mortgage of the premises sold, payable in one and two equal annual instalments, with interest from ath ay o sa at the rate of 8 per ings Bank C. Pmber 16, 1909. Lnk Examiner LIABILITIES. $ 50,00 Drofits 27,0 250, Bills Rediscount 6, $333, Deposits , E NORWOO Ga MBLER. INSPECT MY* ~KOF SauCers, ices from the est to large stock .of re and china. iUSAD THINGS." ent., payab)le annually, wita 'leave anticipate payments in wh~ofemann part; the bond to contain the stip& lation for 10 per cent. attorney's fee - iiuranee to be carried on the dwell ing house and assigned to seewre the credit portion of the purchase p' of the residence lot. Purehaser to p for papers, and recording. Frank M. Schumpert, J. P. N. C. IBargains! Bargains. While They Last A limited number of slightly $95 High Grade Organs for oni $58 50. These organs appear n new and are warranted to lastalion K lifetime. Terms of sale giver. on a Splication. Write for catalog statin * terms desired This is an iopportu Snity of a life time to possess a fineo :gan at about cost. Answer qr.1ck, f such bargains don't last long SAddress: Malone's Music H r ouba, S. C. Pianos and Org