[Iwillstate, inpassing, thatthejournalabovequotedfromalwaysreferredtomeafterwardas "Twain, theBody-Snatcher." ]
Thenextnewspaperarticlethatattractedmyattentionwasthefollowing:
ASWEETCANDIDATE.—, whowastomakesuchablightingspeechatthemass-meetingoftheIndependentslastnight, didn'tcometotime! Atelegramfromhisphysicianstatedthathehadbeenknockeddownbyarunawayteam, andhislegbrokenintwoplaces—suffererlyingingreatagony, andsoforth, andsoforth, , '! , "WHOWASTHATMAN?"
Itwasincredible, absolutelyincredible, foramoment, , beer, wineorliquororanykind.
[ItshowswhateffectthetimeswerehavingonmewhenIsaythatIsawmyself, confidentlydubbed "" inthenextissueofthatjournalwithoutapang—notwithstandingIknewthatwithmonotonousfidelitythepaperwouldgooncallingmesototheveryend.]
:
Howaboutthatoldwomanyoukickedofyourpremiseswhichwasbeing?
.
Andthis:
, toyourstruly, oryou' llhearthroughthepapersfrom.
HANDYANDY.
, ifdesirable.
ShortlytheprincipalRepublicanjournal "convicted" meofwholesalebribery, andtheleadingDemocraticpaper "nailed" anaggravatedcaseofblackmailingtome.
[InthiswayIacquiredtwoadditionalnames: "TwaintheFilthyCorruptionist" and "TwaintheLoathsomeEmbracer".]
Bythistimetherehadgrowntobesuchaclamorforan "answer" , thefollowingappearedinoneofthepaperstheverynextday:
