Mark Twain in Gaol.

Hastings Standard, Issue 109, 1 September 1896, Page 4

Mark Twain in Gaol.

HE SPEAKS TO THE TRANS VAAL REFORMERS.

Shortly before the Reform prisoners were liberated from Pretoria gaol Mark Twain (says the Westminister Gazette) visited the. prison in company with the American Consular Agent, and fed the prisoners with humor by the bucketful. He received the heartiest of welcomes from the Reform prisoners, who gathered round him eagerly in the hope that he would entertain them. They were not disappointed. The American humorist expressed himself delighted to find that amongst the captives there was only one journalist. Being a journalist himself, he well knew the talent of the craft for keeping out of gaol, a talent developed by experience. He said he was not a bit surprised to find the legal fraternity so largely and influentially represented. Continuing, Mark Twain said that after all the prisoners were to be conprat ula tod and envied, although they might not think it. To get into gaol had been the dream of his life, but misfortune dogged his footsteps, for whenever he had committed anything it had always happened that no witnesses were present except himself, and his reputation for veracity had not been sufficient to obtain convictiou without corroborative evidence. There was no pkct. uii earth, he said, where a man coul 1 cir.- uninterrupted quiet as in gaol, and he proposed to make a contract with the prisoners, by which he would take up his abode there and they should all go out. By this means he could kill two birds with the one stone, write his book in peace and quietness and also act as a host for the departed ones. " Look at Banyan," continued Mark Twain, becoming eloquent. " ' The Pilgrim's Progress * would never have been written if Bunyan hadn't been in gaol! And Cervantes, too, was privileged to sutler durance vile, and was thus enabled to write 'Don Quixote.' Those m* », however, were not in gaol, their bodies were. Cervantes was roaming about on the wings of imagination, and Bunvan was enjoying the company of m_ r ( h and devils, leading his hosts through all the perils of battles and m gts, and enjoying all the intoxicant g dt light of glor ou> w it without its d n g» rHe simply superintended." Thus the hrm rambled on, telling the prisoners that the longer they remained in gaol the more the insidious charm of lite would come ov. r them. Indeed, he add-d. he felt this -o strongly that when as he hoped to do, he visited the Pr-\-ident of the Republic he would do his utmost to get their sentences extended. He went on to load the prisoner* with his con gratuiations, especially as many of them were drawing their salaries as usual; and those who did not get their salaries could console th mseive- with the thought that if thm wen. released they would have to do something for themselves. It was impossible to say what they might be doing ; there were only their faces to judge by, and he certainly could not form a definite opinion from them—he could only suspect. In this manner the author of The Innocents Abroad " kept these political prisoners amused, and when he turned to have a hearty vote of thanks was p t "o-ed, seconded, and carried with acclamation.