In my first account of this Mark Twain story, I deliberately turned it into a mystery by baiting readers to go onto the Internet and make a Google search about the Great Mark Twain robbery caper that most Twain aficionados had not heard about. A genuine surprise awaited (and still awaits) anyone with enough curiosity to make the search. And the fact that I had uncovered this mystery in about 5 minutes suggested that others could do the same in that time or less.
But, alas, the road to oblivion is paved with good assumptions (to coin a phrase). If anyone took my clues and ran with them, they did not let me know. Several others let me know that they are too old, or too tired, or too weak in either their inquisitiveness or their Internet skills to bother.
OK, Mark Twain, himself, had a few words to say about those ne’re do wells from this latter group of people. I’ll save his words till the end of this short note for them.
Meanwhile, here are the two references that will reveal the big mystery and give you two perspectives on the Twain robbery. The first is from his biographer who claims it was told to him by the ringleader of the caper who confessed to him on his dying bed. The second is the link to Twain’s own account of the story.
The first link: Mark Twain: A Biography. This is one page long.
The second link: Roughing It, an autobiography of 7 years in Twain’s life. Go to the last chapter.
Both accounts are freaking hilarious, and they will give you insight to what life must have been like for those fortunate enough to have known and enjoyed the company of Samuel Clemens, America’s best writer.
Here is how he ended his tales in Roughing It:
MORAL.
If the reader thinks he is done, now, and that this book has no moral to it, he is in error. The moral of it is this: If you are of any account, stay at home and make your way by faithful diligence; but if you are "no account," go away from home, and then you will have to work, whether you want to or not. Thus you become a blessing to your friends by ceasing to be a nuisance to them--if the people you go among suffer by the operation.
Sterling advice for the ages.
