Mark Twain's Latest.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 53, 31 August 1896, Page 3

Mark Twain's Latest.

■ v ■■ — Before the reform prisoners weri liberated from the Pretoria goal Marl Twain visited tbem and fed them witl humour by the bucketful. While the; crowded around him eager for a chanci to langh, Mark said he was delighted t< find only one newspaper in limbo. Beinj a bit of a journalist himself he knew tb< talent of tbe craft for keeping out o gaol. He said he was not a bit surprised t< find the legal fraternity largely and in fluentially represented in the gaol. H« Baid it had been the dream of bis life tc get into gaol, but misfortune dogged his footsteps. Whenever he had committed anything it always happened that no witnesses were around, and he never bad sufficient reputation for veracity tc get himself convicted without corroborative evidence. There was no place on earth where a man could get such uninterrupted quiet as in gaol. He proposed to make a contract with the prisoners to stay m and lefc them all go, and thus be could kill two birds with one stoDe— act as hostage for them and write his book in peace. " Pilgrim's Progress" never wonld have been'written if Bunyan had not been in gaol, and Cervantes was pnveleged to snfifer in durance vile aud tbus was enabled to write " Don Quixote." These two roamed about on the wings of imagination describing perils and enjoying tbe intoxicating delights of war without personal danger. They simply superintended. , , Twain told the prisoners tnat tne insidious charms of gaol would increase tbe longer tbey remained in gaol. He felt this so strongly that he meant to ask " Oom Paul" to extend their sentences.