I've often wondered about question #1 myself. Everybody comments on his
creative cursing, but I can't think of anyone who actually quotes what he
said. Maybe a clue could be found in some of the letters Twain was in the
habit of writing but not sending. His cursing was not always admired; when
he confronted one of the burglars who stole the family silver in 1908 a
witness to that encounter was not amused.

Question #2. Twain's voice was recorded several times, and I seem to recall
an old article (perhaps in MTJ or Twainian?) that describes the (then) known
occasions when it was recorded and traced one recording to a private
collection in Europe that was lost during WW2. But the impersonations by
Holbrook and Gillette are reliable facsimiles. Hal Holbrook's impersonation
was witnessed and endorsed by Clara early in his career, and William
Gillette's impersonation was endorsed by none other than Twain himself who
saw Gillette perform it in June, 1877. Gillette's impersonation (telling the
Jumping Frog story) was recorded at Harvard in the 1920s and that recording
survives. It may have been recorded on other occasions since Gillette was
doing that impersonation as late as 1935.

Kevin Mac Donnell
Austin TX