To All Forum members.

Terrell Dempsey, of Hannibal, Missouri, has contributed a fascinating and
enlightening article for the TwainWeb titled, "Why Sam Clemens was never a
Confederate… and a few other things you should know about Hannibal in 1860
and 1861."

I quote from Terrell's postcript:

"My hope is to expose you to the intricacies and conflicts that made up the
fascinating slave culture of Northeast Missouri at the time of Sam Clemens.
He did not live in a generic border state or in a generic south. He lived in
a unique and exciting place. He lived in (and I believe this is true of most
epochs) a fascinating time. My first draft of _Searching for Jim, Slavery in
Sam Clemens’ World_ should be finished in a few months. I thank you all for
your encouragement, kindnesses and courtesies. "

The article is available in our "Files of interest to Twainians" section, at
http://www.yorku.ca/twainweb/filelist/1861.html

Kevin B.