...another conspiracy legend in Twain's lifetime was of course the
Haymarket bombing 1886, resulting in the incarceration of a group of
anarchists, and the eventual judicial murder of four of them. Howells
intervened on behalf of the men sentences to death, Twain for all i
know did not.
best
w
On Fri, 8 Jan 2021 12:06:49 -0500
Matthew Seybold <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Don't have time at the moment to follow up in more detail, but I can
>say with certainty, having read about it just recently, that in
>1868-69, Twain considered Johnson's decision to remove Stanton as
>Secretary of War one of his many defilements of the Presidency. This,
>of course, doesn't preclude him from buying into the Stanton
>conspiracy at some other juncture, but it does complicate it. - MS
>
>On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 11:59 AM Hal Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> That's an interesting idea: I wonder what makes you think MT
>believed this scenario? The conspiracy theory about Stanton (which no
>historians have bought into) did gain some steam immediately in 1865,
>but really was popularized much later, well after the end of Twain's
>life ... I'd be interested in hearing more about this connection. MT
>did write a few things about AL, by the way, much later.
>>
>>
>>
>> _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
>>
>>
>> Dr. Hal Bush
>>
>> Professor of English &
>>
>> Director of the Undergraduate Program
>>
>> Saint Louis University
>>
>> [log in to unmask]
>>
>> 314-977-3616
>>
>> http://halbush.com
>>
>> author blog:
>
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualcoffee<https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualcoffee/2020/08/spiritual-coffee-and-the-path-toward-wokeness/>
>> ________________________________
>> From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of John Peter
>Zavez <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Friday, January 8, 2021 10:30 AM
>> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>> Subject: Re: [External] Re: MT & conspiracy theories?
>>
>> The biggest conspiracy theory of MT's time, which I believe he
>believed, was that Secretary or War Stanton was behind Lincoln's
>assassination.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Hal Bush
>> Sent: Friday, January 08, 2021 10:49 AM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: [External] Re: MT & conspiracy theories?
>>
>> The Murrell myth, especially when Matt mentioned the how the Mystic
>Clan's plots & conspiracy theory synthesized "anti-Black, anti-Semite,
>anti-Catholic, and several other common antebellum prejudices,"
>reminded me of a much larger group doing similar things: the
>Freemasons, of which MT was a member, as were many riverboat pilots
>and others, right here in St. Louis in fact! I could say much mora
>about freemasonry, but some would certainly include them, and other
>mysticl brotherhoods in C19, as often provoking conspiracy theories,
>to say the least.
>>
>>
>https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://psrh79.org/?page_id=94__;!!K543PA!e9LG-7ltv5LzhMJVQ9InebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsKN4anPgQ$
>> Polar Star Lodge No. 79 History – Polar Star Rose Hill Lodge No
>79<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://psrh79.org/?page_id=94__;!!K543PA!e9LG-7ltv5LzhMJVQ9InebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsKN4anPgQ$
>> A Brief History ~ Polar Star Lodge No. 79, St. Louis Written by
>PSRH#79 Member Worshipful Brother Richard B. Ramage, Appearing in The
>Missouri Freemason Fall 2004 (Volume 49, No. 4)
>https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://psrh79.org__;!!K543PA!e9LG-7ltv5LzhMJVQ9InebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsJ3F54WcQ$
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
>>
>>
>> Dr. Hal Bush
>>
>> Professor of English &
>>
>> Director of the Undergraduate Program
>>
>> Saint Louis University
>>
>> [log in to unmask]
>>
>> 314-977-3616
>>
>>
>https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://halbush.com__;!!K543PA!e9LG-7ltv5LzhMJVQ9InebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsI8mihYhQ$
>>
>> author blog:
>
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualcoffee__;!!K543PA!e9LG-7ltv5LzhMJVQ9InebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsLJi1KX9w$
><https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualcoffee/2020/08/spiritual-coffee-and-the-path-toward-wokeness/__;!!K543PA!e9LG-7ltv5LzhMJVQ9InebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsI5D7ABoA$
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Wolfgang
>Hochbruck <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Friday, January 8, 2021 9:32 AM
>> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>> Subject: [External] Re: MT & conspiracy theories?
>>
>> ...Murrell and his gang even more openly get featured in _Tom
>Sawyer_, i thought, when Tom & Huck find the treasure ... William G.
>Simms wrote more about Murrell in _Richard Hurdis, or the Avenger of
>Blood_, and there was a melodrama _Murrell, the Pirate_ (1835),
>originally written by Nathaniel Harrington Bannister and popularized
>by Charles Burke, both in their turn inspiring German immigrant
>Friedrich Gerstäcker who then became they German Simms after his
>remigration in 1844 with _Die Flusspiraten des Mississippi_ and
>_Regulatoren in Arkansas_, both loosely based on the Murrell story --
>This conspiracy myth must have had a lot more traction in the 1840s
>through the Civil War period than i usually suspected.
>>
>> best
>> w
>>
>> On Fri, 8 Jan 2021 09:37:25 -0500
>> Matthew Seybold <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> >That's a great question, Hal.
>> >
>> >When I wrote my dissertation on the figure of the con-artist, I
>spent a
>> >little time on conspiracy theories, which are often created and/or
>> >amplified by con-artists. One of the most extraordinary conspiracy
>> >theories of the 1830s circulated around "the Mystic Clan." This
>was,
>> >supposedly, a secret society led by a notorious outlaw, John
>Murrell,
>> >and thanks in large part to Virgil Stewart, who published a series
>of
>> >books and pamphlets claiming to expose the Mystic Clan's plots,
>they
>> >were planning to start slave insurrections as a distraction while
>they
>> >raided banks in major Gulf Coast cities. The conspiracy theory
>> >synthesizes anti-Black, anti-Semite, anti-Catholic, and several
>other
>> >common antebellum prejudices.
>> >
>> >Twain was definitely aware of Murrell, whose real (and fictional)
>> >operations had been in the trade corridor where Twain was later a
>> >pilot. He refers to "Murel" in LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI as a
>criminal
>> >"genius" who made Jesse James look like a "retail rascal." In this
>> >passage, Twain mentions several details from the Mystic Clan
>conspiracy
>> >theory and seems to be treating it as accurate history, although he
>> >also acknowledges in the same paragraph that "cheap histories" of
>> >romantic outlaws were for sale at train stations and steamboat
>> >landings. Melville alludes to the same market for specious criminal
>> >biography in the opening chapter of THE CONFIDENCE-MAN,
>specifically
>> >naming Murrell its most profitable topics. I haven't dug into
>whether
>> >Twain refers to this conspiracy elsewhere later in his career.
>> >
>> >Like you, I'd love to know what others C19 conspiracies people have
>> >encountered in Twain's life and work. There are, of course, several
>> >alluded to in Richard Hofstadter's THE PARANOID STYLE IN AMERICAN
>> >POLITICS.
>> >
>> >Stay safe, everybody.
>> >
>> >- MS
>> >
>> >On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 8:42 AM Hal Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Dear friends: what a week. Can I tie these horrific events into
>C19
>> >& MT?
>> >>
>> >> A friend has passed on his terrifying essay on a conspiracy
>theory
>> >way back in 1860, see below. I think we need reminding that
>conspiracy
>> >theories have a very long history in our nation, and that they can
>be
>> >deadly and incendiary.
>> >>
>> >> Q; has anyone looked into MT's encounter with and understanding/
>> >critique of conspiracy theory--pro and con?
>> >>
>> >>
>>
>>https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://baptistnews.com/article/how-300-chi
>>
>>ldren-lost-their-fathers-to-lynching-on-a-single-day-because-of-a-consp
>>
>>iracy-theory/?fbclid=IwAR2RtPG7DEJx-D7WiusYA9h8YLeIY-iLksb99CWAQqNIOT7J
>>
>>fcGVtuRJBJY*.X_hexOBMFTZ__;Iw!!K543PA!bqFn8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9Fg
>> >svDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz0Kt6vHUA$
>> >>
>>
>>[https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://1648o73kablq2rveyn64glm1-wpengine.
>>
>>https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Great_Hanging_at_Gainesville___;!!K543PA!e9LG-7ltv5LzhMJVQ9InebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsKYg8NpmA$
>>
>>Texas_-_1862.jpg__;!!K543PA!bqFn8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5iau
>> >vlDnAusm7tz2jkRkW2g$
>>
>>]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://baptistnews.com/article/how-300-c
>>
>>hildren-lost-their-fathers-to-lynching-on-a-single-day-because-of-a-con
>>
>>spiracy-theory/?fbclid=IwAR2RtPG7DEJx-D7WiusYA9h8YLeIY-iLksb99CWAQqNIOT
>>
>>7JfcGVtuRJBJY*.X_hexOBMFTZ__;Iw!!K543PA!bqFn8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9
>> >FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz0Kt6vHUA$ >
>> >> How 300 children lost their fathers to lynching on a single day
>> >because of a conspiracy theory – Baptist News
>>
>>Global<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://baptistnews.com/article/how-
>>
>>300-children-lost-their-fathers-to-lynching-on-a-single-day-because-of-
>>
>>a-conspiracy-theory/?fbclid=IwAR2RtPG7DEJx-D7WiusYA9h8YLeIY-iLksb99CWAQ
>>
>>qNIOT7JfcGVtuRJBJY*.X_hexOBMFTZ__;Iw!!K543PA!bqFn8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy_d
>> >sP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz0Kt6vHUA$ >
>> >> There is nothing new about conspiracy theories. Recently, while
>> >doing some research on the history of lynching, I learned that
>Anthony
>> >Bewley, a Methodist minister, was lynched in Fort Worth, Texas,
>back in
>> >1860. Bewley was the victim of a bizarre conspiracy theory.
>> >>
>https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://baptistnews.com__;!!K543PA!bqFn8R7
>> >> 9de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz2J_sdTMg$
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Dr. Hal Bush
>> >>
>> >> Professor of English &
>> >>
>> >> Director of the Undergraduate Program
>> >>
>> >> Saint Louis University
>> >>
>> >> [log in to unmask]
>> >>
>> >> 314-977-3616
>> >>
>> >>
>https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://halbush.com__;!!K543PA!bqFn8R79de9
>> >> Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz1AN7IhRg$
>> >>
>> >> author blog:
>> >
>>
>https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualcoffee__;!!K543PA!bqFn8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz3yog7CsA$
><https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualcoffee/2020/08/spiritual-coffee-and-the-path-toward-wokeness/__;!!K543PA!bqFn8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz2ta9_2aA$
>>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >--
>> >Matt Seybold
>> >Assistant Professor of American Literature & Mark Twain Studies
>Elmira
>> >College Editor,
>>
>>https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://MarkTwainStudies.org__;!!K543PA!bqFn
>> >8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz05Rij2bQ$
>>
>>https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://MattSeybold.com__;!!K543PA!bqFn8R79d
>> >e9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz3j84_nCw$
>>
>>
>> Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hochbruck
>> Dept. of English
>> Centre for Security and Society
>> Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg
>> Rempart St. 15
>> D-79098 Freiburg
>> Germany
>
>
>
>--
>Matt Seybold
>Assistant Professor of American Literature & Mark Twain Studies
>Elmira College
>Editor, MarkTwainStudies.org
>MattSeybold.com
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hochbruck
Dept. of English
Centre for Security and Society
Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg
Rempart St. 15
D-79098 Freiburg
Germany
|
