On Christmas eve, 1863, in Virginia City, Clemens and Charles Farrar Browne (aka Artemus Ward) got so drunk that they ran across the rooftops (Letters 1: pp269-70, n 5).  In San Francisco, he and his roomate, Steve Gillis, would drink beer and then chuck the bottles on the roofs of the houses below (Letters 1, 15 July 1864, to William Wright, pp 303-304).  I'm not sure if these are examples of abusing alcohol or of abusing the neighbors.

Gregg 

----- Original Message -----
From: Chet Manchester <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, September 3, 2010 10:59 am
Subject: Twain and alcohol
To: [log in to unmask]


> Does anyone on the forum know if Sam Clemens ever abused alcohol, especially
>  toward the end of his life?  Did he turn to the bottle to ease his 
> pain or
>  grief?  When he lectured, was he ever known to appear on stage drunk? 
>  Did
>  he ever use alcohol to calm his nerves before a public performance?  
> Lastly,
>  is there any possibility that he successfully hid an alcohol 
> addiction from
>  his family and others?
>  
>  Thanks for any insights and sources you can offer on this subject.
>  
>  - C.H. Stewart
>