On Tue, 16 Apr 1996, Alan Bradley wrote:

> I recall reading, many years ago, that the famous "Whoo-oop! I'm the
> old original iron-jawed, brass-mounted, copper-bellied corpse-maker
> from the wilds of Arkansaw" speech by the Child of Calamity in Chapter
> three of Life On The Mississippi had its antecedents in a speech by a
> Senator Cassius M. Johnson.
>
>         I no longer have access to the materials, and would greatly
> appreciate it if some fellow Twainian could quote the Johnson passage
> for me.


Victor Fischer authorizes me to say that we (the Project) had not heard of
this possible source until Alan Bradley mentioned it. We're trying to
check it out now. In the meantime, remember that Clemens told Will Bowen
on 6 February 1870 that "old General Gaines used to say, `Whoop! Bow your
neck & spread!'" (Letters 4, 50; Huck Finn 1985, note to 110.7, p. 394).
Of course we don't really know who *General Gaines* was--see the
biographical directory in *Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer among the Indians and
Other Unfinished Stories,* 319-20.

Senator Johnson is at least not a US Senator, nor does that name appear
in the NCAB index, spelled either Johnson, Johnston, Johnstone, or
Jonsson. Course neither does our General Gaines, for that matter.

Naturally if Mr. Bradley does get back to his materials and locates his
source, we'd very much appreciate hearing about it. And if he don't, but
just recalls what the nature of the source was, we still might be able to
help.

Bob Hirst
Mark Twain Project
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