That's very good evidence if reliable. Have you a source for it? Doten himself? The account by George Cassidy names Wright, Doten, Lowery, and Parker as Sam's drinking buddies, and takes it seriously. I tracked down all of their writings I could find but turned up none that mention the bar tab story. So, two people (plus one unnamed person) claim the story was true, and none of the many people who knew Sam in Nevada mention it in their many books, articles, letters, journals, or interviews. Certainly if Doten was having fun pranking his new acquaintances, then it's clear how his absurd prank grew legs among those who did not know Sam. Kevin @ Mac Donnell Rare Books 9307 Glenlake Drive Austin TX 78730 512-345-4139 Member: ABAA, ILAB ************************* You may browse our books at: www.macdonnellrarebooks.com -----Original Message----- From: James Caron Sent: Monday, January 26, 2015 9:59 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: That bar tab story In a recent post about his article on the origin of the pseudonym "Mark Twain," Kevin MacDonnell writes: "The bar tab story (with an entirely different meaning) is based on patently false newspaper accounts by people who did not know or ever meet Twain." While researching for my book, I ran across a report that the bar tab story was a deliberate yarn told by Alf Doten, who did know SLC, as a joke on Sam: "Doten delighted in pretending to their new acquaintances that it [nom de plume] originated from Clemens using the expression in the booming days of Virginia City on such occasions as he found it convenient to 'stand off" a friendly bartender for drinks for Doten and himself." So that "origin" story is clearly not to be believed, but no doubt was circulated.