Submitted by scott on

September 8 Friday – San Francisco Dramatic Chronicle ran this squib:
It appears that a “Hasheesh” mania has broken out among our Bohemians. Yesterday, Mark Twain and the “Mouse-Trap” man were seen walking up Clay street under the influence of the drug, followed by a “star,” who was evidently laboring under a misapprehension as to what was the matter with them. The “experiences” of the twain may be looked for in the next number of the Californian” (“Hasheesh Eaters”).

[Note: “Mouse-Trap” man was Tremenheere Lanyon Johns, columnist for the Californian. “Star” was slang for policeman. Fitz Hugh Ludlow was author of the popular book, Hasheesh Eater (1857). See also Sam’s of Jan. 2, 1864 to his mother. Did Twain partake of hasheesh? We will never know for certain.

Day By Day Acknowledgment

Mark Twain Day By Day was originally a print reference, meticulously created by David Fears, who has generously made this work available, via the Center for Mark Twain Studies, as a digital edition.