AUTOBIOGRAPHY. I3
only reason why Washington's case is remembered
and the others forgotten is, that in his the prophecy
came true, and in that of the others it didn't.
There are not books enough on earth to contain
the record of the prophecies Indians and othei
unauthorised parties have made; but one may
carry in his overcoat pockets the record of all the
prophecies that have been fulfilled.
I will remark here, in passing, that certain
ancestors of mine are so thoroughly well known
in history by their aliases that I have not felt it
to be worth while to dwell upon them, or even
mention them in the order of their birth. Among
these may be mentioned Richard Brinsley Twain,
alias Guy Fawkes; John Wentworth Twain,
alias Sixteen-String Jack; William Hogarth
Twain, alias Jack Sheppard; Ananias Twain
alias Baron Munchausen; John George Twain,
alias Capt. Kydd. And then there are George
Francis Train, Tom Pepper, Nebuchadnezzor, and
Baalam's Ass; they all belong to our family, but
to a branch of it somewhat distantly removed from
the honourable direct line—in fact a collateral
branch, whose members chiefly differ from the
ancient stock in that, in order to acquire the
notoriety we have always yearned and hungered
for, they have got into a low way of going to jail
instead of getting hanged.
Permalink: http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/rd1hr
