The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg
Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, The,story by Clemens, published under his pseudonym Mark Twain as the title piece of a collection of essays and fiction (1900).
Hadleyburg is proud of its distinction as “the most honest and upright town in all the region round about.” A stranger, offended in some way by its people, determines to ruin its reputation. He leaves a sack with bank cashier Edward Richards that he says contains a fortune in coins, and a note announcing that the money is to go to a townsman who once befriended him, and who can be identified by a remark he made, which is written on an enclosed paper. Nineteen of Hadleyburg's leading men then receive notes pretending to divulge the remark. Scruples dissolve under this temptation, and even the hitherto honest Richards begins to think he may have made the remark. At a town meeting, 18 of the citizens are exposed to ridicule, when the Rev. Mr. Burgess reads the notes setting forth their...
[The entire page is 258 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
