Death Disk

Mark Twains Death Disk draws inspiration from the gripping historical event surrounding the execution of Colonel John Poyer in Pembroke, Wales, on April 21, 1649. A young child was tasked with the harrowing responsibility of choosing which of three rebel leaders would face the death penalty, tragically leading to Poyers execution by firing squad in front of a crowd at Covent Garden. Twain first encountered this poignant story in 1883 while reading Carlyles Letters and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell. His imagination sparked, he pondered, By dramatic accident, it could have been his own child. In a letter to his friend William Dean Howells, Twain proposed collaborating on a tragedy, sharing a manuscript where a young girl unwittingly condemns her own father. Initially, the tale darkly concluded with the fathers death, but over the years, Twain reimagined the story. By December 1899, he had crafted a new version with a miraculous ending, perfectly fitting for the Christmas season. This revised story saw publication in the 1901 Christmas issue of Harpers Magazine and was later adapted into a one-act play titled Little Lady and Lord Cromwell, starring child actress Beatrice Abbey in February 1902. Twain recounted the challenges he faced in shaping the narrative, revealing that it took him twelve years of struggle and just four hours of inspired writing to finally bring The Death Disk to life. In 1909, this compelling tale was also transformed into a silent film directed by D.W. Griffith. (Summary by Barbara Schmidt, used by permission (http//www.twainquotes.com))