The Stolen White Elephant

A little known short story by Mark Twain, The Stolen White Elephant, deserves much more notoriety than it has received. It is truly a satirical jewel propped full with Clements' wit, humor and genius. It is a detective spoof that far outdistances the fabled tales of the great Sherlock Holmes and may well have been the inspiration for Colombo. Mark Twain demonstrates his canny ability to make the unbelievable, logical and the incongruous and absurd rational and reasonable.