Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1844-08-29
From the Southwestern Christian Advocate.
A Livisg Wonder.


il ii may be said he has any.
On The 9Th June, 1914, Rev. John G. Bur
russ, MIR. T. Brandon and myself wen, 10 see
him, and were amazed From himself and
Mr.. McLemore, This mastery we learned that
he has no idea OF God When asked, "who
made you!" he answered, nobody" He has
never been bu, few times half a mile from
the place of his birth. He has not mind enough
10 do the ordinary work of a slave; eats and
sleeps in the same house with the white folks,
having his .own table and bed. He will MOI
ask ior any thing. nor touch food, however
hungry, unless il be offered 10 him. He was
never known 10 commence conversation with
any one, nor continue one, further than merely
answering questions In the lewest words. lie
speaks very low and lardiy Ee has never
been known To nlIer a falsehood, or 10 steal.
and is but itle subject to anger--wil NOT strike
a dog or any thing else; but when vexed by his
sister. he will take hold of her arm, as if he
would break il with his hands. He cannot be
persuaded TO taste Intoxicating liquor. His ui-
ter aversion 10 this bane, Is either The result oi
his having seen its effects III his master, or II
is instructive. He has never manifested any
prediction for the sex There is nothing re-
markabe in the configurat!on of his head or
his counlenance, save that his eye Is uncom-
monty convex and continually rolling about with
wild and garing expression. His laugh and
movements are perfectly idiocal tie does
not know letter or figure. Wnhal. in one re-
specr, he is the most extraordinary human be-
ing ever saw Almost his only manifesto
lion of mind, is iE relation TO numbers. HIS
power over numbers is at once extraordinary
and incredible Take any number under 100,
and ask him its product when multiplied into
itself, or into any other number; and he Will
state i, al once, as readily as any one can give
the sum II time IL. He mulliplles thousands,
adds, subslracts and divides with The same GER
tainly, though with more mental labor. lie has,
however, no idea of numbers above millions.
With pencil and paper made The follow
inc calculations and asked him the questions,
thus How much is 80 times 99?' He an-
swered Immediately. '9,S0l.' We'll how
much is "a times So l-2P He answered, 640l.
How many mines IN 2,000!' He answered /:
two hundred and twenty-five mines, and two
over How many fiiieens in 1886! lie an
swered, 1923 fiiieens and II over How ma
nv twenrv-threes in 1000! He answered !;
is 32l times 7S9! He answered alter a short
pause, 252, 1863. If you take 81 from S5. how
many will be left! He answered, 64 If you
lake 5.2ll from 6920 He answered, 800
How much is times 8, IwentvtwO and IA!
He answered, 90. How many is IL and 10!
He said, 33 II you had 10 give one dollar and
a half for one chicken and a half, how much
would YOU have to give for two chickens! He
said two dollars
If stick, standing strait up, three feet long,
makes shadow five feet long, how high would
a pole be, ,ha, has shadow thirty feet long!
AT this he pur his hand TO chin, drew himself
up and gave silly laugh His master SAID,
he did not understand such as that. We then
asked him, how much is 1888 times 5,3o3.
In this instance, as in some others, he looked
serious, began 10 twist about IN his chair. 70
pick his clothes, finger nails, TO lnok al MS
hands, pui the points Of his thumbs to his teeih'
move his lips illle, and then seemed 10 think
Iilte, and then his counienance would give
indications of mental agony, and so on. Ills
master ,oId him 10 walk about and rest himself.
He wen, inIo the yard and appeared to be al
ternalelv elaled with rapture, and depressed
with gloom. He would run, jump up, throw
his arms into the air above his head; then stand
still, and then drag his foot over the weeds,
look up and down; in word he took on all
SORTS of crazy motions. We sat down TO dine,
and when we arose, we found him on the piaz
"a sitting down perfectly composed On being
t,ld he had done il, | said, how much isil! Fac
answered, 'eigh'een millions. five hundred ant
fourteen thousand, eight hundred and fifteen.
What said L. He replied, ls,5l4,8l5.
! We could get no clue 10 the mental process
| by which he asceriained such results WheI
asked. how he did it; his unvarying answer
was. Il studies il up Blu, what do you do frs,
and wha, next, He merely drawled oul. i
studies i, up He did not count ON his fingers
nor any thing external, nor indeed did he seem
10 count a, all; and YET he combined thousands
and millions, aud played with their combna
ions. ius, as others would with units. All the
instruction he ever received, was from his mas
ler, who learned him to count one hundred; and
would ask him how many twenlles IN hun
dred. and how many fyes, &c.
On The following Monday, saw him again
and asked him wha, was .ha, hard sum gave