The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1844-10-04
n Living Wonder.

ma. TO be found in the person of negro
boy, who combines in himself the mos
extraordinary manifestation of mind in
mental calculation, with a weakness al.
most idotical in other respects. An ac.
count of this extraordinary person is Civ.
Ell in the Southwestern Christian Advo.
cate. lie is seventeen years of age, and
already weighs two hundred pounds, and
his disposition and temperament appear
TO be as peculiar as his mind and body.
He was never known to commence a
conversation with any one; nor continue
on further than answering questions in
The iewest words. He speaks very low
and tardily. lie has never been known
to utter falsehood, or to steal, and is but
little subject to anger--wiIl not strike a
dog or anything else; but when vexed by
his sister he will take hold Of her arm, as
If he would break i! with his hands. He
cannot be persuaded to taste intoxicating
liquors. He has never manifested any
prediction for the sex. There is moth
ing remarkable in the confguration of
his head or his countenance. save that
his eye is uncommonly convex and con-
Iinnally rolling about with wild and
gIaring expression. His laugh and move
ments are perfectly idlo,ical. He does
not know letter or a figure. He has no
idea of God. When asked, .who made
you" he answered, nobody He has
not mind enough to do the ordinary work
of slave; he will not ask for anything.
nor touch food, however hungry, unless
it be offered him.
Almost his only manifestation of mind
is in relation to numbers. in which his
power is extraordinary. He will tell the
product of the multiplication of any two
SETS of figures under hundred instantly.
He mullplies thousands, adds, sub,racts,
and with the same certainty, though with
more mental labor. Several instances of
this faculty of combination are given.
With pencil and paper we made the
following calculations. the questions be-
ing asked thus. How much are 90 times
90! He readily answered, 0, SOL We'll
how much is ~ times S6i ~ He answer
ed, 6,40l. 'llow many mines in 2,O0O ?
lie answered, 'two hundred and twenty
two mines, and two over.'-'How many
l;leens in 3,356!' He answered, 323 ff-
teens and Ii over.
II stick, standing straight up, 3 feet
long, made shadow of feet how would
n pole be, that has shadow thirty feet
long! At this he 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
$685.! In this instance, as in some 9th
ers. he looked serious, began TO twist
about in his chair, to pick the clothes,
finger nails, TO look at his hands, pu, tie
points of his thumb to his teeth, move his
lips, and then seemed to think little,
and then his countenance would give in
dlcalions of mental agony; and so on
His master told him to walk about and
rest himself. He went into the yard and
appeared to be alternately elated with
rapture and depressed with gloom. lie
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 piazza sitting down perfectly com
posed. On being told, he had done it, !
said how much is it? lie answered,
eighteen millions, five hundred and four
thousand, eight hundred and fifteen
'What' said /. He replied, 1884
'Sl5.'
For the purpose Of obtaining a clue to
the mental process by which he ascertain
ed such results, he was asked how he did
it, his unvarying answer was, Il studies
i, up lie does not count on his fingers
or anything external, nor indeed does he
seem to count at all, and yet he combines
thousands and millions, and plays with
their combinations, just as others would
units. All the instruction he ever recelv-
ed was from his master, who taught him
10 count one hundred, and would ask how
many iwen,ies in hundred, and how
many iives, &c. This is certainly an ex-
,raordinary case, and one that is deserv.
ing the attention of the mental philoso-
pher. Some Of our phrenologis,s will no
doubt give it their consideration. as il
sus,ains in remarkable manner that sci.
ence, and can be accounted for only by
its principles.
The Editor of the Portland Express
has poet in his employ--a regular hap
hazard sor. Of chap-who raules of
rhymes perfectly regardless OF all ordina
ry rules and regulations. We give sam