Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1844-09-20
From the Southeastern Christian AdUocate.
A LIVING WONDER.

NHN'N ''NS q hNRiO IVY IL W"S SS'NhASShl
years old last August, and weighs over 300
lbs, But his body is not the wonder It is
his mind. if il may be said he has any.
t0n the Shot June, 1874, Rev. John @.
Burruss, Mr.. L. Brandon and myself, went
to see him, and we're amazed. From him
self and Mr.. McLemore, This MASTER we
learned that he has no idea of God
When asked "who made you 2" he answered
"nobody" He has never been but few
times half mile from the place of his birth
He has not mind enough to do the ordinary
work of slave eats and sleeps in the same
house with the white folks, having his own
table and bed. lie will not ask for any
thing nor touch food, however hungry, un-
less it be offered him. He was never known
to commence a conversation with any one,
nor continue one further than merely an
swering questions in the fewest words. He
speaks very low and tardily He has never
been known TO utter a falsehood, or to steal,
and is but little subject to anger-will not
strike dog or any thing else; but when
vexed by his sister, he will take hold of her
arm, as if he would break It with his hands.
lie cannot be persuaded to taste intoxicating
liquors. His utter aversion to this bane, is
either the result of his having seen its effects
in his master, or it is instructive. lie has
never manifested any prediction for the
SEX There is nothing remarkable in the
CONFORMATION of his heador his countenance,
save that his eye is uncommonly convex
and continually rolling about with wild
and glarng expression. His laugh and
movements are perfectly idiotical He does
not know letter or figure. Withal, in ore
respect, he is the most extraordinary human
being ever saw. Almost his only manifes-
tation of mind is in relation TO numbers
His power over numbers is at once extraor-
binary and incredible. Take any number
under 100, and ask him its product when
multiplied into itself, or any other number,
and he will state it at once, as readily as
any one can give the sum of 10 times r.
He mutiples thousands. adds, subtracis and
more mental labor. He has, however, no
idea of numbers above millions.
With pencil and paper we made the fol-
lowing calculations and asked him the ques-
tons, thus: "How much is 80 times 99P'
He answered Immediately, '9,S0I,' "Well ;
how much is "a times Sc I-2r He an
swered "6401." How many mines in
2,000r' He answered, "two hundred and
twenty-five mines, and two over" How
many ffteens in 1856! He answered, "323
tiiteens and III over" How many twenty
threes in 10000 He answered, "I73 TWEEN.
ty-threes and 81 over" How much is 32l
times 7s9? He answered, after short
pause, 1863. If you take 81 from IS
how many will be left! lie answered, "a
If you take 5,2ll from $500, how many
will be left 2 He answered, 1909. How
much is times 8, twenty-five and l4i He
answered, 80. How many is IL times II
and 1877 He said 305. If you had to give
one dollar and half for one chicken and I
half, how much would you have to give fol
two chickens He said, "$2"
If stick, standing straight up, three fee
long, makes shadow five feet long, how
high would a pole be, that has a shadow
thirty feet long! At this he put his hanc
to his chin, drew himself up and gave silly
laugh. His master said, he did not under
stand such as that We then asked him
how much is 1888 times $3.50 In thi.
instance, as in some of the others, he looked
serious, began TO twist about in his chair, I,
pick his clothes, finger nails, TO look at hi
hands, put the points of his thumbs to hi
teeth, move his lips little, and then seemed
~ think Il iitIlr, and then his countenanc,
would give indications of mental agony
and so on. His master told him to wall
about and rest himself He went into III,
yard and appeared to be alternately elatet
with rapture, and depressed with gloom
He would run, jump up, throw his arm
into the air above his head then stand still
and then drag his foot over the Weeds lool
T I'D and down in a word he took on all sort
of crazy motions We sat down TO dine
and when we arose we found him ON tn,
piazza sitting down perfectly composed
On being told he had done it, | said, how
much is it? He answered, eighteen mil
lions, five hundred and fourteen thousand
eight hundred and fifteen" What? said
He replied, lS.54,Sl
We could get no clue to the mental pro
cess by which he ascertained such results
When asked how he did it, his unvaryinl
answer was, 81 studies it up" But wha
do you do first, and what next2 He merel,
drawled out, 81 studies it," He did no
count on his fingers, nor anything external
nor indeed did he seem TO count at all
and yet he combined thousands and millions
and played with their combinations, just a
Others would do with units. All the in
, structon he ever received, was from hi
master, who learned him to count one hun
dred and would ask him how many TWEEN
ties in hundred, and how many fves, SC.
On the following Monday, | saw hin
: again and asked him what was that hare
sum gave him last Saturday. He replied
, "3, 1873 times ,555." On Saturday we tol'