Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-07-27
pyINn TOM TpE PIANIST.

Quite sensation, musical and legal, has been
occasioned in Cincinnati by the appearance there
Of the marvellous creature whose name appears
above. An enterprising darkey, named Cross Is
endeavoring to get Tom away from his late mas
ter, Mr.. Bethune, Of Georgia, to whom he Is now
afprenticed, and with whom he avows his de ire
10 remain. The matter was, at last accounts, be-
fore Judge Woodruff, Of Cincinnati, on writ Of
habeas corpus. To ascertain whett er he was ca
pable of taking cara of himself Tom was ex-
amined by two physicians and in reply - ques.
tons stated that he was sixteen years old" Had
been verywhtre" "God taught me how to play.
He used to back me. He taught me how TO hing
and how to play too" when l first tried to play,
couldn't get it out very we'll" II never drink
whisky" II am feeman." "If were left by
myself some fellow might steal me. could not
get along al all by myself might fall down
ID break ny neck. Iwould catch cold. would
get sick. Somebody N ght come along and shoot
me. I'm ght get lost. don't want to be LETT by
myself. would be afraid all the time. would
20 to Mr.. Betnune. He takes good Gaze of me-
&C., &c. At the end of the conversation n, the re-
n rter SAYS. Tom went of into series OF gyra'
tons and genuGections that it would puzzle
gymuast to describe and which DR.. Biackman said
would soon break him down."
The doctors gave 1t as their opinion that though
he was not idlotic, he was very deficient In rea-
soning power.
Mr.. Bsthuue, under examination In Court made
the following statement
NV home is in Muscogee county, Georgia |
have lived there from l517 until now this boy,
with two sisters and his father and mother, were
10 be sold at bile outcry, in the early part OF
1880: they al worked for me prior TO this, and
al The r,ouest of The father and mother pur.
chased the whole family. To n was then hope
les,ly bind aud was about light months old, ana
he wa, simply considered as an incumbrance.-
From that time until his fourth or NTH year ne
was running ABOUT the yard good natuTei chlid'
lint SCI ming 10 have little iense. he sung for The
children. ana they TO him. he would occasion
aIlv get to the piano, and soon discovered consd
cradle capacity for music and desired that ne
should have free access to the instrument. All
sounds seemed 70 make music Tor him ne iol'
lowed the birds Ut 10 the woods, and NJ one tilne'
having strsyed of, lie was called BACK oy the
sounds of the flute. He now began to play eve
rythlng he head ard in his tenth year person
came 10 NE TO hire him for the purpose OF e1hi'
hilton. The witness proceeded u state that he
lei the bow DO tsken away Tor the purpose oil ex
hibiton but hSd him shortly aiteIw ards returned
He subsequently h red him to a Mr.. OiVer, VINO,
he believe treated him kindly MI ness hau
uniformly refused TO sell him or part with the con-
troll f aim for any amount mis- phenis were
anxious he should not do SO he had Travelled
over the country with Tom for the last i've or
AK months and ION was very much attached 20
him and his family, us were also his parents
OF Toms n usical genius and skill, the Cincin-
natl Times expresses itself in the following
terms;
.Dashing recklessly from right to left-plung'
ing into the tkoro.bass OF Mencesohn, or the stl.
cato of VALE Ihauff-hammerng out the great
strokes OF List or tintinnabulating the magic
bells Of Btethoyen--it is the SINE; hne Ire ~
rolling up from the mulattO KEY >, back ana whhe
nteiminglei and from the black hngers' EBONY
liotIng over ivory in profuse harlnonles. ~
Here il indeed, u prodig OF nature. mere
can be Lo humbug bout those scared eyes, those
idioto grimaces, those wild flights OF music II Is
a verlIable eighth wonder Of the world
Mozart at four years old, was caught by his
father composing sonatas and bluring MS rnue
signs with his sleeve as he thew out bar after
bar of almost insurmountable intricaces OF exc
cutiou. II was certainly miracle in The history
OF composition. Blu, it was precocity-the won.
dr. of ear,y development The child grew, and
lmpro red, and came to be great master, ana
dieL after life Il triumph before be nae reache1
q happy Weflulhu VI uduHOOu'
more startling phenomen u, we think, TINS Dllhd'
Idlotlc negro boy, with the touch OF Thaloergt
sgeep OF q Gottschalk. The m mOry itself which
ret ms and never releases conception, ana
whose range takes In all the concept ms knoWn
10 the keyboard, is remarkable but It's aPpllca'
tiun 10 ths practical uses OF the piano, Is what
startIe. every musician. We do not m IAN 10 say
that this lad plays as well as the two brilliant
n !. ormers we mentioned Of his own voltlon ana
origin; but this We mean, that be can follow
either Of them with perfect imitation OF their
most perpexs ID novelties giving light and SHADE
as they gave il, purely ana srtistlcdly. bis Ia
ent. however is not confined to limitations Of the
piapo forte. All sounds Of earth and air seem to
impress themselves with equal viyidness up
him and 20 be wrought out upon tue Instrument
with equal success. He transhXes thunder
storm from the skies 10 these ivo keys with the
facility that he mocks music box, banjo or
steam engine.
Il he conscious Does he know his power =
What are his thoughts, and how go his organs
of sueeuh? IL Is hard 70 say. he passed his
the. VII n not at the piano, lesping, mumb!ing
and pumacing horribly. His words are few,
sta amered out painfully, uncOnnected by any
train of reflection. Memory, absorbing, never
falnng, seems 10 have usurped other faculties
Fond and sinp e-hearted in his affections, readny
cosxed by those 10 whom he is attached, but in.
Aexlbly stabborn TO compulson, susceptible 70
moods oil depression and .adGess easily excited
L, ru,esoue mirth or bitterness, what wondrous
chords must underlie this strange nature, prompt
i,g an Inspiration neat 10 d.vine1 Inquiry Is
Idle upon a su Ject so mysterious. One can only
listen : are and ma vel.