, 1865-07-22
BLIkD TOM, THE PIANIST,
A Negro Prodigy in Court.
CONFLICTING cLA1ns OF, GUARDIANSHIP,
History and Description OF the BOY.

From the Ctnc1onap Commercial, 20th,1
Blind Tom. one Of the most singular 1nusi
cal phenomena OF whom nc hare any &C
count, was before the Probata Court ysster
day, to have the matter Of his guardianship
settled. He arrived here dny before Yester
day, about p. NJ, IN charge Of Jas. y. Bo
thune, former owner Of Blind Tom and hi
parents. Accompanying Nj. Bethune were
acts Us agent and musical tutor to Tia how.
This party left theiE plantation, In The sui
uros OF Columbus, Georgia, on the ed Of lasi
month. and came North with the intention
Of giving concerts. Three engagements were
g1ren IN Nashville, and The next thrco it
New Albany, Indiana. At. this latter poiai
Mr. Tabbs Gross, negro OF this city, applied
for paperso Of guardianship over tie boz. or
stratnt b. 3{r. Bcthune, and q writ Of hqha,
corpus Was granted lim. Mr. BetAune, II
the meantime, had come here. and 1earned
tor the first time, last evening, Of this proce
dute. This nGular case came up beforr
Judge Wood1ud yesterday afternoon, at the
Before tie Cont was In eea:ion Blind Tom
attracted great deal OF attention, He Ia a
fMi-hioodtd negro, now sixteen years old.
AID about five feet live inches In height, IN
to the time he vas thirteen he was totallv
blind, but since arriving at that age his eve.
sight has been improving, and he can now
zee little BY glaucing at; brilliant tbiects
obltquelJ, and one ofhis hyu1lte amusements
u TO lie on his back and gat: Steadily NJ the
sun. lie always seems In q curious statn of
cxa1tatton.- Sometimes he eHould nerr1, him:
self on one leg and hop around IN q c{rcIe
grooming to himself rs he hopped. Some.
times be thrnmmed the air win Ills f,Isers.
with the ,useliest energy, and then would
break into sort Of rude Walk-rouud. His
features were constantly agitatsd by some me
apparently joyful thought or inspiration.
Sometimes lie Hnu:d rub lis bands inyethrr
with u1mi5takabte tcstRU,4 No one can raze
at him for two or three mln nutea withoo Il beinp
perfectly convinced that 4e is incanatle oi
doing this or any part Of 1t for elect. The
itate his strange gestures and tie work,nra
Of his face.
This strange creature was t1urn near fo1nrn,
bus, Georgia, IN June. 1910. of sIave rarcTt.
belonging to 3fr. Bethune. When ie was
five years old. 3lr. Bethune presented hfs
daughters with plano. FROM The moment
Tom heard chord struck, lie seemed Liter.
was placed at the Instrument, and by some ne
mysterious inspiration be struck ffat.m ents
OF harmony the moment his fingers resse5
on the keys. His little body. clad In =
coarse single garment, trembltd y1oIentlv
with passionate excitement, I'd received M
tuition whatever, and now knows nothinp ri
music as science. His car Is hIs on1y rn5de
and is preternatu1ally acute, N1As'
His parents are fuli-blooded Africans, md
have twenty Other children. abont whnne
nothing remarkable has ever been tiiscoyerei
His mother Is said to be very sensitive wo-
man, and his father a pattern Of honesty. but
there Is nothing In their appearance or his
tory to account tor the strange musical gifts
OF this bog. Aside from muaic. he Ia a}n3osf
an idiot. He Ia incapable Of protlacted con.
yersatlon or any species Of reasoning. Ie
has an aversion for ftma1es, and disIiEes tn
bear them at the piano.. His health tas
R1n ays been good, and hts form now is mus.
cular and Well-developed for boz Of sIY-
teen. The violent gymnastics he fndnlrcs
In, no doubt, have contributed 10. MAKE M IN,
30. He Is very tEactable and obcdicnt.
Blind Tom was never In the free States In.
fore he IeAched New ALBANY, Inst week. eY-
cept one brief Tisit to New York CITY. M
was exhibited in CoTingtou, KY, the day
Sumter was fired On, under tie auspices ID
ar. Oliver, who had engaged him from Mr.,
Bethune. Ne remember that Oliver came
nto cur Office the day after tie All Of Sum
Ter, and called for his bills, With consIiern.
be display Of temper. When asked why he
lid not continue Ills concerts az he haii an.
she was wanted down South u br
said, and he left CovingtouI In higb fudeeon
sith all Ynnkeedom- Daring the war Tom
xas exhibited few. times in sections Of Geor-
IL and Alabama, and once In Charleston.
.Tahbs Gross, the applicant for the mar
l!anship Of the boy, Is resident Of this city.
md Is tiso a remarkable African of tbc fnii..
Hooded persuasion. He was born IL Mary
md, and WIS brought to Mason county, /
cqni.i1g his freedom, be purchasel a cast.
side panorama Of "uncle Toms Ca1fn. il
Fhlch be took to London ind exhibited. Aeon
o1lsting handsome amonnt OF money in
his way, he returned TO this CITY. and has
cen remarked for hia enterprise and shtewd.
csE- About tHo years ago he conceived the
lea OF buying Blind Tom and his Earents..
nd bringing them North, with the object OF |.
wing concerts: With great difficulty he
laae Gus way lhrough the lines Of both ar
lies, and reached Macon, where he had an
!IeIsleW WILL III. bethuae, Toms owner.
IT. neIanoe asked twenty. thousand dollars
goia 1of nal! interest IN the hoy, for five
eals, Sum WHICH Gross Was not prepared
glse, an4 accofalngiy he; returned North
way ol Nest virginia sinca the surren-
u " Lees a!Hy, nc maze another trip to
eoEa Ha.n !. ..;; tnS SANE o1]ect IN view. He
tsnfu y 1atS ~ oettaag: ~ ny pfeAmina11es with.
,n+.en1. i!',; aua 1 niIaas9 We 1etms o. the
ntt.n1 @ ~, " "tttsms ~ Io1i5Ylie, III,
nn5nT III agotat ~ ats nIsa NM ana oeciaa9 to
'1nouu N.I, ~ SsnItaca. E u2oh lsk1ng the boy
- hcr or5 +ba ..oso 'eo apf11Gauoa LOT
~ wy aao ~uo e3oSs 10 '@Nu, u NOW IN
.sIs' 14t
". betaahe Is man o. some sixty-dve
nh 1ost hv a t,rt ram a horss sfa;ns a;: ~.
az 40 accompany hnn' are pasoled rebel OIL