Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1872-11-28
The Story of a Singular Character.

OK a drive with some friends over
Pomfret Hills, CT, the other day, we
called on a singular character-a man
who is thirty years old, who is deaf.
dumb and blind. Whether he would
blessed with the sense of hearing, il is
impossible to tell, but his glimmerings of
intellect are evidently rather feeble. The
man Is well developed physically; is of
ordinary height; has a stout, thick neck,
and looks strong and robust; has never
eaten anything but milk; has never tasted
water nor a particle OF food but milk.
Thirty years on clear milk, and with a
neck like. an OK, and apparently a mus
Cular system to correspond. Can we say
now that milk is for babies and calves,
and not for strong men This man had
a full set of strong double teeth clear
round, and every one of them had to be
pulled out, as he tore his clothes To pieces
with them. As he didn't use them to
chew his milk with, he probably thought
he must make some use of them, as they
were evidently made for something, and
his clothes furnished excellent material
on which to exercise them. Another
popularity of this strange being is, that
through all his life long he has chewed a
razor rather, | should say, has gummed
1t since his strong teeth were taken from
him. From infancy his motherh has had
to place a rag in his mouth as soon as he
had taken his food. She said he gave
her no peace till she put it back. He
distinguished strangers,irom the neigh
bors and those who had visited him be-
fore. | took hold of his hand and he
took it in both of his and seemed to be
considering; then he passed his hand un
the length Of my arm. and pattcd his
head and chest and made u singular Gut.
tural noise. His mother said that was his
way of eXpressipg9 ~joy--of showing that
he vas pleased. His principal enjoy
ment seems to consist in having his
mother get through with her work and
sit down by his side. lie has Il swing in
the room, in which be spends good part
Of the time swinging. Sometimes when
his mother steps out, he will lock the
door so that she can't get back again,
which shows that he has some wit about
him, or triCkcrv at least. He is always
very, wakeful at night, and rouses his
mother out of bed many times in the
night. She says he has lived thus with
out Il good nights rest for thirty wears,
with the exception of Saturday and sun,
day nights. Every Saturday night he
Gains down like a lamb, and keeps that
night and all the Sunday after in the
strict letter Of the old Blue Laws" of
Connecticut. His mother attributes this
h~ebdomadal to the fact that she changes
his clothes on Saturday night. But it is
probably owing TO the mere fact of change
from the ordinary routine. This slight
ripple of change is q change to him, and
the rest a sort of weekly landmark in the
dreary, monotonous blank of his life.
Perhaps through the cloud and miBts o.
his vacant mind he welcomes this slight
ripple, and thusi in his poor way computes
the flight OF time. What meoneth it to
snch a mind as this To wake and sleep,
TO draw and breathe, to take Il pint of
milk. The sun goes round, the seasons
change, but naugbt of this knows he
Nations arise and nations fall-'tis the
same to him. One dreary round, forever
blank-will death improve his state ! The
bird that flies, the fish hat swimS, has
better life than this.-Cor. Hartj0rd Times.