Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-01-11
The Story of a Singular Character.

On q drive with some friends over
Pomfret Hills, Ct. ,!.the other day, we
called on a singular character---a man
who is 30 years old, who is deaf, dumb
and blind. Whether he would have
been dumb or not had he been blessed
with the sense of hearing, it is impossi-
BILE to tell, but his glimmerings of in
tellect are evidently rather feeble. The
man is well developed physically is of
ordinary hight has stout thick neck,
and looks strong and robust has never
eaten anything but milk has never
tasted water nor particle of food but
milk. Thirty years on clear milk, and
with neck like an OK, and apparently a
muscular 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 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
belngls that through all his life long he
has chewed razor rather, should
say, has gummed it since his strong
teeth were taken from him. From in
fancy his mother has had to place 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 distin-
gulshed strangers from the neighbors
and those who had visited him before.
took hold of his hand and he took it
IN both of his and seemed to be consid-
erlng; then he passed his hand up the
length of my arm, and patted his head
ana chest and made singular gutteral
noise. His mother said that was his
wayIof expressing joy--of showing that
he was pleased. His principal enjoy
ment seems to consist in having his
mother get through with her work and
SIT down by his side He has swing
In the room, in which he spends good
part of the time swinging Sometimes
when is m other 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 trickery 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 without q good nights rest
for 30 years, with the exception Of
Saturday and Sunday nights.
Every Saturday night he calms down
like a lamb, and keeps that night
and oil the Sunday after in the strict
letter of the old "blue laws" of Con-
necticut. His mother attributes this
hebdomadal 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 a change to
him, and the rest a sort of weekly land
mark in the dreary, monotonous blank
of his life. Perhaps through the cloud
and mist of his vacant mind he welcomes
this slight ripple, and thus in his poor
way computes the flight of time. What
meaneth it to such mind as this +? To
wake and sleep, to draw the breath, to
take pint of milk. The sun goes
round, the seasons change, but naught
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 that swims, has better life than
this.