The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-07-03
4 MATHEMATIcAL MARVEL.
An Untamed Missouri Boy rs a Ready
ReckOner.

ing heard Of him frequently through
farmers and others, who got him 10 do
their counting, determined a shor1
time ago to make him visit, ard TO as
certain for myself If dle remarkable
stories told of him were true.
! am free 10 confess that at first I was
fully as incrclulous aa many readers OF
this paragraph will be, in lact, would
not have believed statements made con
cerning him had not the authority been
indi=putably good
Proceeding TO Fayetteville, the small
village in which he lives, inquired for
fReub,' and was told that he was IN
town, and was shown his residence, TO-
ward which made my way. When
nearly there / met young man, appar-.
emily about % years Of age, walking a
little lame, and seemed to be leisurely
and vacantly gazing about, and accost-
ed him with. "Does Reuben Fields live
IN that house yonder2" "Yes, sir"
"Well, Pve heard that Reub was a great
calculator, and I must go and zee him."
and started forward, when he stopped
me with-"Tm him"
"Well, Reub," said I, I "have a feg
questions would like 10 have you an
swer, and will make it worth yourwhilc
TO do so."
Gazing around, he answered: That's
all right" and remarked that he could
"count" anything he could understand.
may here remark that he cannot
read or write letter or figure; says II he
could he should loose his gift He can
not explain anything, but says he has
numeration table away on "beyond the
books" He remarked: You commence
at the bottom and work up--I commence
at the top and work down; it is easier
falling out of a tree than climbing
one" lie frequently observes: "If l
could read and write, shouldn't know
any more than you do" II is said he
never makes mistakes OF all the aues-
tions gave him, he made but one, and
he corrected that on recounting The
following are some Of the questions ask
ed him:
If, 70 the time past noon, there be adj
ded its }, I and 2-5 the sum will be-
equal to 1-6 Of the time 10 midnight,
what is the honr?
Divide S11.5O between two persons 90
that one shall have 75c more than the
other.
a tree 1876 feet long fell and was bro
broken into two pieces, two-thirds Of the
longer piece equals three-quarters Of the
length Of the shorter. What is the
length of each piece?
What is the interest Of cent for
day at per cent annum?
What is the exact length Of one side
of square acre?
These questions were all correctly
answered, his answer to the last being,
at can't be told"
/ then said: "Reub, hear that you
can tell what day Of the week any given
date was, or will be, Is that so2' "Yes,
sir" "What was July /, 1s6s7' "Wed-
nesday." Correct" "What was the
22d of January, ls4s2" Sunday" "what
day will the 4th of July come on this
year," Saturday" "New Years7"
"Friday." All right" Il have also
heard, Reub, that You can tell the hour
at any time of day or night. Isthat so2"
"Yes, sir" "What time il Il now2" at
is II minutes past 2 o'clock, railway
time-sun time IL l3 minutes slower"
We walked around town and he gave
me the hour several times, correctly each
time, within two or three minutes. Sew
eral times he called on citizens Of the
place to attest the truth of his state
mentS, which they did. One Of the
leading citizens of the place told me he
had tried "Renb" on the time question
on both clear and cloudy days, also on
dark nights, and he always gave the cor
rect time. Reuben asked the gentle
man We were talking with 10 write down
a column Of figures, which he did; they
were then read to him, thirteen mum
bers, two figures in each number, and
he at once gave their sum, and could re.
neat the numbers in the order IN which
they we're written. either forward OF
backward.
The tax collector got Reuben to looh
over his work last fall, and Reuben said
that he could remember the numbers 10
the column and the sum yet. County
clerks have sent from Kansas for him Il
help straighten their books. 4 whole
sale firm in Kansas City heard Of him
and sent for him 10 do some invoicing
He told them he could do the work oi
ten men. He mounted high stool
with the clerks around him, and kept
them giving the number Of articles
price Of each, and taking down his an
swers. They gave him S45 for his day.
work. A firm in Fayetteville selling
, out took and invoice Of their goods
Reub was sick at the time, but thes
J found it out and sent Il 10 him; he founC
! mistake of $500.
\ |