The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-05-05
A BABY SOT.
Remarkable Career of George Lee, of Pat
isaq srscn, New Jersey. ma5A Ill
History of a rodigy-consigned to the State
Reformatory Until He Shall Be of Age.
New York Herald April 81

There arrived at the New Jersey State Re-
form School, at Jamesburg, on Thursday, al
human being, child in size, with the intel
lect of q man and the Woes of degraded
inebriate.. Fully thirteen years of age, most
persons would hardly suppose his years
to exceed five. His replies to questions asked,
always in telligent, sometimes witty, geDer-
ally insulting, show wonderfully pre- |
cocious mind perverted By evil associa tons.
Morally a complete wreck, his history would
make fitting subject for Emil Zolas PEN
The name OF this peculiar being is George
Lee, and his birthplace and home Pater-
son, N. j. When he first saw the light of
day the unusual size OF his head created
some attention, but when in few weeks the
rest of his body assumed q size in pre-
portion to his head no more was thought Of
the matter. His babyhood was like that OF
most children; he laughed when pleased
OF any unusual intellectual development.
When he attained the age of four years his
head began 10 increase IN size, and the wo-
men in the neighborhood in which he az
sided declared that George had water on
the BRAIN" Physicians were consulted and
shook their heads, for the case was new to
them. ALI with one accord declared that
ne would live but q very short time
and satisfied themselves with that predic-
ton; but despite il George lived on. His
head continued to increase in size until q
No. z Il hat fitted it snugly. but the rest of
his body did not seem to grow at all. With
the increase in cranial development came
increase of intelligence. He soon showed a.
wonderful talent OF learning by heart any
thing repeated to him, and his genius
seemed to cover everything. With quick
perception he combined remarkable
reasoning power with energy and
decision was mingled prudence
and his love for figures was only
exceeded by his love for music and poetry
The hyperools of mathematics seemed 70
possess as much charm for him as the ny per
bole of rhetoric. That such unusual gifts
especially when combined in body so alb
| normal, could escape attracting notice was
Inn possible, and George soon had hosts d
| friends They taught MIN to recite passages
| from Milton and Shakespeare, and TO sing
| hymns and sentimental songs they tool
him to the theater, and on the
| following day George would reward
them by rendering with marked tslem
| some of the more attractive passages
| of the play in imitation of the actors and
actresses he had seen the previous nigh;
| they would read to HIM from books and
| George would quote the authors In his coi-
/ versation with the gravity and correctness Of
| q college professor. Soon George became
| the wonder of the city; his fame spread bs-
II
| such men as Governor Bedle and other
| prominent men, ell of whom Sc emed to take
| an interest in the Juvenile prodigy. An en-
| igma to men OF science, a source of amuse-
ment and wonderment to all, be was eagerly
| sought after, and his life seemed en- unbrok-
en- chain of joys and amusements.
MOMENTS OF SADNESS.
Those who knew him best were however,
| cognizsnt of the fact that he too had his me-
ments OF sadness, and that even to him the
| roses of life were not without Th0rne. At
| times his lustrous eyes would fill with tears
sad reflections drive away his joyous laugh
/ and no actor could touch the human heart
i with greater pity than George when be
| viewed the future before him. The doctors
all tell me" he would say, "that can not
| live long; that my head is too large for my
| the working OF my brain. They ali tell me
that l must die soon and leave all
| my friends, and then where will poor
| George go?'' Hastily brushing away the
| tears his merry laugh would Danish the sad
reflections on his future destiny, which the
/ fates had spun in an evil hour. His parents
were In poor circumstances, and his father
died before George began to attract general
i attention. His mother was obliged TO earn
her bread by daily toll in one Of the mills
George had plenty of friends, so that his
i mother, when she left him in the morning
i knew we'll that at her return home at even
/ ing she would find her darling safe, and that
he had wanted for nothing during the day.
Despite their daily separation he was tender
| ly attached to her. and referred to her only
| in words of tenderness.
HIS DOWNWARD CAREER.
Left all day to wander where ne chose, 1t
| would have been remarkable, indeed, II
| among his many quasi friends there had
not been some who sought to pervert his
intellect to evil uses. A slang phrase, a bit
| of vulgarlty a double entendre were laughed
| at by many and reproved by few, and soon
became the rule and not the exception with
George. Prompted by men of little charac-
| ter and schooled by persons who took q
pride in teaching the child how to be
| wicked, he soon became self-willed and in
| were closed against HIM, his downward
career had begun and soon the infant
prologue became veritable enfant terrible.
| With astonishing alacrity he learned to
smoke, chew, curse, swear, drink, and soon
his only companions were the saloon
loungers and the scum of society. During
the past five years the nights on which he
returned home sober were fewer than those
on which he reeled home intoxicated, or did
not come home at all. ALI his energy
seemed to be bent upon the requirement. Of
wicked kno Wedge, and bis days were prin
cipally spent in saloons-danclng jigs and
singing ribald songs. Milton and
Shakespeare were forgotten, and indecent
songs had usurped the place of hymns
Instead of being courted and hsttered
everywhere, he was Stunned, for every othe
word was an oath and obscenity and vulgar
ity constituted his conversation. Ladies
| who had formerly petted him how passet
him by in a hurry, for fear of being insulted
His life seemed to be one drunken debauch
and his temper became ungovernable. HI
would stop stranger or an acquaintance IL
the street and insolently demand chew
tobacco; insulting ribaldry was the rewar,
if the favor was granted; volley of curse
and oaths invariably followed refusal
His fits of fury were simply terrible
Thwarted even in the slightest affair b
would kick and yell and send forth oath
, that would have fitted the collection o
the father of Tristrsm Shandy. Tn
, growth of his intelligence, like tn
growth OF his body seemed to have come to
T. - - -