The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-01-26
A BACK.HANDED SPELLER.
The Curious Focultv ofu Yong Nc w Mex
icnn ComposttoY.

icnn Composition.
The Santa Fe Nep Merican says:
Sante Fe has young man with mind
which has a faculty that is rarely to be
found, if, indeed, it can ever be discov.
cred elsewhere. The gentleman in
question is Hugh McKevitt, o printer
working over at military headquarters.
He is rapid typesetter and thorough
ly good workman, so that he is not de-
pendent on any side business for good
living, and as consequence has never
said anything about his spelling capac.
ity, which is the subject of this item.
McKevitt is left-handed speller, and
defes any one to put at him word
which he cannot spell backward as rap
idly as the best and quickest speller
could give it in the usual way.
The other day the reporter fell in
with him when he was in q more com.
municative mood than usual, and had oc
casion to try him. Incomprehensibil
was not marker for him. As soon as
the word was pronounced, Mac said
"fifteen letters" and went at it back
ward so fast that his hearers were un-
able to tell whether he was right or
wrong. "You see," said fellow
printer, che can tell the number of
letters in any word without moment g
hesitation, as we'll as he can spell it
backward, and not only that, but you
can give him q whole sentence and he
will tell you at once how many letters
there are in it, aud so right on and
spell through the whole thing back
ward faster than most people could
spell in the other way"
This thing was tried time and again,
and no words or series of words could
be hit upon which We're not rendere
as indicated above. OF course there
are words in the English language
which Mckevitt has never heard Of,
Just as is the case with almost eyely
other man, but he is what could be
called fine speller, right handed"
as he says, and is familiar with the
language, and any word which he has
heard and can spell at all he can spell
backward with astonishing rapidity.
The st1angest part about the whole
thing is that McKevitt has never prac-
ticed or studied spelling backward q
day IN his life. He says he does not
know how he ever acquired the ability
to do 1t, but that as soon as he hears OF
secs word, even if he has never thought
OF it before. which, of course is the case
with large majority of words, he
knows Immediately how many letters
there are in it and how to spell it back.
ward or in the regular way. 1t is so,
too, with sentences. He knows at once
how many words and letters in any
sentence that may be suggested, and
states the numbers promptly as soon as
the words are uttered. McKevitt can
also distribute type backward as fast as
forward. In the left-handed spelling
there is no theory of sound 10 aid him,
as in very many instances the letters
spell nothing at all and cannot be pro
nounced, so that there is no accounting
for his ability to spell in that way ex,
cept to conclude tnat it is the result Of
a gift-a peculiar faculty of remark.
ably quick mind.
There Is no particular advantage in all
this as far as can be discovered, but il
is a curiosity and a rare one, and if any.
body thinks it isn't hard to do let him
try to acquire it.