Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-05-15
THE LATEST YARN.
The Wonderful Auraculars of a Small In
diana Boy.

a wonderful and strange phenomenon
has Just been brought into our Office IN the
person of little Willie Lester, whose father
is well-to-do farmer on the Wea Plans.
Willie is about 10 years old, unusually
bright and intelligent for his age, and has
always been remarkable in his neighbor-
hood for his ears. His right one IS per-
fectly immense, being, as we should Judge.
as large as palm.leaf fan, while the other
is no larger than the ear OF an ordinary
sized wax doll. Until quite recently
nothing unusual has been noticed In his
hearing, but lately he has developed WON
derful powers in that direction. With his
small ear he can hear the faintest buZzlng
of bugs and insects, and can even detect
sound uttered by the minutest animal.
cule-so small that they are not even
visible to the naked eye. A fly run
ming along window pane, caterpiller
crawling across q sheet of paper, make
sufficient noise to attract his attention,
even when his back is turned. The sense
of hearing in this ear is so acute that it is
absolutely painful to him, and he is COM
PEELED to wear cork in it all the time.
The right and large ear is quite the reverse
of its little companion in both powers and
properties. To it these minute and near
sounds SO painfully disceruaole to the other,
are lost, but distant noises are readily
heard. Although residing fifteen and
quarter miles from any railroad ad--Lafayette
being the nearest point-yet Willie can dis
tinctly hear the trains and mills blowing
their whistles, and can easily distinguish
between the engine bells and the city bells.
When the Wabash round-house blew up
some weeks since Willie felt the shock as
severely as though he had been in the
building itself. He had been unwell for
some DAYS and was sleeping later than usual
that morning, and when the explosion
occurred he sprang from the bed with
scream, and holding his ear with both
hands -stood. for -ths- time trembling IN the
middle of the room. On clear days he has
often heard Sheriff Taylor summoning wit
nesses from the Court house window. He
distinctly heard the noise OF the mob at
Kokoma, Monday night, which was very
clear night Although unable to make out
what they were doing, yet he heard the
shouts, "Ropes down !" "Time's up!
and heard poor Long sing, See that my
grave is kept green" the tune OF which
Willie at once recognized, and In low
voice .sang the accompaniment, it being
quite familiar to him. He can hear the
coming of storm long before there arc
any signs of it in the air, and even long
before the Weather Bureau gives notice Of
its approach. At ia suggestion OF neighbor,
Mr.. Lester had wire gauze lid, with tin
rim, madetof fit over Willie's ear. 1t consists
of two thicknesses of gauze, the outer one
being of larger mesh than the inner one (;
between the two there is an intervening
thickness OF loose flannel to soften sounds.
Willie wears it continually, and this, with
a cork in his little ear, has the effect of re-
ducing lis hearing to a normal condition.
Willie is handsome, fair-faced, golden.
haired little man, exceedingly shy ard
timid, and any notice taken of him seems
quite painful to him. His father and
uncle, Henry Thornburg, brought him to
town this morning, and to the States office
this noon. The physicians being apprised
of the fact have just been testing his
powers, and are in a state Of excitement
over this wonderful freak of nature. Fur
ther comment is unnecessary and useless.
The imagination has nothing left to add
we cannot gilt refined gold or paint the
sunbeam. To us the truth is stranger than
fiction. We can only write the facts; our
poor pen fails us further than this. La.
fayette Herald.