The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-12-22
ghs 3ailg y allstia.
TUESDAY, DEC. 22, 1885.
A BLIND CHORUS.

For several days past there has
been a remarkable family of ne
groes in Atlanta. Their name is
Williamson and they came from
Wilson county, North Carolina.
There are three brothers and four
sisters, all of whom have been to-
tally blind from their birth. They
are the children of black parents
who were slaves and ordinary field
hands. Unto them were born four
teen children, seven of whom had
sight while seven were blind. The
blind children were not only harder
and healthier, but their mental en-
dowments are superior to those OF
their brothers and sisters who could
see. They went to Raleigh to the
state blind asylum and were there
we'll educated. Every one Of them
developed remarkable talent for
music, and on leaving the asylum
organized themselves into a concert
company and began to travel through
the south. The Oldest brother mar
ried smart negro woman, who acts
rs guide and business manager OF
the party. They have been all over
the south, giving entertainments,
which have paid them handsomely.
They sing and play on various in
struments with remarkable skill.
All of them have good voices, which
have been we'll trained.
Their most remarkable perform
ances are their exhibitions of their
powers of mimicry. They initiate a
brass band so perfectly that per-
son outside the hall in which they
are humming would almost invari-
ably be deceived. Their imitation
of the organ is equally perfect
Each of the singers makes a pecu-
liar noise and carries his or her own
part of the performance, and the
combined result is a deep music,
very like to the pealing of a grand
organ. These are two of their
many tricks. They are constantly
adding to their repertoire and per-
fecting themselve. more and more
in their curious arts. They have
educated the sense of touch to a
very remarkable degree. By feeling
of a PERSONS face and head, they
can give an accurate description OF
his or her appearance; and one OF
the sisters claims that she can tell
the color of the hair by touching it.
The seven will Join hands and
any object can be placed in the
hands of the oldest brother at the
end of the line; while he holds it
he claims that the magnetic current
which passes through the entire line
will enable any one of his brothers
and sisters to tell what he has in his
hand. At any rate, some remark
able guesses of this kind are made
The blind negroes have given
series of entertainments in variou:
negro churches in the city and have
created a great sensation among thu
colored population. 1t is said tina
they take good care of their aget
parents, who still reside on the oil
homestead in North Carolina, in thu
same cabin where they lived a
slaves, and where their fourteen
children were born. The blin'
singers have bought the place ant
presented it to their parents. Th
brothers and the wife of the eldes
manage the financial affairs of TIL
combination so successfully tina
they have accumulated snug pro
perty. The Oldest brother is abou
twenty-eight and the youngest siste
about sixteen years old. Variou
efforts have been made by profes
sional managers to secure the cor
troll of this remarkable family, bu
they prefer to take care of thei
own affairs. They are all INTEL
gent and remarkably we'll posted o
matters in general.-Atlanta paper
The British campaign again'