New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-11-27
BLIND TOMS MIND UNSOUND.
TESTIMONY ABOUT HIS PECULIARITIEs.

HIS FATHER, MOTHER AND HiMstLF sLAvEs-His
cAnE~R Brarv ~ MS PorRrn YrAn.
shern's jury after taking testimony under the direc-
ton OF DR. ]. W. Ranney. commissioner appointed by
the Supreme Court yesterday decided that Thomas Wig
gins otherwise known Blind Tom the pianist was
OF unsOund mind and therefore incapable c. taxing
care Of his property
Charity Virgins the mother OF Blind Tom" little
coloed women who said that she abou eighty
old testified THAI she was the mothero twenty children
Eight of them were dead Tom was born In Georgia on
May o. Is49 Both she and Toms father we're slaves
Tom was different from other children. Ho born
blind His fondness for music wonderful from the
beginning II he heard rooster crow he world crow
II he heard bird sing he would sing tie would for
the noise she continued We had to watch him. lis
awake the other half He played the plano before he was
a year old. 81. ,,,. ,o,,so ~ a ,rh,,o
she and sitting nj the table, Tom crawled INTO
the parlor and began playing on th piano. Nheh ITO
was little years old he began TO take lessons
He WAS about three years old when he first played In
public $780,, p., =. ,ou,
the witness her husband Tom and the girls had he
ionged three after emancipation took Tom away
| him" Tom was then seven years old. When tho other
children were punished Tom would run around look AT
them and seem very much amused. After storm
Tom waud initiate the paterng of the rain the piano
After the emancipation 1t was agreed that ar Beihlne
should keep tive but aftcrward he refused
pfesaor Joseph Poznanski testified that he taught
! Tom music for nine years every summer. lie wa,
rational two points-that Of music and that ~
his hands. one day he pat fourteen tea, tea
| spoonsful of sugar in his tea He knew
nothing of musical notsiion His art was purely Initiative
The witness would play something for him. Then ne
would get up pull his hair shake his head grnt dance
around and act If crazy. When the Professor hao
finished Tom would rub his hands looked pleased and 81
down and give very good imitation gu the piano oil wha
| had been played He had prodigious memory. lie
never forgot nythng He composed music some unlcs
and the witness wrote the music "a Tom played IT, ht
| was morose and seemed To dislike society.
Joseph Ewbanks formerly advance agent and treasurer
| of the Blind Tom Combination, testl
| fed he had known Blind Tom since 1868
| lie travelled with him for twelve years
at St Louis night Tom playing French horn n
. O'Clock in the morning in his room at hotel one o
the guests asked witness to stop him. The witness en-
tered his room Tom would not stop but put him out
The next day when spoken TO about he rubbed his hand
and seemed delighted During the twelve years Ia whicl
fine witness was with Tom Dir. Bethune cleared aboI
$50 900 a year. Mr. Bethune was killed in 1884 He wa
drunk and got of the train to get drink at llmngto
DEL and in trying get again fell under the wheel
and was Tom was born blind. but his sght OIL
terward to him little and he could now sec ever
| man in the jury box. II he were present
A. j. Lerche. Virginia lawyer testified thatin MS Jude
| ment Tom not OF sound mind.
Mrs. Eliza Bethune deposed that Tom had clothlhB
her house in this city worth $40. , go
Charity Virgins recalled, said she could neither rea
nor write and that she had no means OF support eAcel
| what came from her son.