The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-22
SOME TRAITS OF DEAF MEN,
skeTChY PARAGRAPHS BY ONE
WHO CANNOT HEAR.

Horn Voice.
rnaye been deaf for a number oil years
-, xbc,eyer deaf and dumb man oil
pcrgyinc disposition strikes town ge"er
ally see him.
i, the course Of year or two there have
,ccn many OF these, and they have some
characteristics which are Interesting
am ,oipc 10 relate something OF the mos
important OF these. .,,
2sr,v Inc other day a stranger with
queer look mcandercd into my sanctum on
Inc unncr floor of an Office building ano
fool "a around about him in strange pul
-,.,d sort Of n way. lie wore genteei clothe'
crown old and shiny; his address was Una
81 n gentleman, hat he had an eNcccuingl
fcry eve. and a naughty air. lie hlaae 'no nv
tions as though he wanted money OF heip
some kind, and directed him 20 niaAS s ~, :
wants known H. writing, for l was uc"'
lie seemed surprised, but with The utmost
dignity and solcmnity, he sat down al my
desk and wrote;
81 desire 10 say that am n resident %
Golisboro. y. C., and am cripple uNihg u
reach nv home At the salu piaVt. OF
money that you may nave 20 sn.s ~ VIZ
he fully overwhelmingly JOhNSoN.
referred him TO Captain Webster, Of the
police. who frequently furnishes transpor-
iation 10 worthy strangers in trouble. bul
inst SO soon as Captain Websters name
was mentioned, and | happened 10 giahc,
n, the telegraph call-bOx, Mr.. johnson was
ON his feet and bowling himself out. Whef
went oat learned he had just spent th'
night with the captain, for the evening DC
fore complaints had come from the FRS
ward 10 the effect that u crazy man ma,
broken loose down there, and was abusing
women and threatening TO shoot men VINO
had refused him money. The Mayor mad
inst discharged him. Later on ! saw 1--WE
policemen cscorting Mr.. Johnson, or pa
Wis" as they called him, 10 the city limits.
lie was very evidently deaf man.
some months ago another queer charac-
fer found his way 10 my abOte. 81 know
Won. nv friend, :" he said in signs and grasp
ing nv hand warmly. My name is vii
liam Huff; am deafmute; and my friend
God bless YOU, am u Christian, am.
He made his signs 80 fast ! was taker
aback. His dress was anything but Inc
best. His dusty and dilapidated old bro
cams were all that covered his feet and his
pantaloons had. as the boys say, gone vi
10 drink" for they were nearly 10 his knees
The forepari of his head was as hairless as
n dressed pOrker while he was evidently q
man of about thirty. | had no knowledge OF
having ever seen him before, and tears roll
ed down his cheeks as he explained that ht
knew me well, and had put his name II
some paper.
MIR. HUI said he went to school at Staur
ton. and had several deaf and dumb bro
theirs living there. The mention OF th'
principals name brought TRADE OF abuse
such as | never witnessed in all my days
His occupation he said was that of
Christian deaf mute He ''signed the Lord,
PRAYER" 10 the Sabbath schools. and mad,
his living from place TO place. lie had
Travelled all through the cOuntry-had been
10 North Carolina, to Florida, Louisiana
and Texas, and 10 South and Central Anne
rica. When in Texas he had been knocked
off a railroad trestle, because he didn't hear
the train coming up behind, land that, dc
believe, my friend,' he remarked, 'is why
no b~ir won't grow ON my head there
pointing to the sleek portion of his forehead
and TO several scars nearby. Ii was pitt
= full tale that he told, but | could only sym
) patbiZe with him at heart. ! was cOnNulscd
with laughter, for deaf man who walks
upon the railroad track Is always consider
ed fool.
Alter spending the afternoon he said he
had to 90 to see his brother, down at Beale
ton, and asked that get him second-c!as'
ticket. | gave him "A note, 10 the ticket
agent, but il must have hung fare, for | was
told he had money and refusing TO pay the
fare was put of the train. He left me his
blessing and | always felt an interest in
him afterwards, and have traced him back
10 Florida, TO Nebraska, and ! believe Da-
kOta. Last January he was back within
the state, giving a magic lantern exhibit
ton and "singing the Lords prayer for his
living.
But the most interesting deaf stranger
that have run across was u young sailor
from down in Maine. | mention him be-
cause of his pecuiarties, though much diff
ferent in nature from those of the foregoing,
for he was a remarkable man.
He came into the store one day and asked
A., for pad and pencil, speaking in tones loud
enough TO drown the din OF Ia steam whistle.
Two ladies then being waited upon were
startled and their nerves were unstrained
by the shock, whereupon the clerk ran
around to the deaf man and said in whis-
per. eyes, wait a moment, please, We are
not deaf" Imagine the surprise
and smile that illumined faces at the
strangers rejoinder: "IlOw could you tell |
was deafY- aud in tones louder than before.
/ was in the office at the time, and was told
a deaf man wanted 10 see me. The CONVEX
sation that passed between us was such as
is noticeable among all deaf people when
they meet. He said he was steward of a
vessel then in port. He had been deaf from
childhood and had followed the sea since his
ninth year, and made plenty Of money, 50
he said. He had deaf wife who had at
tended an oral school at Northampton,
Mass, and his story so interested me that !
invited him 10 come down home and sec us.
This he did in day or two, while the vessel
was being laden with coOperage for some
West India port.
His visit down home was very agreeable
20 our folks, father and grandfather taking
great interest ia him, and that night his
tales of his travels-and he had been every
where-to China, to Japan, in the Indian
Ocean, TO Liverpool, TO South America and
the Barbary States, for they were such as a
good dime novel is said TO exert in the way
OF influence over youth, and then L was
in my teens.
He advised me to go 10 sea and earn
money like he, and j dreamed it all over,
and at breakfast the next morning l said
Pap, that young man says that the captain
of his vessel is "a nice man, and often takes
his family with him-perhaps he is going Ia
Nassau. Suppose yOn 90 and see what II
would cost TO take me-"
had left college Cat Kendall Green a
couple of months before ON account OF Il
trouble with my head which physicians said
was from cerebro spinal meningitis, by
which lost my hearing in 1881, and two
had intimated that if would take a trip TO
Nassau l might rid myself OF il, and be able
go back TO college IN the fall, which |
was anxious 10 us But nOtning hau been
seriously thought Of IA trip before, for | had
gotten relief in a fortnight after dropping
study.
That night father did see the captain, and
without either Allen or myself knowing IL,
arrangements were made that ! should 20.
The vessel, however, would go TO Sagua
Ia Grande, or Santiago, Cuba, and would BE-
gone twelve months.
Allen was delighted with the prospect.
lie would .learn me 10 cook SO | could
make plenty Of money like himself, and |
could teach him like other deaf people, for
he had never even read the second reader
through In his life"
My object was 10 get rid Of the Uranium
trouble, though, and az ! bad never been
away from home, nor at sea, three months
with strangers was not very pleasant
just then.
Two days later we were moving down the
Potomac, Tor 1 was passenger ON the brig
Onolaska, Of Boston, bound 10 Sagua la
Grande, Cuba.
A pleasanter or kinder man never lived
than Allen. An intelligent man, but with
out education, beyond what he could pick
"a.