Weston weekly leader. [volume] (Weston, Umatilla County, Or.) 1878-189?, 1890-01-21
BLIND TOMS WONDERFUL GIFT
Rolling the. Floor in an Ecstasy q
Pleasure-Phcnoncnni Musical TaIos.t.

= ase
Rolling the. Floor in an Ecstasy
Pleasnre-Phcnoncnni Musical Ts:Ios.t.
Since the recent ae.fcn of the courts
taking Blind Tom from the cilstegiy
Afr. Bethune, his former life long frietat. 4
manager and protector, has brought iss
SO prominently before the public IN Ifii
newspapers, few facts eenoegnislglaH
childhood By one who knew him tile
may not prove un:nteresting. He W.!
born near the city Of Columbus, in ff;i
cogee county, Ca, of slave parents. I'll.
property of Gen. James n. Ecthnue, q
that time editor and proprietor Of news
paper called The Corner Stone, but in e2-
aetly what year Go not know, as he was
some or 8 years, or it may be {: liitl
Older, when iirst ret him IN 1876.
Ny first I;:eetisl:, with lin was in t,lis
wise: had Just married Il few months pre-
viollSly, and o:a of Gen. BcthuEc's (aaa1-
tcr:; had been one Of orr bridesmaids c.
our return from northern tour we were
invited to dine ut Gen. Bctfune's. Dur
ing tie day music was prorcscd, ai.d
upon the piano and 1iEte ray vile and
played ..Tle wllici, we bad heard for :ilc
first time IT Gle Of tie theatres ii Ihit:.-
delphia. Al the first soani Of the nlttsi.
Te11 cane rushing into the Iariof in q
single gitrf.elit, 50 common among tie
little nlGger:5 i'll the south, and while tic
music Was Going On he fell down u,,tjn til.
nocr, rolled over, turned somerSauIts,
ciapped lis hands, grcarod and wc,.
through divers motions, really more as Il
he We're IN pain than experiencing eI2o-
lions Of Pleasure. As soon, however. is
the last Eote WAS Played he s-raig u!s,
fus1etl to l.iy wife al;i, pushing at Ter,
cric! cut eaercri--:
''I'!e"se git away; l wants ter play dai
tune!'
And Jumping unon the piano stool lie
played it cff perfectly, although know
he i:ad never heard it until that moment,
for it h;:l oris- been recently published
and ii;:ti llsst J; 5collia south. To test Kim
then ethcrs il;..vd tuHes Ee had never
heard a:.t he would Immediately plav
them CT with beth HAMS, just rs E3e
he heard ul"!A. Ee saefi:s tC I.::..7-e lest al
sounds, Thc: her n3l.>:c3i CT h"rsE. lie
love. 20 do ti'@ clI::rn;u. for he family,
just TO hear She E.orntonuus suu;.fis ef lie
dashe' III the GEAR. H.. has even been
known to pinch al tjilt ;se tease babies
just t31!car t;.e:a cry.
Chc Ea''it &! lis EuCr'a 20 aver G c-ooi
deal Of romance. vet it is true. Being
| bind, he VIZ: a;:sy i:H ! I.am i.a::e
| fitted from trce 10 ticc til &c To,iid get
lost in tie Uool,s, unal3le to fiBd his way
| back. Ji.on such occasions the most
| practicable way TO lEG l;IIiY would lie for
| Mr. John I2tllUne, his first manager, to
| &C cut in tie woods aid play his flute,
! when Tcm would hg2g. i, cc:ne to the
sound, and t;Ius set bac.. home.
| Although iGiot;c, Ii was even ct that
| early age endowed with a wonderful mem
| DRY. After srei:l;z.S the day at Cen
Bcthune's, es related above, it was over
SIX years before / saw him again. The
war was going cn, and one day on ticking
train unexpectedly found J5hn Bcthune
with Tom oll the train. 1 addressed M
Bethune and then Tom, not dreaming
that he would recognize ne, VIXEN, to my
Infinite surprise, he said:
'iIow dye, Mr.. Sharp; bow's Miss
| Fannic?''
To which said: s'Why, Tom, how dc
J you know me so wcll2''
He repiied: ooh, l1rows you, en- Miss
Fannie, too; don't You know when yo,,
was at our house and played DIS tune9''
md he Whisted the very tune mentioned
above.
On that trip discovered how the ab-
Eanee OF sight had rendsscd all his Others
more acute, fer as we dashed along ct
! perhaps thirty miles an hour he could
always tell wEctheT we were passing
woods Or open fields. Bouses, cuts. en-
banknIents, bridges, CIR almost anything
! else. | remember we entered small Vii
lase on tie railroad, when 1 asked Ton
what was outside, to which he promptly
seplied: "a heap Of houses. ''-AugGsta i
| HSaA Na,va
| QUEER BURIAL RITES.