Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-24

full where his seeing rivals failed Among
others equally skillful in their respective
lines were David Mapes, the wagonmaker,
of Angelica, N. Y; Stephen Bagero, the
carpenter and builder, of Steubenville;
Thorn Wilson, of Dumfries, Scotland, the
woodturner; Joseph Strong, the organ
builder; Nathan Price, the bookbinder, and
Giovanni Gambasio, the sculptor.
The pathetic story of the blind King of
Bohemia, who fell in the battle of Crecy, is
more than rivalled by the illustrious Troc-
snow, better known as Zisca, the great
Bohemian patriot and reformer. Early in
his military career he lost an eye, and at
the siege of Ruby an arrow DESTROYED the
other Undaunted by this misfortune, he
rose from his bed of suffering and again led
his armies to victory.
After many campaigns his forces COM
PEELED the Emperor Sigismund to grant all
their demands, and peace was proclaimed.
A grateful people sought to place him on
the throne, but he had no ambition, save to
serve his country, and advised the formation
of a republic
A BLIND SAILOR
1t is natural to think of the sailor in con-
nection with the soldier, and, marvellous
though it may seem, in William Talbot of
Tipperary, born about 1880, is an instance
of blind sailor For four years Talbot
followed the sea, going aloft in any weather
without fear.
Among all of those whose mind and cour-
age have raised them beyond the depriva-
tion of sight, however, the name of John
Metcalf must always be pre-eminent. When
a boy he Joined his comrades in their sports,
apparently regardless of his lack of sight.
A fearless climber, he excelled in the rob-
htr,or rNfh irJe ef, nd f,.rri fraa
played hare and hounds with skill equal
to any of his playmates.
He was an excellent horseman, and as a
young man excelled in hunting, racing and
cock fighting. He became thorough mu-
sician, early supporting himself by his skill
in that direction, and later enlisting as a
musician in the army. He established a
stage line between New York and Kanes-
boro, and drove the stage himself
AT one time he was engaged in smuggling,
and at another acted as a guide for travellers
at night or when the roads were covered
with snow. On wager he rode three times
out deviating from the course, against a
skilled horseman, and won the race. He
was fond of riding to hounds, and seldom
failed to be Sin at the death"
HERO OF AN ELoPEMENT.
He was tall and strong, handsome and
merry, and it is not surprising that he was
a favorite with the ladies, which is shown
by the fact that he eloped with and
married the belle of the county on the day
she was to be married to a wealthy land
owner.
The most remarkable part of his history,
however, is the occupation he finally chose,
which was no other than the surveying and
building of highways and bridges. In this
work no natural obstacle could daunt him,
and the skill with which he would alone go
over the proposed course with his stout
stick, ascending mountains, fording
streams, penetrating almost inaccessible
Businesses, determining the nature of the
soil and the requirements of the work, was
only less marvellous than the engineering
skill with which he laid his plans, and car
ried them out. To this day none of his
successors have been able to improve upon
the work of John Metcalf, the blind road
builder