The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-02-01
POOR BLIND TOM.
The Latest About the Once Great Musical
PT0digy-HG Is Sinking Fast.

There are, undoubtedly, many people IN
| this city who, in years past, were delighted
| when listening to the wonderful musical
| powers developed by that prodigy. Blind
| Tom, VINO, for a number of weeks, gave ex-
| hibitiOns at Platt's Hall. of his remarkable
| ability to draw sweet sounds from the piano
| To these the following sketch from a recent
issue of the New York Morning Journal will
be OF interest:
Poor Blind Tom," the erratic musical
| genius of a decade ago. is driveling away
| the remaining months of an eventual life at
| private retreat in st. Marks place.
lie has been for some time an idiot, and
now consumption has set its iron grasp
| upon his once tough frame, and his days are
numbered.
Blind Tom earned in his day something
like half million dollars. To-day he Is COM
paratlVely pauprr, and the wonder is what
has become of the fortune he made, as he
was always in charge OF a guardian and was
never allowed to spend it.
Judge Andrews OF the Supreme Court yes
terday confirmed a report of Referee Jerome
Buck, allowing the estate of Daniel p. Hoi-
land $4,000 for services rendered and neceS-
saries furnished the mad musician during
the lifetime of Holland
Mrs. Elise Bethune, the committee having
charge OF Tom, vigorously opposed the con-
frinati0n of the report. The Judge observed
lidb ~ W d. SdulS apparent thai there womb
be nothing left for the maintenance of the
poor idiot after all claims were paid.
l he mad musicians real name Is Thomas
Virgins. He was born in Virginia about
forty-six Years ago. His mother was a
slave. From the time he was able to toddle
around the negro cabins on his masters
plantations Tom displayed wonderful
powers as musician. He could play on
any kind Of instrument, and yet never had
an instructor
With the surrender of Lee at Appomattox
Tom became free man, or rather free boy.
An alert. enterprising Southern gentleman,
Colonel j. W. Bethune, saw his pecuniary
value and got an order from a Virginia court
appointing him committee for the main
tenance and safety OF Blind Tom.
Colonel Bethune turned Tom into the
''black mint" he promised his friends he
would. He took him out on the road and
played" him TO every city. town and ham,
let from Boston To san Francisco. Tom
proved the best card Of his time.
In those days Tom earned for his manager
from $1,000 to $4,000 week. His old slave
mother, Charity Virgins, thought that she
ought to get hold of Il slice of his earnings
Charity fought in the courts for the posses
sion of Ter son. There were speculative
people behind her who supplied her with
the needed cash 10 get legal and bodily con-
troll of Tom.
Colonel Bethune won in every fight. The
courts decided That old Charity was not a
proper person to have control of such an err
ratio genius as Tom.
Long before Tom was declared legally in
sane he displayed evidences of being ..ofv
in the upper story. When Moody and
Sankey held their series Of famous REVEALS
some fifteen years ago Tom was seized with
religious mania. He attended every meet
ing lie could steal to, and mortified his man
ager on one or two occasions by giving away
the product of his magnificent genius for
nothing. He delighted the Moody and
Sankey people by Keeling off religious music
by the hour upon the piano.
Once in St Louis he escaped ON horseback
from his custodians on dark and stormy
night to go to revival meeting. He got on
the wrong path. He allowed his horse to
pick his way, and the animal brought him
out to the prairie, where he was captured.
When Colonel BethUne died few wears
ago he left Tom to the care Of his wife.
Elise. She in time was appointed COM
mittee by the court TO maintain Tom. She,
toe. had TO fight old Charity Virgins ami
other people for the control of Tom Soon
however, he broke down in health, became
dangerously in sane, and was placed under
restraint.
All last summer Tom had delighted audi
ences in the house adjacent to his retreat in
st. Marks place. lie played necessarily
upon the plane, guitar and other melodious
instruments. Now he can play no more
His frame has shrunken TO mere shadow.
his fingers have become palsied, and he can
not evolve the sweet strains which have en-
chanted thousands.
The wonder is what has become of the
money which Colonel Bethune was obliged
by mandate of the court, to deposit for
Toms maintenance. 1t was supposed to be
% per cent of the net proceeds of the enter
tainmenis given. That would give Tom at
least S125, 900 in his own right There il
now. it is authOritatively stated, less than
5000 in the exchequer The $4,000 judgment
entered yesterday Will make an awful cash
in the fund.
Present indications are that Blind Tom.
who earned over half Il million of dollars.
will die in the p0orhouse and be buried in
the p0tters' field.