The St. Johns herald., 1892-10-13
A WHITE NEGRO.
One of the Most Remarkable Gases
 Of tho Age.
An Aged African Trho Gradually Changed from Deep Black to a Deadly Bhite-A Puzzle to the
 Doctors.

For many years one of the most fa- miliar and well-known figures on the streets of Westminster, Md, has been Abraham Ireland, faniliarly known to both old and young as Uncle Abram," a hard-worlzing, industrious colored man, kind and genial in disposition and unobtrusive in manner, says a special from Westminster to the Baltimore Sun. Until recently he enjoyed excellent health. After a short illness of pneu- monia, following an attack of the grip, he died the other morning at : o'clock, in the eighty-third year of his age. To the younger generation of Westminster he was probably not so great Q curiosity as to the elder ones, who remember him in his younger days as having shiny, jet black skin, with every indication of his pure African lineage, and his grad ual change to a pure white has been constant source of speculation and curi- osity. The chance was not a sudden one, but very gradual, and no change in his feelings or health was the least no- ticeable He was born at Soldiers
 
 Palm Sunday, 1909, of slave parents, and was the property of Nicholas Lowe, who sold him to Amos Lowe, with whom he moved to Finksburg, Carroll county. When fifteen years old his master sold him to Mir. Andrew Powder, of Vest minister, with whom he learned the tan ner's trade and lived until he was forty five years old He worked at his trade until 1870, but did not think the tan had any effect on his color, as other cOlored men worked in the same yard without any change of complexion.
 Both his parents were full-blooded Africans very black, as are all of his children, his son David, one of the most prominent colored men in the town, having rich mahogany complexion. The first change noticeable in Abraham was white spot which appeared on his cheek about thirty years ago, then on his forehead and one wrist, the white spots appearing on different parts of his body and gaining for him the title of 'Lecpard' The spots then increased rapidly, finally coming together, until his entire body was of siclly white, aptly described by Huck Finn in Mark Twail's famous book, as ''fsh-belly white" The change was complete and permanent, no fading from black to white nor shading of color, but pure, unmistal1able white. His head is per fectly bald, and of the same deadly white as the rest of his body. A few spots of color have appeared in recent years upon his face and these he att tributes to sunburn, as his life has been spent principally out of doors. His body was winter than his face or hands. There has never appeared to be any skin disease or unpleasant itching sen- sation, and the old man at last suc- cumbed to the hand of death, as so many others have done in the last year, from cold and the prevailing grip, his bodily health in every way being still unimpaired. While puzZling the med ical fraternity Abraham attracted the attention of the public and received sev- eral offers to place himself on exhibition in dime museums, and also received a very flattering offer from the veteran snowman, F. T. Barnum, but these he declined, prcferring quiet life with his son, never caring for notoriety. A few years ago Mrs. Jacob Eldridge, of Howell, Mich, similar freak, died in that state and attracted considerable attention She was also of full African blood, her grandfather having come from Guinea, and her experience of the change from colored to white per son was similar to that of "Uncle Abram," suffering no inconvenience nor showing any signs of a skin disease. She was the crly other case known to the public up to the present time.