Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-04-23
A WHITE NEGRO
One of the Most Remarkable Gases
 of the Age.
An Aged African who Gradually Changed from Deep Black to n Deadly Whlte-A Pnzxl9 Co the
 Doctors.

For many years one of the most ia miliar and well-lnown figures on the streets of Westminster, Md, has been Abraham Ireland, familiarly known to both old and young as Uncle Abram," a hard-worldng, industrious colored man, kind and genial in disposition and unobtrusive in manner, says special from Westminster to the Baltimore Sun. Until recently he enjoyed excellent health. After 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 a curiosity as to the older ones, who remember him in his younger days as having a shiny, jet black skin, with every indication of his pure African lineage, and his grad ual change to pure white has been constant source of speculation and curi- ositg. The change was not a sudden one, but very gradual, and no change in. his feelings or health was the least mo- ticeable. He was born at ''So1diers' Delight" Baltimore county, Md, on Palm Sunday, 1909, of slave parents, and was the property of Nicholas Lowe, who sold him to Amos Lowe; with whom he moved to Finlzsburg, Carroll county. When fifteen years old his master sold him to MT. Andrew Powder, of Vest minister, with whom he learned the tam ners 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 fu1l-blooded Africans, very black, as arc all of his children, his son David, one of the most prominent colored mon 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 Leopard" The spots then increased rapidly, finally coming together, until his entire body was of . sickly white, aptly described by Huck Finn in Mark Twain's famous book, as "hsh-belly white." The change was complete and permanent, no fading from black to white nor shading of color, but pure, unmistakable 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 at- 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 puzz1ing 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 very hattering offer from the veteran snowman, P. T. Barnum, but these he declined, preferring a 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 skin disease. She was the only other case known to
 the public up to the present time