Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-07-15
THE BLIND SPORTSMAN.
WILLIAM HILL CANNOT SEE.
BUT He CAN SHOOT.
rhs remarkable Second sight OF Con-
neetieut Farmer-His success AZ
Duck shooting-An Ana
teur Chess Player.

Many stories are told Of the Won
4 derful things done by persons who
Z have lost the sense OF sight, but IL
/ would be hard to find in the common
walks of life blind person who
could successfully compete with Will
/ lam Hill. blind farmer Of Hamburg
Conn. in the performance Of strange
acts, says the Boston Globe.
4 Hill is about 81 years old, and
with the exception Of being blind, is
in perfect physical condition. He
lost his sight in a strange way when
I he was boy of Is years. In COM
pany with a number OF his associates
he was bathing in mill pond.
4 A thunderstorm came up suddenly.
I The bathers did not leave the water.
A fash Of lightning came and struck
the water near Hill. who was partial
/ Is paralyzed by the shock. His com
/ panions got him ashore and he re-
covered, but his eyesight was af-
I fected and in few weeks he became
I totally blind.
I With the loss OF the sense Of sight
/ his other senses became more acute,
especially that Of hearing. until il
became possible for him to measure
long distances by the sounds that he
| heard,
4 When Hill was 22 years old his
father died. and the work Of carrying
on the farm devolved upon him He
( proved himself equal to the task. He
directed the planting Of the crops
and ploughed the fields himself.
He developed a talent for wood work.
ing and made many piece of furni-
ture that it would puzzle an accom-.
plished workman with perfect eyes TO
duplicate. He built an OK cart and
sleigh equal 10 any ever turned out
BY a professional wagonmaker.
Even in his earliest boyhOod Hin
was very fond of outdoor sports. For
a time after his sight was destroyed
he was compelled to abandon the
field, but he couldn't long contain
himself
Two years he stood IL Then one
day he surprised his mother By say
ing that he proposed to go up the
meadow brook and see II he couldn't
hook few trout,
His mother tried to dissuade him
from doing it, but he was determined.
and getting his tackle he started out
Hill was gone three hours. and
then returned with a string Of fine
trout He was elated over his sue
cess, and from that time he has fol-
lowed the sport as fearlessly aud as
successfully as he did when a boy
He says that he feels as confident
OF himself in a locality with which
he is familiar as he would II he could
see all the objects about him He
seems TO be guided by sense to
which he was stranger before no
became blind. In strange locality
he is influenced by the same sense.
but realizes the necessity OF being
cautious.
For some reason the domestic ami
mails about the farm show a regard
I for the man that seems like sympa.
thy. The sound OF his voice brings
them about him and when he goes
into the field to yoke the oxen he
calls the animals by name and they
obediently take the place under the
+ yoke assigned TO them.
Perhaps the most wonderful thing
that Hill does is to shoot birds. In
the season for quail and partridge
shooting and duck hunting he is IN
the fields or meadows a good share OF
the time. and often alone.
There are extensive hunting
grounds on his farm, and with them
he is very familiar. Partridge and
quail are the birds that he hunts
most successfully. These he always
shoots on the wing. judging the dis
lance and the direction In which they
are flying by the sound they make.
His aim seldom fails him and the
game that falls under his gun Is
brought to him by a thoroughly
trained retriever He frequently
brings home from days outing a
string of dozen birds
When duck shooting he is accom-
panied by other hunters. This sport
is popular one in the marshes along
the Connecticut river
The most favorable hour for shoot
ing is at twilight. and on such occa-
sions Hill is a valuable adjunct to a
hunting party, for his acute hearing
enables him to announce the APP
proach OF flock Of ducks some sec
onds before they are sighted.
In shooting this kind OF game he Is
guided by sound, as in the shooting
Of quail and partridge.
AS an amateur checker player he
has never met his match. This game
is popular one in the country dis.
tricts OF Connecticut, and in the
country grocery stores good many
men can be found who are expert
players. For miles around Hills
home his fame has been spread, and
frequently he is challenged by some
player who thinks he is able TO de-
I feat him.
He has the record Of winning every
! game played during the past five
years. He plays the gamo slowly.