Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-06-19
rnE BLIND SPOKESMAN.
ns success ~ . Duck shooter and m
Amateur Chess Player.

derful things done by persons who
have lost the sense of sight. but 1t
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.
Hill is about "a years old, and
with the exception of being blind. is
in perfect physical condition He
lost his sight in q strange way when
he was a boy of l6 years. In COM
pany with a number Of his associates
he was bathing in q mill pond.
A thunderstorm came up suddenly.
The bathers did not leave the water.
A flash of lightning came and struck
the water near Hill. who was partial
" paralyzed by the shock. His COM
panions got him ashore and he re-
covered, but his eyesight was af-
fected and in few weeks he became
totally blind.
With the loss of tho sense of sight
his other senses became more acute,
especially that of hearing. until it
became possible for him to measure
long distances by the sounds that he
heard.
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 woodwork
ing and made many a piece of furni-
ture that it would puzzle an accom-
plished workman with perfect eyes to
duplicate He built an OK cart and a
sleigh equal to any ever turned out
by a. professional wagonmaker
Even in his earliest boyhood Hill
was very fond of outdoor sports. For
q time after his sight was destroyed
he was compelled to abandon the
field, but he couldn't long contain
himself.
Two years he stood it. Then one
day he surprised his mother by say
ing that he proposed to go up the
meadow brook and see If he couldn't
hook a 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 and as
successfully as he did when boy.
He says that he feels as confident
of himself in a locality with which
he is familiar as he would if he could
see all the objects about him. He
seems to be guided by a sense to
which he was a stranger before he
became blind In i strange locality
he is influenced by the same sense.
but realizes tho necessity of being
cautious.
For some reason the domestic ami
mails about the farm show a regard
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 a days outing
| 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 valuable adjunct to
hunting party, for his acute hearing
enables him to announce the APP
| proach of hccrl of Iucks some Sec
onds before they are sighted.
| In shooting this kir.d 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 a 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 Hill S
| home his fame has been spread, and
| frequently he is challenged by some
| PLAYER who thinks he is able to de-
| feat him.
He has the record of winning every
game played during the past five
years. Hc plays the game slowly
| How "a Forgery WAS Detected.
The bronze tint used in certain