The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1893-06-03
THE BLIND SPORTSMAN.
WILLIAM HILL CANNOT SEE,
BUT HE CAN SHOOT.
rs remarkable second Sight of . Con.
nectlcut Farmer-HIs Success at
buck S~hooting-An Ama-
teur Chess Player.

SN@&HnGGEICuy
Duck Sh~ooting-An Ama-
steur Chess Player.
Many stories are told OF the Won
| derfnl things done by persons who
have lost. the sense of sight, but il
would be hard to find in the common
walks of life a blind person who
could successfully compete with Will
lam Hill, a blind farmer Of Hamburg,
Conn. in the performances OF strange
acts, says the Boston Globe.
Hill is about 81 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 is years. La COM
panyy with a number OF his associates
| he was bathing in a 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
ly paralyzed by the shock. His com
panions get him ashore and he re-
covered, but his eyesight was af--
fected and in a few weeks he became
| totally blind. ID
With the loss ofsthe 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 20 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 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 q
sleigh equal to any ever turned out
by a professional wagonmaker.
Even in his earliest boyhood Hill
was very fond of outdoor sporte. For
a time after his sight was destroyed
he was compelled to abandon the
field, but he couldn't long contain
himself. .~5. w..
Two years he stood it. Then a
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 vas determined,
and getting his tackle he started out.
Hill was gone three hours, and
| than yot,,,ynl ups4h n rcfoiv, n re Hnns
trout. He was elated yer his sue
cess, and from that time he has fol-
lowed the sport as fearlessly and as
successfully as he did when q 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 q sense to
which he was a stranger before he
became blind. In q strange locality
he is influenced by the same sense,
but realizes the necessity of being
cautious.
For some reaso the domestic ami
mails about the farm show q 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 whichth
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 q thoroughly
trained retriever. He frequently
brings home from q days outing q
string of q dozen birds.
When duck shooting he is accom-
panied by other hunters. This sport
is q popular one in the marshes along
the Connecticut river.
The most favorable hour for shoot
ing is at twilight, and on such oeca-
slons Hill is q valuable adjunct to d
hunting party. for his acute hearing
enables him to announce the an
proach OF a flock of ducks some sec-
onds before they are sighted.
In shooting this kind of game he ID
guided by sound, as in the shooting
OF quail and partridge.
AS an amateur checker player, hen
has never met his match. This game
is q popular n in the country dis
tricts OF Connecticut, and III the
country grocery stores . good many
men al be found who are expert
players. For miles around Hills
nome his fame has been spread. and
frequently he is challenged BY sons
payer who thinks he is able to de-
he q the recordso of winning every
game played during the past fiyo
years. He plays the game slowly.
Few Like Darby and Joan.
y was the greatest reproach
against the English workhouse III old
Tunes that husband and wife, even i'll
! advanced age, were separated. and
me touching wish embodied iii ..John