The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-18
THE WONDER OF THE AGE,
msrkable sensit veness of Young Clar.
ence Barton, . Farmers Boy.


ence Barton, . Farmers Boy. =,
A remarkable case of human sensi-
tiveness Is that of Clarence Barton,
fifteen years old, SON of sturdy country
parents, who lives some five miles
northeast of Rodman village and
twelve miles east of this city. His
senses Of feeling, hearing, smelling
tasting and seeing are marvelously de-
veloped.
pin scratch will cause him to faint
away from pain, says the New York
Herald. A half dozen sour grapes or a,
sour apple or an orange that is not
positively fresh II eaten by the boy will
render him perceptibly intoxicated: his
SIGHT is so remarkably keen that ne
can at once distinguish separate char
acteristfcs and peculfarfties in similar
objects which an ordinary observer
would utterly fail to discover. His
sense of smell is so acute that IL YES
sells of waiter from a dozen different
springs in the neighIborhood are sub
mbtted to him he can Immediately tell
by smelling each in turn what spring il
was brought from, tell which is the
most strongly impregnated with iron,
which with magnesia, which with alum,
etc, although to the common individual
there is no perceptible difference even
in the taste of the waters; his sense of
hearing is most acute and, while not
particularly nervous, as one might sup
pose so deliberately organized a child
would be. there are some seemingly
trivial things which are almost unbear-
able to fhis sensitive ears.
The tick of a watch. the buzzing of u
bee, the patter of raindrops and the
squeaking of a door upon rusty hinges
are among these annoyances. Loud or
sudden noises. as of guns, blasting. etc.
he does not mind. His sense of taste is
no less acute than his other senses.
Food has to be especially seasoned for
him, and is prepared in vessels which
must be scrupulously free of the faint
est taste of anything but the substance
or article which II is intended each
vessel is to be particularly used for.
Thus each article of food must be sep
arately prepared In a vessel in which
nothing else has been previously cook
ed or prepared. =
Adams Is the railroad station nearest
to Rodman village. A mile or so west
of Adams Is the large seed farm and
barns of T. v. Maxon. Last fall Mr.
Maxon harvested less than a peck each
OF three different new varieties of
wrinkled peas grown from samples
sent to him from England a year ago,
last spring. These peas, to the COM
mon observer. are exactly alike in APP
pearance-that is to say, a handful of
the kind - so like the other two kinds
that one would at once say they are
However. when growing in the fields,
there is a wide difference in these vari-
eties, which the veriest blockhead
would have no difficulty in discerning
Mr. Maxon Is an expert seed grower
and very slight difference in seeds are
quickly noted by him: but when
through the laundering carelessness of
a farm hand. who thought them all the
same kind. these new varieties of peas
were hopelessly mixed in a bag; Max
on could no more distinguish. pick out.
or assert one kind from another than
IL he had never seen a pea.
He was in quandary. The seeds
were almost valueless unless assorted
Maxcn knew the Barton boys father.
and. meeting him at Adams one day,
told him how his new peas were hope
lessly mixed. Barton said his boy could
sort them out. Maxon became inter-
ested at once. and said that II the boy
could do IL. which could not be verified
until the plants were growing in the
field. he would give him $50.
On returning home Barton told his
son what Maxon had said. and a few
days later Clarence and his father rode
over TO Adams and to Maxon's seed
barns. The sack OF mixed peas was
dumped into a picking tray. and after
a handful OF each OF the three varieties
(Which. luckily. Mr.. Maxon had saved
out to send away just before they were.
mixed). were shown to the boy for com
parison, he went 10 work. Maxon
doubted the boys ability 10 accurately
separate the peas. and said so. But
Clarence kept right along diligently at
work until the seeds were sorted. only
that when he drove away 4
with his father: = i
I'm come after that $50 next fall
Mr.. Maxonr'
IL was with a good deal OF doubt ana |
that Mr.. Maxon put those |
peas In the ground last spring. but |
about the middle OF last month ne sent
a check. payable to the order OF Mas |
ter Clarence Barton-not for $50. but |
- l. i