The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-03-22
HE OWNED BLIND TOM.
he Late General Bethune and the Wonder
.tul Pickaninny.

The death OF General James ~
Hethune. which occurred in this city
yesterday, removes man who was
,eading figure in Southern affairs Tor
nany years. A sketch of his remarka-
BILE career appeared in the Post OF
January 90, and mention was incident
ally made that he had been the owner
of I" Blind Tom." =.
Public interest will now naturally
recur to this phenomenon, and the
question will arise as to his where
abouts. For years he was one OF the
most familiar figures before the pubic,
and the source of continual amaze
ment to the thousands who went to
see and hear him. About two years
or more ago the telegraphic dis
matches announced that he had been
killed in railroad accident near Pitts
burg. There was an apparently au-
thoritative denial of this intelligence,
and nothing more was heard OF the
matter. But at any rate about that
time Blind Tom disappeared to all
purposes as if the earth had swallowed
him up and has never been seen
since. He was perhaps the most re-
markable human contradiction that
ever existed. He was the cIild OF
Charity and Tom, slaves belonging to
General Bethune, in Muscogee county,
Ca, and his brothers and sisters num-
bered no less than nineteen. As soon
as he began to be able to take notice
it became evident that he was an
imbecile. Charity, his mother, was a
type of the old time Southern negress,
tenderhearted and sympathetic, and
when she discovered that her child
was mentally useless her grief was
touching. Tom was nearly two years
old when Charity made known her
trouble to her master.
"He kin tawk, Mass Tom," she
moaned, "but he don't say muffin
cept whut VOW say fust. Den he say ii
arter YOU"
"Bring him to me-" said the Gen
eral, "If can teach my pointer dog
to bring my gloves and whip and fetch
a dead bird, / can teach Niger tc
do as much"
Charity brought Tom up to the big
house from the quarters.
"Tom, sit down." ordered the Gen
eral.
tom, sit down." repeated tht
child, still standing erect.
"Hls master repeated the words, a
the same time taking him by tn
shoulders and seating him. The mex
time he said, "Tom, sit down." th'
boy did SO, repeating, however, th'
words, habit he kept until he passed
out of contemporary sight. This OBJ
ject lesson of General Bethune's wa
followed implicitly by Charity, ant
Tom was taught to make his want
known and to follow instructions givel
him solely by the direction of his in
stincts trained, in a word, like dog
But hidden in the seemingly shape
less mass of brain matter was jewe
of genius that was to be uncovered t
dazzle and astonish the world. Natur
had been in her most fantastic moo
when she fashioned him, and with a
uncouth figure and an intellect onl
one degree removed from imbecilit
she had joined her divine gift of music
He was still a baby when he roame
away from his parents cabin one da,
and strayed up to the forbidde
precincts of the big house yard.
One OF General Bethune's daughte
was playing upon piano, which HI
father had just given her. The chi
scarcely out of infancy, listened, ia
cinated and thrilled. The slcepir
chords within him were touche
Trembling and writhing he crawle
up the steps and into the parlor ar
crept to the side of the player. 1t W
not exactly proper, according to hi!
Southern ideas, Tor half naked pic
aninny to come uninvited into t
mansion, and the event natura'
caused talk. General Bethune W
equal to the occasion when he leai
ed OF the occurrence.
THE child is music crazy, pc
little thing" he said, Let it enj
itself. Perhaps it may learn to pl
one day and make its life bearabl
Naturally his daughters objected
such an object as a slave baby in
house, but General Bethune prevail
upon them to let Tom touch
piano keys. Charity dressed him
and he was taken up to the hou
His little fingers could hardly b.
down the keys, yet his touch brou
forth harmony--a faint echo of
air that was being played when
first heard the piano. General Be
une was a man OF strong impulse &
determination. He made up his m
at once TO cultivate the germs he
seen and TO ascertain what they wo
bring forth. He was practcing
at the time and editing paper
Columbus. Ga. and went into tc
from hie NJ ~ rt,tiDp a,,ory m oJ,rulno