The Charlotte Democrat., 1895-03-01
He Owned Rllnd Tom.
The Late Gen. Bethune and the Wonderful
Pickaninny

which occurred in this city yesterday,
removes q man who was leading figure
in Southern affairs for many years. A
sketch of his remarkable career appeared
In the post of Jan. 20, and mention was
Incidentally made that he had been the
owner of "Blind Tom"
/ Public interest will now naturally recur
to this phenomenon, and the question
will arise as to his Whereabouts. For
years he was one of the most familiar
figures before the public, and the source
or continual amazement to the thousands
who went to see and hear him. About
two years or more ago the telegraphic
dispatches announced that he had been
killed in railroad accident near Pitt
burg. There was an apparently authori
tative denial of this intelligence, and
nothing more was heard of the matter.
But at any rate about the 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 remarkable human contradiction
that ever existed. He was the child of
Charity and Tom, slaves belonging to
Gen. Bethune, in Muscogee county. Ga,
and his brothers and sisters numbered 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 South
ern negress. tender-hearted and sympa-
thetic, 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.
a kin fawk Mass Ton, ho
"but he don't say muffin cept whut VOW
say fust. Den be say it artsr you"
"Bring him TO me-" said the General.
elf can teach my pointer dog to bring
my gloves and whip and fetch dead bird,
can teach a niger to do as much.
Charity brought Tom up to the big
house from the quarters.
"Tom, sit down." ordered the General,
tom, sit down. repeated the child,
still standing erect.
"His master repeated the words, at the
same time taking him by the shoulders
and seating him. The next time he said.
"Tom, sit down." the boy did so, repeat
ing, however, the words, habit he kept
until he passed out of contemporary
sight. This object lesson of Gen. Bethune's
ives followed implicitly by Charity, and
Tom was taught to make his wants
known and to follow instructions given
him solely by the direction of his Instincts;
trained, in a word, like dog.
But hidden in the seemingly shapeless
mass of brain matter was a jewel of
genius that was to be uncovered to daz-
zle and astonish the world. Nature had
been in her most fantastic mood when
she fashioned him, and with an uncouth
figure and an intellect only one degree
removed from imbecility she had joined
her divine gift of music. He was still a
baby when he reamed away from his
parents cabin one day, and strayed up to
the forbidden precincts of the big house
yard.
One of Gen. Bethunes daughters was
| playing upon piano, which her fat her
had just given her. The child, scarcely
out of infancy, listened fascinated and
thrilled. The sleeping chords within him
were touched. Trembling and writhing
he crawled up the steps and into the par
lor and crept to the side of the player. 1t
was not exactly proper, according to high
Southern ideas, for half-naked pickas
ninny to come uninvited into the mansion,
and the event naturally caused talk. Gen.
Bethune was equal to the occasion when
he learned of the occurrence.
"The child is music crazy, poor little
thing" he said "Let it enjoy itself.
Perhaps it may learn to play one day and
make it's life bearable"
Naturally his daughters objected to
such an object as slave baby in the
house, but Gen. Bethune prevailed upon
them to let Tom touch the piano keys
Charity dressed him up and he was taken
up to the house. His little fingers could
hardly bear down the keys, yet his touch
brought forth harmony-a faint echo OF
the air that was being played when he
first heard the piano. Gen. Bethune was
man of strong impulse and determine.
tion. He made up his mind at once to
cultivate the germs he had seen and tc
ascertain what they would bring forth
He was practising law at the time and
editing a paper in Columbus, Ca, and
went into town from his plantation every
morning.
He had ample means to carry out any
fancy that might seize him, so, as it wal
entirely out of the question for Tom
talents to be nurtured upon the piano a
home, he purchased another instrument
tor the boy, and had it placed in one o
his Office rooms in Columbus. Every
morning Charity would dress Tom VI
and bundle him in his masters carryall
and every day the little fellow woul'
play the piano. Of course, he really dit
not know one key from another, ant
sheet music to him was like Sanskirt t.
q Choctaw, but the child was able t.
play any tune that was played in hi
hearing. Gen. Bethune would hir
wandering musicians to came and pla.
for Tom, and the prodigy would almos
60 into spasms of delight. Then b
would be placed on the piano stool an
would repeat everything that he heard
When Alexander 81. Stephens, Rober
Toombs, Lamars, and the other grea
legal giants of Georgia would come I
Columbus court it was common to hea
one of them say:
"Come on, let's go down to Jir
8 Bethune's Office and hear his little nigge
boy play the piano"
Out at home it was with great diff
Guilty that Tom was kept under observa
ton. Sound owned him absolutely. H
would follow the birds songs out into tn
woods and freouentlv when he wa