The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-05-08

the World Over Now Lives Quietly ut
Navesink Highlands. N. j.
What has become Of Blind Tom9"
ihis question Ia often asked by old the
ater goers Who remember the DAYS before
tho war, when the gifted musical idiot
was the star attraction In lyceums, town
nails and lecture rooms, with which tho
simpler tastes Of most amusement seekers
Of those times were satisfied.
Tom was only a lad then, the slave Of a
eeorgia planter, and his mental weakness,
together with his blindness, served to in
crease the interest of those who saw and
heard .his ignorant little fellow, with un-
errin9 touch, draw from the pianoforte it's
sweetest and most melodious strains as
well as its grandest and most solemn har-
monies.
The question as to Blind Toms where
abouts can be answered best by q tall,
broad shouldered, neatly dressed colored
man, whose gray hair and sightless eyes
increase the impressiveness of his appear.
ance In comfortable cottage at the High
lands of Naveslnk, on the New Jersey side
Of the lower New York bay. This elderly
solored man is the Blind Tom of today,
and for several years he has lived there In
ease and comfort with his guardian, Mrs.
Eliza Lerche, who was appointed ten years
ago by Justice Andrews of the supreme
court az committee Of the person and prop
erty OF the musician. She was then the
widow of John G. Bethune, who had
shargo Of Blind Tom for many years, and
the old man was given into her care only
after a long legal struggle with her father
in-law, James N. Bethune.
When Mrs. Bethune took charge Of Tom,
she found that his popularity as public
attraction had greatly waned, owing TO
the fact that he had been before the public
many years, and that his former managers
had made all the money they could out of
the peculiar musical talent Of the simple
minded colored man without preserving
his value as an attraction by replacing his
wornout repertory with more modern mu
sical pieces. Tom was also getting old
and was physically worn out by the night
and day travel consequent on one night
stand performances. He had been handed
over to Mrs Bethune, with no money and
no property, personal or otherwise, out of
che hundreds Of thousands of dollars which
he had earned during the previous quarter
of a century. So it was necessary to keep
him at work awhile longer to provide for
his future maintenance in case be became
disabled by ago or infirmities, and also to
enable him To take care of his old mother
who was still alive in one of the southern
states and looked to Tom for support.
Mrs. Bcthune, who was then Mrs
Lerche, having married Albrecht j.
Lerche, the lawyer who had fought her
legal battles in the courts, saved enough
money TO warrant the temporary with
drawal OF Blind Tom from the amusement
world, 80 that he might re~sSer his health
and at the same time familiarize himself
with modern musical compositions.
Tom enjoys his long rest after so many
years Of incessant travel and work. He
does very little visiting among his neigh
bors and receives few callers at his cottage.
He finds sufficient companionship in his
piano. He passes hours at time at the
piano. playing his old pieces and practic-
ing new ones. Occasionally he attempts
Improvisation, but even then the initiative
faculty predominates, as the notes he picks
out are usually the reproductions of sounds
that he has heard. His best effort in this
line was q piece entitled "What the Wind
and the Waves Told Tom," in which he
initiated the yhistling Of the wind, the
roaring of the waves, the bowling storm
and the crash Of thunder.
When not at the piano, Tom amuses
himself by initiating the small talk of
women and other visitors to the Lerche
cottage. He holds imaginary receptions,
at which the weather, new styles in dresses
and like topics are discussed by the imagi-
nary visitors, as initiated by Tom, in a
way that is very comical, hut ho will not
do it IL he knows there is any one listening
to him.
In spite of his advanced years and his
reserved, formal demeanor in company,
Tom is merely an overgrown child and
has to be carefully watched by "a male
nurse, specially hired for that purpose. He
has all the sellishness of spoiled child
and is jealous Of any attention paid to any
one else in his presence. he has little
natural affection an. cares only for those
who minister directly to his wants He
is willing that his mother should be taken
care Of out Of the money be has earned,
but be does not wish to have her or his
brother and sisters near him, for fear that
they may annoy him or prevent his being
the sole object Of tho attentions of those
around him. With the exception Of this
childlike selishness Blind Tom is extreme
ly moral ard religious In his habits and
disposition. He never eats without first
Offering prayer, and on Sundays will
play only church music on his piano. He
will have nothing to do with any one who
drinks liquor and Will quickly order from
the room any person who uses profanc or
improper language in his presence. He Is
usually very polite, but cannot abide a
bore, and when q member of tho long
windesl fraternity tries to make him
victim Of his talk the big blind man
brings his tormentor up with q round
turn by saying very abruptly: well,
now, you have talked long enough. Good
byi''
It was only after the concluH,on of Mrs.
Lcrche's long legal contest that mother
and son were together again for the first
time since Toms infancy, but after the
novelty of their reunion had worn away 1t
was evident that their tastes and temper
q sments wcro so utterly at variance that
there was little likelihood Of their living
happily together. Fate had kept them
apart too long. Toms clouded mind could
not realize what his mother had suffered
during their long separation. fourscore
years Of life had made her q withered up,