The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-11-24
BLIND tom as
He is TODAY.
A GLANCE AT HIS HOME AND
LIFE,
His Surroundings are Comfortable
and He Has Everything That
He Wants.

he Wants.
Ladies' Home Journal.
After the Johnstown food colored
man, who was one of the victims, was
identified by a co!ored woman as
Thomas Virgins, and was buried as
such. That the writer spent the day
With Thomas Virgins few weeks
ago is proof that the inscription on the
Pennsylvania tombstone is singu!ariy
incorrect.
The name Thomas Virgins means
nothing to the majority of readers.
But Thomas Virgins is "Blind Tom" :"
a name familiar to hundreds of thou
sands in this country and abroad, who
have heard the piano played by this
wonderful negro. The impression that
he is dead is pretty genera! one. AS
a matter of fact, Blind Tom has never
been Ill day in his life, and is now
enjoying an existence more full ol
comforts and happiness than fall to the
lot of most mortals.
On the banks of the Shrewsbury
river, in a domain of oyer two hun
dred acres of woodland, stands plct-
uresque two-and-a-half-story wooden
house with a broad veranda. Here
Blind Tom Is ut home.
The day the writer called, the negro
pianist was expecting tuner who
could correct faulty A in his concert
grand When I reached the house
and pressed the annunciator button
the door was flung open by Bllnc
Tom himself.
For a moment he stood there. big
burly fellow of nearly so, his blacR
broadcloth trousers, braced up high or
his capacious girth, over white out
I ING shirt with a narrow pink stripe
, His head raised, his large, dark eye
uplifted, he waited TIL l announce'
myself as a visitor who had an ap
pointment with Mr.. A. J. Lerche, hi
guardian. My voice told him that
was not the tuner. With child-liA
droop of disappointment he shut th
0 door in my face. He will always be
child. and his actions are sometime
It saved from rudeness only by his sim
plicity.
Mr.. Lerche soon appeared. He su&
gested that 1t might have a pacifyln
q Influence if I would hear Toms e.
planation of the pianos shortconalng
8 and. promise to let the tuner kno'
about them, so that he would com
: promptly to remedy them. This
accordingly did.
"The A is wrong" said Tom, pres
10 ing his finger on the note; "and the
3 this high A is little out, too," sount
ing another two or three octaves abo'
a the first. He put his finger on eac
a note without any hesitation. ID
spoke in a rich, full voice and VIII
u much simple dignity. There was
II respectfulness in his air and pose, ho'
ever, witch recalled the fact that
IT, had been a slave Tor nearly twen
lis years.
Then at Mr.. Lerche's request
ha seated himself, and for the first time
,te heard Blind Tom play. i was lnde
wonderful exhibition. His han
:, are not at all "plano hands" In pla
~ of slender, long-fngered hands, viii
one so often sees In great planls
Toms hands are small ano plum
'e- with the thumb and tapering fing'
on quite short. They seem too small
do octayes effectively. Later 1t
CO. proven that they were not SO by
'er means. His technique is good.
executes runs with perfect ease
'ok luency. Whether the composition
,ok difficult or simple he sees no ol1lefei
elf. in 1t. He plays everything with
ms same absence of effort.
i'm Toms head and face are not who
in unattractive. He has often been
scribed as repulsive lmbeciie exc
during his moments at the pla
) to This is not so. His head is small,
ben we'll shaped. His features are Q
strong African type, with low foreht
large eyes, nose and mouth, ant
. general heavlness rather than We
W. ness His skin is not perfectly bls
In his appearance and his manner
speaking when addressed-and dul
the whole day he made no remark
'Jos' anv one actually present except "
,in,s addresse.-he shows intelligence
the dignity, with quite pride OF his
the at times.
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