The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-08-31
Blind TOM
:. s,nI Alive, bat in Utter sssluSion-LiVsS
az Almost lomblik' Lao ~ H'V'''nk'

-,.,esbIDg definite about Bind Tom, a
,nsn made Inquiries concerning Of the
No, -ros. prominent musical agencies IN
New York. But the search yielded lit
~ information, and at several places
n. ,poulrer was assured that the Fam
ans blind IDIOT negro pianist had long
been dead. ,p,,.. T.,,
mas diowned in the JOhnstown flood
81 they put up a handsome marble
SsadstOne over his grave, which was
90 Nell described In the newspapers
tSat can easily picture II in my mind,
through have never seen Il"
Espa.iy a man was found who Said
"a, IN Is93 Blind Tom was living In q
,SSsnlent house at No. 900 East rwen-
,y-6rEt street, with Mr. and Mrs Az
- 1 Lerche. Before she married her
Srassnt husband Mrs. Lerche was the
WIDOW OF John G. Bethune, SON OF Gen
raj lanes n. Bethune. Of Georgia and
ViTrlnia, who owned Tom before the
war Tine Lerches moved some time ago
10 Nayesink Highlands.
THE investigators next inquiries were
mi 10 a native JerseymaT, driver OF o
Ssb OF the mlocene period.
akin / take you TO See BIN TomF
Sur.i" was the cab drivers response.
"Liyes out to Old Shay's. HayY Ler-
shave? Dunno nothin' about the Ler;
Ne cali him Shay. He lives about two
mics from here ef you drive, an about
I'VE Il you walk. ~,
81 SAID cOu.d take you to see Bin
Tom. III have TO take that back. ~
tgke YOU TO Ler-ghay'S but don't
,.I,aran,ce you'll see the other Teller.
Thy're mighty shy OF him an they amt
many gets TO him, an that's the truth.
Half an hour later, after deliBhttut
drive over unfence6, narrow red roads
winding over steep hills and through
abrupt holiows, under the shade OF
closely crowded forest trees. the cab
mar turned into gently sioplng, grass
Gown, tree dotted opening, at the foot
OF which lay the placid North shrews-
OI Here's the end of the road, an
there's the house." said the driver,
shorty. Used to belong TO O'Rourke'
VINO run a book store In New York
Iar-Shay an his wife an Bin Tom
have lived there goln on three years
now"
onre Snowy cottage" OF apparently
1wsye or fourteen rooms. seemed de-
serted, but presently the kitchen, with
an open door, guarded by the screens"
ga universally used in Jersey, came Into
view as an evidence that the pace was
inhabited. The visitor, therefore, pulled
the ben-knOb by the side Of the main
entrance with confidence.
"Ting a-ling, a-linE!" went the bell
somewhere in the recesses Of the house.
"Bow-wow! Bow-wow! Wow-wow-
woW!" responded half u dozen dogs OF
various sizes, ages and breeds, and
presently q swapping, snarhnG pack OF
the brutes had formed In semi circle
about the man at the door, White the
driver, perched safely on the seat OF MS
cab. played the part Of an Interested
spectator.
further response, the visitor tramped
ryund TO the other side OF the house,
which overloolis a rather neglected but
1Ightly lawn and the reaches OF the
river. There he rang another be.l, and
there the result was the same, only the
barking OF the dogs was more prolonged
ard yOciferous. Then he returned to the
orlglna: poins OF attack. As he turned
tae corner OF the house the driver called
out.
There's BIN Tom, now! See him in
that upper Window" -r
The visitor looked toward the window
Indicated and saw the broad shoulders
and massive head Of a negro. seemingly
about 50 years Of aGe. 10
What do you want? What 90 you
waEt?" cried the negro. NJ
Are you Blind Tom" s
Yes, I'm Blind Tom" responded the
negro. apparently much agitated, and
I .,sirh .ynrt NrOtttd On nNgnVl"
els Mr.. Lerche about?"
NO, he is not; and say, wish you
would go away. don't want 10 see
Better get out of here. mebbe," sug-
gesied the driver, tentatively. he
might have gun, you know, and he
ns!ght shoot by the sound OF our
Go away from here" repeated the
negro. ~ don't want TO talk with
strangers"
AS no one save the negro appeared to
be In the house, the drivers advice was
taken, and a few moments later the
return trip to the station Of Sayesink
Highlands was begun. Arrived there,
the inquirer was surrounded By q httle
knot OK gentlemen Of leisure.
Been out TO see Blind Tom, chg
questioned one. And seen him? Well,
y0u Old better than the most, even II
you didn't have much Ok u talk with
him. HIS friends don't take kindly TO
strangers. Folks round here won't
soon forget when they brought him
here. As soon as the negro got on the
train he began TO dance up and down
the station platform singing:
"'Tiddy Il dumpty Il dunn, dun, dunn
Tiddy Il dunpty Il dun, DUN, dunn
all the while stretching out his arms
and making his fingers go as II he was
APPLYING the piano.
Everybody guessed the negro was
Blind Tom right away, but Mt. and Mrs.
Lerche wouldn't admit for a lon6 While,
and It was year or more before they
made friends with any Of us.
Lately, though. they have Invited
Jew OF US to go to the house ard hear
Tom play. He don't play so much as ne
used 10 and he knows oBiy the old airs.
He talks to himself a good deal, but MS
talk is almost all OF 1t Imitation OF Inc
tax he hears from the Lerches and
their few visitors. And he always stops
II he knows a stranger Is by. In his
way he Is religious ard he won't play
aGy Lh.Ls but hymn tunes on Sundays
Neither will he permit any one TO swear
IN his presence.
When 4 nelShOOr says 100 AOHS ~
suit him. Tom is Always bored, and he
then makes 1t a point to cut the WISH
short with:
You've talked enough now. Good
Bye
we always suppose they keep Tom
close because somebody else is trying 70
get him. and sometimes Lerche talks
about the big lawsuits that have been
fought over the negro, but not often
Blind Tom has played In public sell
dom since 1889. Before that he was one
OF the most popular ATTRACTIONS on
the road his net earnings being eS;I-