The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-01
THE FAMOUS BLIND TOM"
RECENT DEATH OF MUSICAL PRODI-
GY'S MOTHER CALLS HIM To MIND.
bly, Sensitive to SOund-Still Liv-
ing, But in Retirement.
Washington Post.

While in conversation the other day with
prominent Southerner now residing in
Washington allusion was made 10 the an
nouncement of the death of Charity Wig
gins, the mother of Blind Tom, the we'll
known musical prodigy, attention being
called to the statement that the old negress
had died at the advanced age of 102 years.
YES" replied the Southerner, Aunt
Charity must have been at least a hundred
years old, if not more. l remember seeing
her upon my last visit TO Georgia. She had
a little cottage home of her own on Rose
Hill. one of the many pretty suburbs which
environ the city of Columbus. AS drove
up to the cottage she was seated On the
front porch. dressed in black bombazine.
relieved with snowy kerchief crossed over
her capacious bosom. and protected with
broad expanse of white apron, and about
her head was twisted bright colored BAN
danna.
"She represented a true type of the ante
bellum 'auntie'-a class now fast passing
away While talking she gently rocked
herself to and fro and piled her turkeytail
fan in that dignified manner peculiar to
the old-time nanny of quality. Though
in excellent health considering her five
score years, Aunt Charity's memory was
hazy and uncertain. and, try as she would,
she could not reckon upon her black, SAT-
fron-tipped digits the names and ages of
her twenty-and-one children Her first
born, man now over eighty years OF age
and still living upon one of the ChattahoO-
chez plantations, she remembered well, and
nothing delighted her more than to talk
Of Blind Tom.
"As to when and where Blind Tom was
born neither his mother any else
has been able to determine accurately. He
was a babe in his mothers arms when
General Bethune bought Charity, along
with number of other slaves, from Mr..
Wiley Jones, in 1850. Through a feeling of
compassion General Bethune insisted that
the child be included in the purchase to
prevent its being separated from Its mother.
for none could forget that this lump of
black inert flesh and bone, with it's vacant,
idiotic expression and sightless eyes. had
been anointed with the divine chrism of
exquisite harmony.
FAVORITE AS A CHILD.
''The little blind slave was always an OBJ
ject of more or less interest on the planta-
ton, not only on account of his helpless
ness, but because, too. of the idiosyncracies
which he evidenced at an early age. He
had a way of crawling about the premises
like a big brown lizard, and would fire.
quently lie for hours fiat on his back, star
ing with wide-opened eyes at the sun.
Sometimes he was caught in the act of
gouging his fists into his eyeballs thus irri-
tating them until they bled. This led to the
inference that he was not totally blind
so when, years later, Mr.. Bethune took his
little black Mozart to Paris he had a spe-
cialiSt examine and operate on Toms eyes.
The operation was only partially success
full, however, and Tom was never able to
discern, except dimly, the outlines of an
object.
''The child also had habit of dragging
himself up on the veranda of the big
house. and, squatting near the door, would
wait patiently for a kind word or friendly
touch from those who went in or out. He
was keenly sensitive to the highest blame
or praise, and showed a sort of doglike
fondnesS for certain members of the fam
lily, but was easily irritated and would give
way to yelps of inarticulate passion when
provoked.
1T was noticed that at a remarkably
early age sounds exerted a controlling in
fiuence over him, from the soft tones of
the flute to the harsh grating of the corn
shelter. Often, when the song of bird had
allured him to wander far away into the
woods, the sound of the flute would bring
him home again.
Tom was about four years of age when
he first heard piano, and it produced a
peculiar and most remarkable effect upon
him. At first he stood If spellbound,
then his eyes began to roll, his fingers to
twitch, and his body to sway back and
forth. when suddenly he seemed convulsed
with emotion, and the contortionS of his
body were something most painful to be-
hold. Immediately upon the completion of
the selection he CROPPED his way to the
piano, and, touching each key successfully,
smelled Of Ii. From that day to this Blind
Tom has never been happier than when his
ebony fingers, with their magical touch,
were wandering over the keys of the in
str,iment he loves SO well.
TRIED PIANO HIMSELF.
Not long thereafter the family was
amazed one day to discover the blind child
seated at the piano, playing with ease and
accuracy the various selections which he
had heard given by friends and members of
the household After this he was allowed
free access to the instrument, and soon be-
gan initiating almost every sound he heard.
When asked what this that was he hap
pened to be playing he would answer,
the wind told me-.
From the roof of the family mansion to
within foot of the ground ran large tin
gutter down which the water would trickle
with a peculiarly musical and soothing
sound after a hard rain. The gentle CUR
Cling of the small stream, combined with
the occasional tick, tick of the rain drops.
seemed to have q peculiar fascination for
found close to the gutter listening intently
to its melody.
lone night, after an unusually heavy
aroused from their slumbers by a sound
Il ~ i