The National tribune., 1904-06-16
BLIND TOM.
He is Discovered in the Wilds
of Southern Georgia by the
7th Ohio Cav.
BY b. 8. BROWN, 7rH OHIO CAV.

The presence on the stage of Blind
Tom,' the world-famous musical freak.
recalls anrepisode of the closing hours of
the civil wars A scouting party of the
9TH Ohio Gay.. i'm advance of Gen. James
IL. Wilson's 1900 horsemen, was ap-
preaching Montgomery, Ala, in the Spring
of 1860. About six miles from that city
they were met by woman on horseback.
She seemed to have no fear of the Yam
kees,' and her appearance was. it any
thing, more of surprise to the "Ian-
KEGS than theirs was to her. She was
riding a magnificent black horse. and came
sweeping down the road i'll fine style,
refining up at the head Of our column 50
suddenly as to call halt for all of us and
stated that she desired to see 1.-THE Gen
eral."
An officer, equal to this emergency, be-
ing pointed out to her this officer hap
Ohio Cav.) she told him with many grace
full gestures that the Yankee cavalry must
approach no nearer to the Capital of her
State; that the Yankees must give her
city wide berth, or there would be
trouble; that Montgomery would never
surrender and was not to be taken, and
she solemnly warned the Captain (whOm
she supposed to be the Ma jor-General in
cOmnandI that he must choose another
route and not force her people to kill us all.
She"stated that the citizens of Montgom-
cry were determined. and would defend
their town to the very last and would fire
from the roofs of the housetops: that every
piazza was fort and every veranda an
alsenal, and we would simply go to ever
lasting ruin if we approached any nearer
to Montgomery. '.ta =fl- sf~ ii.
She delivered her message in an ex-
tremely tragic and impressive manner,
with a fervOr of carnestness not to be mis-
taken. Then. wheeling her horse she rode
off ut Il gallop at speed our jaded ami
mails well might envy. After she had gone
little distance chorus of voices shouted,
Lets get that horse" but it was too late.
there was not one Of us who could have
kept in sight of the receding horsewoman
for five minutes. We looked at one an
other rather beseecliingIy. but no one
having any special advantage over the
other in this act Of the drama. we finally
concluded that our mastery inactivity was
because Of the messenger being woman.
Had she been a man, or even a regiment
Of men. we should certainly have given q
better account Of ourselves.
We Immediately made known the pur-
port of the tragic messengers infOrma-
ton to the MajOr-General in command,
and word was at once sent into the town
that IL our command was fired on within
the corporate limits of Montgomery the
city WOutu DE Feuuccu TO aSHeS. we dp-
preached the place warily and with due re-
gard to the words Of the rider of the black
horse; but the. extra caution was seemingly
uncalled fpr. as there was not a shot fired
and the 13.O00 horsemen comprising Will
sons CayalTy command rode through the
principal streets Of Montgomery without a
word being said or a man dismounted.
We saw no more of the tragic woman
lnor could, we Jay eyes on the black horse)
nd -lhnfl cl.n fold oh l,6a
lieved to be true is as much OF a mystery
now as then, nor can we even explains why
we did not form a hollow square around
that black horse.
!, There We're. no more serious Interrupt
tons to the march Of Wilson's Cavalry
until we arrived near Macon, Ga. About
10 miles out, the advance of our column
was met by some 30 Confederate officers
carrying a flag Of truce, who told us that
the war WasYDYer, that Lee and Johnston
had both surrendered and that Gen. Sher-
man had been trying for several days to
get word ito Wilson's 1900 horsemen to
stop. Before this word reached us. how
ever, q detail form the main command had
been detached to destroy and burn An
dersonvile Prison. Our regiment, the 7th
Ohio Cav, was in advance of this separate
column, and we arrived at Oglethorpe, Ga,
only q few miles away from our destna-
ton, when we. too, met q bevy of hand
some young officers in Confederate gray,
carrying "a flag Of truce. who directed Us
to suspend further operations. 1t was Gen.
Sherman's orders these COnfederates were
delivering, and there was no help for it but
to suspend all hOstilities. While near
Oglethorpe we had nothing to do and a
dozen or more of the 7th Ohio Cav. were
entertained at house near the town.
After some conversation concerning the
war, the master of the plantation said he
had a black musical prodigy he would like
us to see and hear before we departed. Ac-
cepting his cordial invitation. quite a num-
ber of the boys Of the 7th Ohio Cav. sat
for hours and listened to all the airs be-
longing to the South and also to every
tune they could hum or whistle, from
Annie Laurie" to yankee Doodle
which blind Tom repeated. Our boys
at that time little dreamed that the black
musical prodigy then entertaining them
was soon to electrify the whole North, and
finally cross the ocean and play before all
the crowned heads of Europe and before
thousands of every nationality on the
globe. This freak musician to whom the
veteran cavalrymen had been listening was
the far-famed and well-known "Blind
Tom, who, since the time l speak of, has
earned thousands and tens of thousands
Of dollars and electrified the world with
his extraordinary musical talent.
Early in July following our regiment
was mustered out at Nashville, Tenn, and
arriving at Cincinnati ON our way home
when looking for some entertainment fol
the evening. the first posters we noticed
on the bill boards announced blind Tom
at Nnzarf Hall FOR aua uaak CnIy3