The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1908-07-10

the black as well as the Wnlte keys
From that time he was allowed to use
the piano and soon he could repeat any
piece he heard. Then he began to com
pose himself He would sit at the
piano for hours. When asked what
he was playing he would say, That
was what the trees said to me" or
THAT is what the wind says" One
day a German music teacher of Co
lumbus heard Tom and declared that
he knew more music than he could
teach or learn. Tom was later coached
by some pianists. They played for him
and he learned what they played and
afterward repeated it in public. In
this way Tom learned to play thou
sands of pieces and his repertoire were
sonatas of Beethoven Mendelssohn
Bach, Mozart, all the best known
marches, many of the pianoforte solos
we'll known, plantation songs, and
number of original pieces descriptive
of what he had heard.
One of these was THE Rain Storm
When very young Tom used to stand
in passageway and listen to the rain
pattering on the roof, and from this
he made his Rain Storm" He was
not far distant from the battle of Ma
nassas, and this he made the subject
of another piece.
Tom was born blind. but when or
years old it was noticed that he spent
much of his time with his face turned
toward the sun. In time he developed
a little sight He could see luminous
bodies, and persons whom he knew
well he could recognize when a few
feet away.
When in public Tom would play
what he was told to. When he had
finished and was applauded he would
turn toward the audience and applaud
himself by clapping his hands. He
seemed to take as much enjoyment
out of his performance as his listen
ers. He was always happy when he
was with a piano, and when he and his
managers arr lived in a town he was
often locked in the hall in which he
was to play during the evening. He
was perfectly safe while he could play
the piano. In many ways he was just
like a child, hut was even more trouble
than a child His meals were always
served to him in his own loom, aud |
when the food was brought to him he
would always Insist that the sugar
bowl should be as full as it was pos
sible to make it. Unless it was full |
Tom would storm and refuse to eat |
anything. Then when he had finished |
his meal he would steal the sugar left |
and hide it. He was so helpless that
he had to be dressed and even to have |
his face washed. 1t was not every
one t1at he would allow to attend to
his toilet
On one occasion his manager had |
to leave him in the hotel and before
leaving him explained how he could |
regulate the heat in the room. Now"
said he, IF this room gets too hot turn
this radiator this way, and if too cold
turn it the other way" and he illus |
trat"d what he said by guiding Toms
hand. Then to find out if Tom under
stood he asked what he would do if
the room was hot. Tom had his fin
gers on the radiator and with ease
pulled it out
When very young Tom used to like
to hurt other children so that he might
lear them cry. 1t was thought that
he did not do this out of cruelty but
because Of his fondness for all sounds.
Once he choked younger brother
nearly to death, and at another time
burned an infant sister. This mania
lasted all his life, and any exclamation
indicative of pain always gave him
great pleasure, although he always eX-
pressed sympathy for the sufferer.
Once when in small town his man
ager locked him in the hall as usual
and Tom amused himself with the
piano. When his manager returned
he was surprised to find Tom holding
a man down on the floor and almost
him. The man was yelling
and Tom was delighted.
Another peculiar fancy of Toms
was to stand on his head. Almost the
first thing he would do on entering his
bedroom was to jump over the foot of
the bed head first and stand on his
head on the bed This he would do
over and over again, and then rub his
hands aud chuckle.
When Tom first made his appear
ance many musicians were sceptical as
to his abilities and many visited him.
One of the first was Prof. George A.
Kelly of Pittsburg. Tom was years
old at the time and in order to test
him Prof. Kelly played a piece of his
own composition which had not been