Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1908-06-26
BLIND TOM DEAD.
Cared For in His Decling Years
by the Daughter of His
Old MaSter-A Child
All His Life.

New York. June 19,-Thomas Wig
gins, the "Bl!nd Tom" whose strange
mastery Of the piano without teac hing
or scientific knowledge of the instru
ment made thousands wonder, died or
Saturday at the home Of daughter
OF his old master and one time owner
Col. James N. Bethune of Georgia,
Mrs. Albert j. Lerche, who was Miss
| Eliza Bethune before her marriage
had cared for the old blind Negro
musician for many years past, keep.
ing him happy and comfortable in her
| home, 60 Twelfth street, Hoboken. II
was there he died suddenly of apo.
plexy.
blind Tom" was twice erroneously
reported dead-once in 1908. and prior
to that a body was identified as his
after the Johnstown flood, was buried
as his and tombstone put over it,
ma, ked with his name. 49,.
This time the famous old musician is
really dead, His body lies in the
Frank Campbell companys funeral
chapel, a4l West Twenty-third street,
and after the last service "Blind
Toms" funeral march, composed by
himself and in way said to be typi.
cal OF his own life, viii be played on
the chapel organ. r:o
In this composition which many mu.
siclans have declared to be of uncom-
mon merit, passage of great sorority
is immeaditly followed by a passage
of such lightness and gayety that the
effect produced is one of pathos. The
Negro weak mined all through his life,
was as much child in middle age as
at 7, and his pleasures were those of a
child.
He applauded himself after the per-
formance of every number, laughed
lightly and with little provoca ton,
and alwsys needed guardian. The
sadness of blind life aed the gayety
of child's nature are shown in the
funeral march which was played pub
licly at the funeral of his old master a
number Of years ago.
The fear of death was strong in
Blind Tom in his later years. If he
felt the wind blowing against him he
would exclaim, "Toms in draft, he
may catch cold and die, wouldn't that
be terrible!" But he was spared the
agony of the fear of surely approach
ing death, the stroke of apoplexy
striking him unconscious, and the end
following in short time.
When Col. Bethune bought Charity
Virgins she had in her arms a picka-
ninny blind, feeble and not considered
valuable as slave asset. So Tom was
''thrown in bv his mothers former
master He was q very small boy
when he discovered that for the loss of
his sight and the blight upon his mind
his Creator had endowed him with a
gift so strange and yet so productive Of
happiness to him that he has. in way
been living subject for marvel dur
ing the last half century.
The boy began by repeating words
that he had heard about him, mimick-
ing everyone aud trying to initiate all
sounds that fell on bis ear. When he
first heard piano played, every note
OF the music was stamped in his mind,
and grooping to the instrument, he
he found that he could reproduce the
music he had heard.
With the instrument he could initiate
the tinkling of water in fountain,
the fall of rain, and the noise
of the storm. His own compo-
sition which gave him the most de.
light. he called" What the Winds and
the Waves told Tom.'
The fame of the blind Negro boy
spread quickly, and during the twenty
years and more that he performed in
public here and abroad he made a
great deal of money, A son of his
old master toured him until about
fifteen years ago, when he retired
and went to live in New Jersey. Mrs.
Lerche was appointed his guardian
twenty years ago, and has since
looked after him The old Negroes
last days were spent with his piano
or playing in the Lerche home, fre-
quently holding imaginary receptions.
+. Up to ten years ago the old mother
Of the freak pianist was still alive in