Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-14
BLIND EDUCATOR is DEAD
Samuel Bacon, Founder Of Schools for
Sightless, PASSES Away.
MARVELLOUS STORY OF LIFE
Losine sieht W7hen . Boz, Hs
Become- Fi--t Teacher 81 Rliaa
and Then Ezperx arm
and stock Raises.

NEBRASKA CITY. Neh.. Feb. 1S-gSpe-
cialD-Pruf Samuel Bacon. one Of the rie-
neer settlers ~ this section and one Of the
best known men In the west. dice ~ his
home near tins CITY yesterday afternoon.
after an Illness Of many months. In HE
death the west loses one Of it's brightest
minds.
Samuel Bacon war born tn Courtlan.
Trumbull county. O.. March 40, 1S8. and
was considered a wonder among his school
mates for his ability 10 invent all kinds Of
mechanical cuntrivances- When but q bon
ne hao an fnness that left him hopelessiy
and totally blind, and thst affhction
SEEMED 10 spur him on 10 make a mark
FOR himself in this world. he never fer
got his childhood pleasures. and ooule
swim as fsr and run as fast az those with
whom ne had associated. He hae eleven
years of sight and four 81 schooling before
he faced the world.
On leaving school he found q neiEhbor
who Wanted chores done and these he did
and his pay was TO he read TO for 40 many
hours per dsy. IT was here he trained his
memory until It became an almost mar
vicious machine and retained almost erer7a-
thing read 10 him. AT the are o. Is he
entered the institution for the hlind ct
Columbus. o.. an6 there learned 10 read
and write for himself. Later he was a
student a. Kenyon college. Gambler, O.
and one Christmas night. penniiess. he de-
cided TO return TO Columbus, forty-zx
miles away. and ne walked the distance
in a few hours. eren II the weather was
bitter cold sne the snow was falling. There
he became proficient IN Latin. Greek
French and German.
Opens school for BEsad-
In lSG7 he went TO Jacksonville III. and
opened a school for the hind, having only
four pupils. In that year ne married Miss
Sarah Groves. WING died q few years aeo.
IT wsE the rule that each Gay she should
read four hours per day 70 him. and the
rule was never broken In 1ss2 ne visited
friends 10 Iowa. and established the state
school at Iowa City. In 1855 the FIRST con-
rention for the blind ever held In this
country was held in New York city, 1nd
Mr. Bacon was one q the leading factors.
In 1Ss he came to Nebraska City and II
n'as through mis- efforts THAI the school for
the blind was established and located at
this place. Re did nuch work In securing
the small appropriation for the erection Of
the first wing q the building and was
scrve IN its construction. he climbed al
over the builoing, carefully examining an
Of the material that went into II as il was
being put into it's place. and rejected much
poor material that would gone into the
building but for his careful inspection. On
one occasion. "a climbing up a soAffolding
where careless Eorkmen had omitted a
necessary piece Of timber. MIR. Bacon fen
and was badly injured. The new building
was occupied January Il .g7s. and at that
time there were only three pupls-Msrasm
Maria and Effie anc Maggie csrnpbeIl OF
Johnson county. and Later eight more were
added
becomes Expers Farmer.
On November 4. 81. Mr.. Baoon's serr-
Ices were dispensed with and be was sue
peeded by Prof J. B. Psrmelee. and since
then no blind man has been in charge Of
that institution, out despite thsa. Mr..
Bacon. who moved 70 has farm pouth Of
this city. had taken an active interest In
the institution He was an expert farmer
and stock raiser and made a success al /.
and was said 70 be one % the best judges
OF stock in this part o. the state. He was
kind 10 ali dumb animals and those or his
farm seemed 10 known him as he passes
among them and rubbed his hands over
them gently, noting how they were doing
and being cared for He Ess so adept in
The matter q weights that be could run
his hand over q steer or a horse and tel
within ten or twenty pounds Of their weight
He was a great lover o. a good cigar and
enjoyed smoking. To him ana his wife
were born two children. Mrs. Philip SIMS
and Charles Bacon Of Merna, Neb.. both
OF whom survive himL the former being
with her father 81 the time OF Mis- death
AZ yet no funeral arrangement have been
made. but II Is thought that be win be
buried on Monday.