The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-04
WIZARD At FIGURES
DIES IN MISSOURI
"Rube" Fields Remarkable
Power Secret Forever
BORN IN KENTUCKY
Could Tell Time Regardless Of
Where He Was = How :,
He Did 1t Was I
Mystery

"Rube" Field, widely known. partiS-
ularly in western Missouri, as a math-N
ematical prodigy, died recently on the
county farm ats-Iittle Blue. He suf-
fered apoplexy> yesterday and did not
regain consciousness He was about 10
years old. "Rube" was committed to
the farm by the county court In 1907.
When i'll health started. his extraor-
binary power began to fail. "Rube's'
birthplace was in Bath county. Ken
lucky, and his family lived for many
years near Fayetville Johnson county.
Missouri.
If you gave Rube the distance by rail
between two cities and the dimensions
of ear wheel he would tell you almost
as soon as the statement left your lips
how many revolutions of the wheel
would be necessary to travel from one
place to the other. If you called any
number of columns of figures down a
page he would tell you the sum as
soon as you reached the bottom. II you
gave him the number of yards or
pounds of an article and the price, he
would Immediately return the total
cost. He could keep up the perform
ance all day, apparently without fa-
tigue, says the Kansas City Star
man relates an instance of Fields
knowledge of figures. After having
called several columns of figures for
addition he went back to the first
column. saying il was wrong and re-
peating it, purposelv miscalling the
next to the last figure. At once Field
threw up his hand, exclaining: You
didn't call it that way before
l..
Field possessed the power of telling
time. 1t is positively asserted that when
he was awakened from a deep sleep
he could instantly tell the exact hour
and minute OF the night. The thing
was tested often with him in the day
time. Your watch might be a little diff
ferent from the time he gave you. In
that case, your watch was wrong, and
that was a good time to set it. If you
told Field how far off your watch was.
and you asked him again next day
what time it was, he would tell You
first the correct time and then the
time by your watch.
Mysterious Mathematical Feat
How the time feat was performed is
as much a mystery as the process or
Fields mathematical calculations. 1t Is
probable that he did not know him
self how he did It, He either would
not or could answer questions about
who by close application and short
methods had become experts sought to
probe the mysteries, but without re-
suits. Es~sz sA
! About the only use to which . his
mathematical ability ever was put was
by merchants in making invoices.
"Rube' could neither read nor write.
All his calculations were made 'fn his
head
| Field led hand to mouth existence
| If he had only use dhis gift as most
men would he might have been i'm
mensely wealthy. Though not religious
| in the ordinary sense he regarded his
great mathematical power as direct
! gift from God, and, for fear of losing
it, he would not use it for mere money
making, except for his own actual ne
eessities. He liked to couple his own
name with that of Samson, and seemed
to think their cases parallel but with
one Important exception Samson weak
| ly confided the secret of his great
power to a woman-and lost it. "Rube"
never married. He said he never
would unless the Lord would command
him to. Even then, it is doubtful if
any sane woman would have had him
! for husband.
The boyhood of Field was that of an
overgrown country lout with -boorish
manners and silly mind. He did not
and would not go to school and he
said in recent years that il he had done
| so he would have become as big A
fool as other people"
Field was swarthy of face, with high
| cheek bones, thin, unkempt beard,
high, bulging forehead, small eyes and
large head.