Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-01-15
CAN SEE ONCE MORE
After Being Blind for 20 Years
Walter Hawkins Has His
Sight Restored.
FLOWERS ARE MOST BEAUTIFUL
Over Bouquet of BIossoms-Took
Two Operations.

To Walter Hawkins, who was blind
twenty years and now can see, flowers
were the most beautiful sight among
the objects shown him in the first
week after his vision was restored
Hawkins is now at his home near Os-
kaloosa, where he went Christmas Day
after the bandages had been removed
finally from his eyes, following two
operations at the Bell Memorial Hos
pital in Rosedale. Although he had
been blind since 1 year old as the re-
suit of fall, his plight did not come
to the attention of specialists until he
was discovered by w. c. Hutchinson, a
field agent for the Kansas State
School for Blind on the Kansas Side,
who is himself blind.
When the surgeon removed the ban
dages to dress the eye a week after
the first operation on the right eye, he
asked the young man, as he showed
him a bouquet of flowers:
What is the prettiest thing you
have seen?'
Hawkins face beamed and he ex-
claimed enthusiastically: Those
flowers as he took them and smelled
them.
1t was several days before Hawkins
was able to distinguish men from
women and one object from another
None of the every day objects he has
seen conform to his preconceived no
lions of what he imagined they were
like. He is wearing smoked glasses
temporarily and soon will be able to
see perfectly, the doctor believes.
1t was only after much persuasion
that Hawkins remained for the opera
ton on his left eye, because, after he
found that he could see. with one eye,
he wanted to first earn money to pay
for the treatment.
Haw kins is the son of ]. M. Haw-
kins, a farm laborer. and had never
given up hope of being able to see
some day. When he was found by the
field agent Mrs. Grace NJ. Roseberry,
superintendent of the institution, had
Hawkins examined by the specialist,
who said an operation could be sue
cessfully performed.
Early Days in a Play.-"The First
Christmas in Palmyra play in three
acts and prologue, was presented at
Baldwin the other night by q cast of
townspeople and students in Baker
university. The production was writ
ten and staged by. w. c. Markham of
that city, who also appeared in the
cast. John Brown, plainsmen, Indians
and every type of frontier character
was represented in the INSTALLATION of
Palmyra's first Yuletide, as Baldwin
formerly was called.
x * y
Struck Ii Rich.-From q compare
lively poor farmer, Ed Warner, south
of Augusta, on whose farm 1900
barrei-a-day oil well was brought in
recently by the Wichita Natural Gas
Company, may be placed with the opu-
lent. MIR. Warmers royalties and in
terest in oil sales will aggregate al
most 5000 day or about $4,000 a
year. Mr.. Warner remains hard
working man.
New Home for Bank.-A. w. Shuitis.
president of the Citizens National
Bank at independence, announced that
about February Is the bank will begin
the erection of a 100000 home to be
modelled after the First National Bank
Building in Kansas City.
x
Train Cuts Off Foot-John Half
penny, laundryman, was struck by a
train at Lincoln the other morning
He rolled under a coach and one foot
was cut Off. He was on his way tc
junction City to spend Christmas
Five Pioneers Die in Day-Fivs
pioneer Franklin county residents re
Gently died within twenty-four hours
They are: John Cruzan of Pomona
So: Mrs Belle Steaiman, Leloup. 65;
Mrs Mary A. Yount, Pomona, 81
Mrs Mary Hannum, Ottawa. ~ and
Mrs. Elizabeth Wilson. 81. Mrs Stead
man made her own funeral arrange
ments, asking that the only services
consist of a prayer and songs.
Tcok First Capon Prs-e--Geo
Bcuoy of Cedarvale. known through
out the country as the "Capoa King
won the blue ribbon over contestant.
from an parts of the country with hi:
entry in the capon class az the Pan
Pacific Poultry show The priz,
winning bird was sent to Bert L. Good
win of the Breeders Printing Com
paay at Kansas City as Christina
present
Bought S1ftcd wcfi-Fffty Wichit
men of speculative turns of mind ar
econcxnizing for Christmas They pu
their money into an Oklahoma salte,
oil well in Healdton to the tune o