The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-01-08
After Being Blind for 20 Years
Walter Hawkins Has His
Sight Restored.
FLOWERS ARE MOST BEAUTIFUL
oscaIoosa Boy Grows Enthusiastic
over Bouquet of BIossoms-Took
TWO Operations.


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.
Hawkins is the son of J. NJ. Haw-
kins. 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.
x x x
Early Days in PIay-t"The First
Christmas in Palmyra play in three
acts and prologue, was presented at
Baldwin the other night by a 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 x x
Struck 1t Rich.-From a compare
lively poor farmer, Ed Warner, south
of Augusta, on whose farm a 1900
barrel-a-day oil well was brought in
recently by the Wichita Natural Gas
Company, may be placed with the opu-
lent. Mr.. Warmers royalties and in
terest in oil sales will aggregate al
most $500 a day or about s73, 900 a
year. Mr.. Warner remains a hard
working man.
New Home for Bank.-A w. Shultis,
president of the Citizens National
Bank at independence, announced that
about February Is the bank will begin
the erection of 100000 home to be
modelled after the First National Bank
Building in Kansas City.
x X X
Train Cuts Off Foot-John Half
penny, a 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 to
Junction City to spend Christmas.
x X X
Five Pioneers Die in a Day-Fiye
pioneer Franklin county residents re-
Gently died within twenty-four hours.
They are: John Cruzan of Pomona,
S5; Mrs. Belle Steadman, Leloup, 65;
Mrs. Mary A Yount, Pomona, 81;
Mrs. Mary Hannum, Ottawa, 70, and
Mrs. Elizabeth Wilson, g. Mrs. Stead
man made her own funeral arrange
ments, asking that the only services
consist of a prayer and songs.
Took First Capon Prize.-Geo.
Beuoy of Cedarvale, known through
out the country as the ''Capon King"
won the blue ribbon over contestants
from all parts of the country with his
entry in the capon class at the Pan
ama-Pacific Poultry show The prize
winning bird was sent to Bert L. Good
win of the Breeders Printing Com
pany at Kansas City as a Christmas
present.
Bought SaIted WeII.-Fifty Wichita
men of speculative turns of mind are
eeonomizing for Christmas They put
their money into an Oklahoma saIted
oil well in Healdton to the tune of
$4,000. They found out recently
about the salt. Each lost from $50 to
$4,000.
x
Town to Fight Gas Advance.-The
recent order of the public utilities COM
mission raising the price of gas in
Montgomery county to % cents is to
be contested by the city of Independ-
ence.
x
Burn Mine Build ngs,-For the sec
ond time within year an incendiary
IRE has destroyed all the top workings
at the Black Diamond coal shaft at
Burlingame. The fires are believed
to have been set by persons opposed
to the use of coal digging machines.
X II X
Federal Building Bill ln.-Joseph
Taggert, member OF congress from the
Second district. has lust introduced