Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-02-19
He Threads Traffic Jams,
Enters Stores and Reads
Off Price Cards Without
Use of Normal Sight
BY o. Is. KELLER

BY q. Is. kEELER
Just before 2 o'clock Saturday aft
ernoon Hayward Thompson, who,
now am doubly certain, really has a
dual nd" d., his Studebaker
light six gracefully up to a parking
place at the curb Of the CORTLAND
street side of the auditorium, bowed
slightly to the piaudits Of the assem-
bled multitu tde-regard with not
a little awe the blank, black silk mask
over his fac2-and pulled off the
hoodwing, ana looked about him,
blinking a little in the gray after
noon light, and said he was glad it
was over.
"It wasn't he hardest blind drive
ever L. he said, 'but it. lacked
a lot Of ,ng the easiest There
were so many things to do, you, see"
/ Frankly, / did not see. I do not
see now. But he assuredly did many
remarkable things in that hour and
a quarter of blind driving about
Atlanta, D ng his cor. ing it,
entering stores and shops, calling off
the price tags, selecting groceries,
taking on gas and oil-doing every.
tt lg that man with his two eyes
might expect to do, and doing all Of
it with 10 thickresses of black silk
Ii hut Il
entire face a s well.
Remarkable Success
Hayward Thompson's second
blind drive" in Atlanta was an
other remarkable success.
[ have before me q. square Of stout
pasteboard on which is pasted a
certificate that the undersigned sew
Gnteen persons. men and women,
have examined the "bandage used
to obscure the sight OF Hayward
Thompson" and that they lind it
'lighttiSht, and its mode OF .>ppl-
cation such as to prevent light or
sight from penetrating it, through,
above CT below "
This is matter OF cold fact. I
repeat What I wrote on the occasion
of his lrive last year-so far. as
mortal discernment extends, Hay
ward Thompson cannot use his
physical eyes for sight under +ha!
bandage. His guidance must be
that Of some faculty other han tnat
OF physical vision.
SO far as L can see, there is no
trick in it. He simply does it,
The start was made exactly at
1890 o'clock from the Marietta
street side of the city hall, in the
presence of a huge c-owd, VINO
seemed to be shocked nearly off
their feet by the celebrity and accu-
racy with which the hlndfolded
driver whipped his car out of the
parking space into Marietta street
/ raced up a couple of blocks, turned
| and came back down to Forsyth
| street, sweeping around into that
| thorcughfare back OF the opserva
ton Car in which 1 was riding with
| Trac., Mathewson, operating mo
| tiCn picture camera, the faithful
Walter Sparks, Journal photcgra
| phcr; Frank Powell, and several
others.
PIentifully Escorted
Sergeant Baumgrass, of the
United States Marines, with a de
tachment of Thompson's former
buddies, and Dr. George Woolard
the chiropractor, followed Thomp
Sos. car and two motorcycle Off
GERS rode belle it.
1t WAS a curiously impressive
| sight, standing up in the observation
car TO watch the masked eX-marinC
sending his car along, checking its
Roadway just IN time as our cal
slowed in the traffic, and speeding
up with an absolute confidence a.
! the way became clear; whipping out
his left hand N the stop" or turn
| signals: his blGck-masked face Sc
straight forwacd at all times, ever
when backing ont of or into a park
ing space-and just above the BLACK
| bandage the ICn~ Valid. deep sea-
Of the shell wound over his left tenn
| pie; the wound that, the doctor;
| /
the faculty known to science as ,ht
srbconscious mind, that sees anC
hears and 3pprehends without aiC
from eyes or eaSs or the sense o
| touch.
Out TO Mitcl el' down to Broad
and back to the Broad street marEe
No. ? went the man with the Qua
mind. stopping and parking witt
amazing accuracy, ant stepping on
of the car and into the store.
Reads Price Tags
Inside, he stood near various com
modities-the meat counter first, an,
moved his hands near the price tags
Eighteen cents" he said-and
WAS IS cents.
This ones Is cents; I didn't know
meat could be that cheap any more,
he remarked. And it WAS Is cents
Cheese prices and others h
named off, sometimes touching tn
tag. sometimes merely holding hi
hands near ii. And he never missed
Then into the car asain and O.