Year: 1872

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ProPsnslties-AS strange and Drcary


On n drive with some friends over Pomfret
Hills, Connecticut, the other day, we called
on singular character-a man who is thirty
years old, who Is deaf, dumb, and blind.
Whether he would have been dumb or not
had he been blessed with the sense of hearing
It is impossible 70 tell, but his glimmerings of
intellect are evidently rather feeble. The
man is well developed physically; is of ordi-
nary height; has stout, thick neck, and
looks strong and robust ihasneve eaten any
thing but milk = has never tasted water. nor
o particle of food but milk. Thirty years ON
clear milk, and with o neck like an OK, and
apparently muscular system to correspond.
Can we say now that milk is for babies and
calves, and not for strong menu This man
had Q full set Of strong double teeth clear
around, and every one of them had to be
pulled out, as he tore his clothes to pieces
with them. As he didn't use them TO chew
his milk with, he probably thought he must
make some use of them, rs they were evil
uently made for something, and his clothes
furnished excellent material on which to exer-
else them. Anotherpe ecnliarity of this strange
being is that through al this life long he has
chewed q rag, or rather, should say, has
gummed il since his strong teeth were taken
from him, From infancy his mother has had
to- place a rag in his mouth as soon as he had
taken his food She said he gave her no
peace until she put it back. He distinguished
strangers from the neighbors and those who
had visited him before. took hold of his
hand, and he tookit in both of his and seem
ed to be considering; then he passed his hand
up the length of my arm. and patted his head
and chest and made q singular gutteral noise.


His mother said that was his way of express


ing joy-of saying that he was pleased. His


principal enjoyment seems to consist in liay-
ing his mother get through with her work


and sit down by his side. He has a swing in


the room, in which he spends good part Of
time swinging. Sometimes when his mother


steps out he will lock the door so that she


can't get back again, which shows that he has


some wit about him, or trickery at least, He


is always very wakeful at night, and rouses


his mother out of bed many times In The
night. She says he has lived thus, without
good nights rest for thirty years, with the


exception of Saturday and Sunday nights.


Every Saturday night he calnls down like


lamb, and keeps that night and all the Sunday


after in the strict letter of the old tblue laws
of Connecticut. His mother attributes this


hebdomadal to the fact that she changes his


clothes on Saturday night. But 1t is probably
owing TO the mere fact Of change from The
ordinary routine. This slight ripple of change


Is change to, him, and the rest q sort of
| weekly landmark in tie dreary, monotonous
blank of his life. Perhaps through the cloud
and mists of his vacant mind he welcomes
this slight ripple, and thus in his poor way


computes the flight of time. What meaneth
it TO such mind as this? To wake and
sleep, to draw the breath, to take q pint Of
milk The sun goes round, the seasons
change, but naught of this knows he. Ma
tons arise and nations fall--'tis the same, to
him. One dreary round, forever blank-will
death improve his state? The bird that flies,
the fish that swims, has better life than this.
-C0rrespondsnce Hartford Times. ls,.ss fs5