Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 236, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 October 1913 — Blind Tom. [ARTICLE]

Blind Tom.

"Blind Tom was bora near the city of Columbus, Ga., of slave parents, about the year 1846. He belonged to General James N. Bethune, at that time editor and proprietor of the "Corner Stone.” Being blind, Tom would stray away from home and was often found in the woods, roaming around and listening to the blrdß. It was in his whistling imitations of the bird-songs that his wonderful musical ability was first revealed to his mastor. He could repeat perfectly anything that he heard in the line of music. As to his Idiocy, It is generally understood that, his musical ability aside, he was very near being a “nattural." Outside of his love for music, he seemed to be quite Btupid, and if nßt an idiot, he was dangerous near being one. Blind Tom Is still the standing puzzle of the psychologists.