Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 August 1879 — A WONDER IN SOUTH CAROLINA. [ARTICLE]

A WONDER IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

A Deaf Mute Hears and Speaks— Curious Circumstances of the Case. Columbia (S. C.) Register, July 13. The following remarkable, if not miraculous. occurrence is taken from the Greenville Daily News of the 10th instant. Rev. Samuel Lander, whose signature is appended to the communication, is the President of Williamston Female College. If this is not a case of fraud in the substitution of another person for the boy who was an absentee for eight years, it would seem that the days of miracles have returned: Mr. Editor: Allow me to inform your readers of a strange event which has recently taken place near our village. On tne night of the 8d instant the gift of speech was suddenly bestowed on a colored youth, 23 years of age, who had all his life been known as a deaf mute by all of our older citizens. Your Oak Lawn readers will remember Marcus, a deaf mute boy. a slave of Colonel T. E. Ware, deeeasd, who was employed after the war by Colonel Ware’s son-in-law, Mr. Arnold, as a hand about the house and farm. His services were quite valuable, as he was an active, obeaienc, intelligent boy. He frequently came over to Williamston as a teamster, and thus became well known to our community. Eight years ago Mr. Arnold removed to Mississippi. Just before his departure Marcus disappeared. No one knew whither he had gone, His mother tried in Vain to get information of his whereabouts. No tidings of him reached his friends at home until the last day of June, when his return to the house of his uncle, Edmund Jones, was as unexpected as his mysterious departure years before. In the meantime he had learned to converse in writing, so that he found no trouble in communicating his history during his long absence from home. Nothing noteworthy occurred from Monday to Thursday, the 3d inst. On that afternoon be became extremely nervous and restless, “hearing dreadful loud noises, and seeming as if his head would burst with pain.” This condition continued till after nightfall. He then fainted, his extremities became cold and his body was convulsed with violent paroxysms. After something more than an hour, these symptoms relaxed, and he broke his lifelong silence by asking, quite audit ly, but not very distinctly for a drink of water. At intervals of about fifteen minntes during the night he continued to speak, saying almost anything he wished, nut feeling fatigued after every effort. Oh the 4th, he spoke as occasion required, with increasing ease freedom and clearness.

On Saturday, the sth, with several other gentlemen, I visited him and conversed with him for about an hour and a half. He had no difficulty in hearing all we said; and we noticed considerable improvement in his articulation during the interview. At first he declined trying to pronounce the word “Williamston,’’' because he said he could not pronounce it right; but, at the close of the interview, he inadvertantly pronounced it very well. The extent of his vocabulary, the clearness of his articulation, the correctness of hit} vowel sounds, the accuracy of his.accentuation, and the general propriety of his language, were matters of great astonishment to all. Sunday afternoon he heard his first music. 'He attended service at the Colored Methodist Church, and the singing, which was right vigorous, overpowered him. He could not realize tne distinction of the sounds, but it all seemed to him “like a loud noise blown through a straight horn.” After service he heard a lady play some sacred pieces on the reed organ, and. though he enioyed it a little, it still “had no turn.”

On Monday, while listening to. the piano, he seemed greatly interested, and professed to enjoy it Veiy much; but it seemed to me as I watched him, that he was more impressed with the auick movements of the hammers jan with the tones of the instrument.

For the statement in connection with bis strange attack on Thursday afternoon, I am indebted to Marcus himself and his uncle, Edmund Jones, whose character for veracity is unusually fair in our community. As to the other points in our narrative, there is no room for doubt. He was a deaf mute from his birth till he left here eight years ago. He seemed to be in the same condition when he returned last Monday week. He can hear and speak now as well as the majority of our people. How the wonderfiu change was Drought about remains to be explained. With your permission I will send you for your next issue his account of nls history during his absence, which may throw some Tight on the mysterious question. lam yours,

S. LANDER.