Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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i inston Boy Is a Human Adding Machine and Record liiToianUrily Keeps Tab on ETerybodyV License Number.- Adds Figures As Fast As They Are Called.— Has to Run From Curious Folks. Johr.ston.—Automobile owners in mind and he ha s beer noticing ard re- ofcnston don’t bother to remember membering automobile numbers ever heir license tag numbers. They know since. that Lowell Wright, a sturdy, keen- eyed younater of 13, already has them atared up in his memory ready to give them out at a moment’s notice. The memory for figures that this hoy has amounts to genius. With no •effort, long arrays of numbers gravi tate to his memory and stick there as if they were held by a magnet. He has fanned an almost uncorscious habit of a mental note of every auto license tag that crosses his vinon. He gives it only a casual ^hnce, reads it over once—and the mnnber becomes fixed in his mind. Jfoaths later some ore can ask him amMenly: “What is So and So’s au tomobile number ?' And if it happens He always makes the honor roll in school but he spends the most minimum amourts of time in getting his lessons. If he can manage to read them over once that is suffi cient for he knows he car. remember what was in the book. If, however, the arithm^ilr lesson is unusually hard and requires some figuring out to get the answer it takes a little longer. But it isn’t much longer at that. History, geography and arith metic are his favorite studies and fcotball is his favorite sport. He enjoys reading, but he is rot a book worm. He is not a pale, frail, queer, odd-looking child, the sort one would rather expect him to be with fic manager of ponation association, who have return ed to Columbia after a conference with lailroad officials in Atlanta. As a result of the discovery of the heavy content of iodine in South Carolira grown products, there has ( been aroused much interest in- the freight rates on canned goods from South Carolina to the goiter region— as iodine is acknowledged to be a pre ventive of goiter in man and animal— and a little investigation showed that it was about as cheap to ship canned goods all the way to California as to ship them to Chicago. Of course if South Carolina producers, canners and shippers carnot place their goods in stores ir; the West at reasonable freight rates, the fact that the goods contain much iodine is largely offset. So the State railroad commission be gan looking ino the matter and Mr. Blease ard Dr. William Weston, of the Resources commission, went to Washington to appear before the Inter state Commerce commission, and they were referred to a committee meeting in Atlanta. to be a car that he has ever once,^ e sor t °f mental quirk with which wodred, he gives the number prompt- ‘ s endowed. If ty and correctly It was a year ago that a cousin, A. L. Eidson, first noticed, by accident, tfeat Lowell had an unusual memory far automobile license numbers and he began asking him the numbers of the cur* of numerous people in Johnston. Unhesitatingly Lowell gave him 75 ■umbers correctly. As it is scarcely ore mar^ in 50 who knows by memory his own car number without peeping around at it for a uecond glance, th ? new* of Lowell Wright’s memory spread all over the town U a short time. It wasn’t long before he became the center of a group of curious questiot ers every time he walked down the street of thia tree- sleepy little Southern town, players who sat out in front of thuir stores and whiled the torg aanamer afterroous avfay pushing the over the little squares would their all-absorbing games to pc in open-mouthui, wide eyed as- itafcment at thia child who could I out licerae tag numbers like a in does alight of hand trkka. He seams particularly ur.canny to the tiHoua negro, whose eyes al- pop out when he listens to this little boy, who is a perfectly lad, rather handsome, with plump body, atrorg and healthy, m splash of freckles, and big brown •yaa that carry a keen, cor. cent rated ■xpiuasion jn them when he ia making ■ mental rote of anything. A Human Machine. He can memoriae with amazing ease ngything he sets out to, in a fraction of the time it takes the average per- »aa to lean- anythir g “by heart.” But mathematics, and especially the re membrance of a collection of num- he has an especial talent for. anyore calls out a long Hst of rs in columns of two and three •s to be added up Lowell can add his mind, without seeing the res, and have the at swer ready the instant *be last set of figures is gtvm h im. He is literally a human juddfirg machine. iLorJd fame of his memory spread eo much that one day when a citizen cf Jnhrston had hig car stolen from m Augusta, Ga., and failed to be to recall his license number he tdepfcored back to Johnston to a gar- m and an S. 0. S. call was im- tejy sert from there to Lowell it, who was asked if he could re -member the number of the car that fad been stolen. He did remember it, tfa uum'ber wa s sent to the owner ard pbBce recovered his car for him fifca arother occasion, a relative of farweir? from Pelham, Ga., happened A© be in Newberry, S. C., on business forgot where he had parked his • car. Not finding it where he thought /he fad left it he immediately con- that it had been stolen and was perfectly helpless about it, for ms «fa case with nearly every one, be coukhi’t remember what his car rum- far was. His first thought was of faweJl and he was on the point of Arieplioning him to ask the number wfar fa happened to come up on his car parked where he had left it. When ■rJ/K XoweB was questioned later to see of fa really would have known the num far iff ihe had been asked for it, he ve it at once and correctly. And fad never seen this particular car i oroe. It doesn’t matter whose r il is or how little he has seen it, license number has ever crossed rision and he has read it over fa remembers it. ftt Started This can't help rotidWHfabers,” Asked if he eoold remem- automobile licer se num- fce said it was Ant noticed, pnr- had <ix r*| * H He is just a normal, good-natured, healthy American boy; to be in his first year cf high school this fall, and who expects some day to be a book keeper ecause he is “good at figures.” He has been told that there will be a place waiting for him at the bank when he finishes school. And in the meantime he is the tenter of curious interest in Johnston, where people love to gather around him ai d test his memory by asking him the number of ar\y car in town from the hearse to the mayor’s car. Like Lindbergh, he can no lorger go down street in pea.e without havii g some of the curious stop and question him, “unless," he says, “I tear out iun ring” At the Atlarta hearing aftar cor- ference with the chairman of the in terstate commerce commission and vice presidents in charge of traffic of several railroad lines, the problem de veloped so mar y angles that it was decided to call a corference of all railroad officials concerned. As an outcome of the visit to Atlanta, Mr. Blease and Mr. Hendley secured a sys tem off reight rates which show a sub stantial reduction over those formerly ir. effect. These rates are temporary and the commission intends to continue its efforts so that the permanent rates will be even lower than the temporary ores arranged for at the Atlanta con ference. The rates secured mean that South Carolina growers, canners and ship pers will be able to put their goods in the goiter area at freight rates which will allow them to sell at reasonable prices and yet make a profit. The commission hopes that the permanent rate will be even more advantageous than the temporary rate secured. • i Wise TRY A BUSINESS BUILDER / / / 42> » 7 / / Advertise •7, ? 7 t Man 75 Years Old, Has Never Seen Picture Show Ishpemiof, Mich.—Although he is •eventy five yean old and has lived here 48 years. John Baer has never •e^n a movie show or any other show. John has never had a ride In an auto mobile either, aud he says he doesn't believe all he hears about airplanes. He says movies, carnivals, circuses, stage nhows and all tended attractions are humbug. The owner of the local theater hat often tried to get John to rmm* Jo h movie show, offering tltm free admission, but be baa always de clined. Old John Is a bachelor and a wom an hater. “Women are a humbug,'* he declared. “I never married and I never will/* he said, when asked why he had not taken a wife. John Is Interested In what is going on In the country and everyone he meets he asks “What’s the newaf* If they can’t tell him anything, he haa no time for them and continues to walk the atreets In quest of Informa tion. He walks the streets from early In the morning until early In the eve ning and goes to bed at 6:30 o'clock every night. The only woman John knows Is hla •later, Mrs. Barbara Drockey, over eighty years old, with whom he Uvea. Baer has not ridden In © railway train for 48 years. That was when he came from Humboldt here. Just a few miles away. John says he never liked automobiles. He has a fondness for chewing to bacco and says he has used “bales’* of It Strenuous Task Faced by Far North Judge Rdmonton, Alberta.—Two Eskimos now being held ut Aklnvik on criminal charges are to be tried at that Far Northern point this summer before Judge Dubuc, stipendiary magistrate for the Northwest territories. E. C. Darling will be the crown prosecutor and Joseph A. Clarke will be counsel for the accused. A charge of murder has been lodged against Okchina, a.i Eskimo, who is al leged to have killed another Eskimo named Oksuk at Bathurst Inlet Lily Snrniya will be tried on a charge of Infanticide alleged to have been com muted at Demarcation Point, In the Yukon territory. Both prisoners are now In the custody of the mounted po lice at Aklavlk. The Judicial party, setting out from here, will require from six weeks to two months to reach the place where court will be held. Four thousand miles will be covered by the party mak ing the trip. South Carolina Gets Reduction in Ratas Lower Prices on Freight Make Poosi- We Shipments to the Goiter Belt of the West. Columbia.—Substar tial reductions in freight rates on canned goods from South Carolina to the middle West— the goiter belt of the United States— secured by Sam C. Bleise, chair man of tfa South Carolina railroad W. H. Handley, traf- Jbr Ee*n»micml Trmntfrlmrten CHEVROLET (The (Imperial Sedan CJhc Sport Qoape nnouncinq Two New Models of the CHEVROLET SIX Broadening the appeal of a line of cars which has already won over 950,000 buyers since January 1st, Chevrolet presents two dis tinguish^] new enclosed models of the Chevrolet Six—the Imperial Sedan and the Sport Coupe. With beautiful new Bodies by Fisher available in a variety of striking color combinations and with nu merous advanced convenience fea tures—these new models provide, in abundant measure, those ele ments of distinction ordinarily associated with more expensive automobiles. icn you examine the new Im- Sedan and Sport Coupe, you will be impressed by their individuality and completeness. But you cannot fully realize what an achievement they represent until you get behind the wheel and drive! For here arc all the qualities of six-cylinder smooth ness, ,power and acceleration which Chevrolet alone provides in the price range of the four—com bined with economy of better than twenty miles to the gallon of gasolin/f Come in today. Learn for yourself the new standards of quality and luxury that Chevrolet has made available in six-cylindef=ears — at prices within the reach of all! ie Roadster,$525; The Phaeton,$525; The Coupe,$595; The Coach,$595; The Sport Coupe,$645; Sed^n, $67 5;The Imperial Sedan, $695;The Sedan Dclivery,$595;The Light Delivery Chassis, $400; iHTon Chassis, $545; The lV$ Ton Chassis with Cab, $650. AH prices f.o. b. factory, Flint, Mich. COMPAR® the delivered price as well as the list price in considering automobile values^ Chevrolet's ^elivered prices include only reasonable charges for deliveri and financings 8 Barnwell, Chevrolet Co, y So. Carl A SIX IN THE PRICE RANGE OF THE FOUR S up \ \\ \ « *