<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Hi All, This is my last Blind History Lady Post.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Peggy Chong<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Omaha blind Musicians<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>At this time of the year, we all receive dozens of requests for contributions to help the les fortunate in our mail boxes almost daily. At the malls there are the red kettles and in many businesses, we are asked to leave a coat for the children who have none. I wondered if this was always the best time of the year for our blind ancestors, men and women who took to the streets to earn a meager living. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The city of Omaha around the turn of the twentieth century had many peddlers, preachers or street entertainers that most cities would have considered beggars. To control the many transients and poor who took to the streets of Omaha to earn enough funds to keep them warm and fed for the next several days, the city implemented a permit process for the “peddlers”. To the citizens of Omaha, the peddlers were known by their first name and a label before the name such as blind. Today, we will highlight three of these peddlers who made the newspapers in December of 1904. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Blind Tom, Blind Harry and Blind Billy, not to be confused with “Blind Uncle Billy” another street musician permitted by the city of Omaha, had closed up shop for the night and went off to a vacant lot to spend the rest of the night. The three men all in their thirties earned their living as street musicians. The community claimed that the three were almost always together. Each helped the other if one was not able to make enough to sustain himself for that night or the next day. Sometimes they could afford a place to stay. Other times, they slept were they could find shelter such as a boxcar or door stoop. This was one of the nights they had no rooming house to go back to. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>On this particular night in December of 1904, they had their soap box from their street corner, a bag of pretzels and some beer for their evening meal. After a few beers, they got into a heated discussion as to who would work the popular street corner and how many of them at a time. All three at the same corner meant that none could make enough money for a room for the night. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Soon the discussion led to a loud and physical brawl. Witnesses stood and watched in surprise as the three blind men fought each other. Soon, the three came to their senses. Blind Harry and Blind Bill decided to head off to Council Bluffs for a while and leave Blind Tom to his street corner. It would be a while before the three would reunite in Omaha.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>That night, Blind Tom lost his watch. It was a watch that the crystal had been removed so he could feel the hands of the watch. Not able to find it and his friends gone, he had no choice to go the the local police station and report the loss. He also had to admit to fighting but would not press charges against his friends. Doing so would have endangered their permits to solicit and earn an income. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>