Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-02-24

DEATH OF A SLAVE ONE HUNDRED AM
ELEVEN YEARS OF AGE.
The Rev. A. L. Greene, D. D., of Nash
vile, Tenn., communicates to the editor
of the Nashville Medical journal the fol
lowing incidents attending what he term!
the natural DEATH" of one of his ser
wants, at the advanced age of ono hun
dred and eleven years. DR.. Green i.
known to many in this city, as one o
the Commissioners of the Methodis
Episcopal Church, South, in the settle
ment Of the late difficulty between thu
Church North and South:
Ipromised you that would furnish
you with some Of the facts connected
with the last days of Aunt Phillis, az
old negro woman of mine, who died last
fall. Aunt Phillis was at the time Of
her death, at the lowest estimate, one
hundred and eleven years old, and the
probability is that she was several years
older.
| For fifty years she had enjoyed unin.
terrupted health, and, as far as have
been able to learn, she was never sick in
her life, except at the birth of her chill.
dren. For thirty years of her life, and
down to within three years of her death,
she did not seem to undergo the slightest
change in her appearance-time exer.
cislng but little power over her. The
first sign of decay was that of sight,
which took place about three years be.
fore her death; up to that time she was
in the full enjoyment of all her senses
and at one hundred and four years would
have married an old negro man of sew.
enty-fve if l had not objected.
g Her sight failed not in the usual way,
but she became nsar.sighted, not being
able to See objects at distance. Soon
after this her hearing declined, but up
to the time of her death she could hear
better than old persons generally do.
The first indication of mental failure was
that of locality, she not being able to
find her way to neighbor's house vet
her memory seemed perfect in all other
respects. She recollected her friends and
old acquaintances, but could not find her
way to their houses.
l at first supposed that this was owing
to defective sight, but on examination
found it was in the mind. Still her loco.
motion was good she had the full use
of herself, and could walk strong and
quick like young person, and hold her.
self up so straight that, when walking
from me, often took her for some of the
younger servants about the premises.
The next, and to me the most singular
sign of decline was that she lost the art
OF walking, not that she had not strength
enough to walk, but forgot how to walk.
The children would lead her forth and
interest her for while, and she would
get the idea which seemed to delight her
very much, and she would walk about
the yard and porches until some person
would tell her she had walked enough
but she would no sooner take her seat
and sit for . few moments, before all
idea of walking would be gone, and she
would have to be taught over again.
At length she became unwilling to try
to walk unless she had hold of something:
take her by the arm, and she would
walk, and walk well but just as soon as
you let 60 she would stop, and if no
further aid was afforded her, she would
get down and crawl like child and at
last became so fearful that she refused to
walk altogether, and continued to sit up
during the day, but had to be put to bed
and taken up as child. After a while
she became unwilling to get up altogeth-
er, and continued to lie in bed until she
died.
All this time she seemed to be in good
health, took her regular meals, and her
stomach and bowels were uniformly in
good condition. / often examined her
the best l could, and she had no pains,
no sickness, no aches of any kind, and
from her own account, and from all that
/ was able to learn, she was in good
health, and all the while in fine spirits.
The intellect and the mind seemed to be
perfectly good, only that she did not
seem to know where she was all the
time. D..
At length one of the children said to
me that Aunt Philis was getting cold,
and on examining her, found it even
so; the extremities were cold; still she
took her regular meals and did not COM
plain Of any thing, and the only change
that l recollect of was that she slept .
little more than usual. The coldness' in
creased for two days, when she became
IS cold almost as dead person. Her
breathing began at length to shorten, and
grew shorter and shorter till she ceased
to breath. -,.-....-.. .
Death closed in upon her like going
into soft, sweet sleep, and for two min
utes it was difficult to tell whether she
was breathing or not. There was no
contortion, no struggle, no twisting OF
the muscles but after death she might
have still been taken, On . slight examin-
alton, to have been in q deep sleep. So
passed away Philis-the only natural