, 1865-02-22

We will net assert tha: the Oldest OF living
men is resident Of Wisconsin, but We chal-
lenec any other State or country to produce
q man or woman who has attained the ~sse
reached by Joseph Crc1e, now residing In the
State.
During the French Revolution one Jean
Claude Jacob, member Of tho National As
sembly, tsas called the '* Dean Of the human
specles," the eldest of men."-On his smear
I'D worn face were ploughed tue turToWings
Of one bundr.d and twenty years. But our
"Dean ofthe hutoan species" IL nearly twenty
wears older than Claude Jacob, who did not
complete his one hundred and tWcnty-frst
Joseph cre1e was born in. Detroit, Of
French parents. The record Of his babtism
in the Catholic Church Of that city shows
that he Is now l39 years Of age.-11e has oecn
a resident Of Wisconsin for about q century.
Whenever mention is made Of the Oldest in
habitunt' u there need be no question as to
the pcIson- Joseph Crrlc is undoubtedly the
man. he was first married In New O:leaus,
a, Prairie da Chien, while Wisconsin was yet
province Of France. Before the revelation
ary war, he was employed to carry letters
between P1airic du Chen and Green Bay
1t is bnt few years ago that he Was called
as q witness in the Circuit Court, In case
involving the title 10 certain real estate at
Prarlc du Chen, to give testimony in relation
to events that tsanspirsd eighty years before:
He nov resides with daughter, BY bis third
wife, who is over seventy years of uge.
The resident Of The family Is only four or
five miles out Of Portage Ci'y. From cit:-
zens Of TINT place We learn thai the old man
Ii still active, is abIe to chop wood, and to
walk serernl miles. He speaks English quite
imperfecty, but conyerses 1fuently In the
| French Language. He goes to elections. and
| like q sensible old gentleman, votes the
Union ticket. Stoops little under the bur.
den of year,, but not more than many men OF
seventy. In person, he Is rather above the
! medium height, spare int flesh. but showing
| evidences OF having been in his prime man
| Of sinewy strength. Concerning his habite.
subject Of mnch interest in connection with
| IN instance Of such extraordinary longeTlsy,
ne have been able to learn but little, except
! that be is an fQvetCrate smoker
4 very good dagueneotype picture Of him,
| taken in 1856, may be seen Mt The rooms OF
| The State Historical Society. Some photo
| graphic artist would do well to Eecure neg
at,1e Of the oldest man In the world " be
fore be passes.
| "To that etill region whittier all are bound"
Three scorc years and ten ordinarily con
stitutss !he fail SPA. Of vlgo1ous S 1nnn h9man
ed for almost twice that period. Those who
bcgnn the journey Of life with him are dead.
| and there very bones are dust. Babes thai
| he IN. e1lt have dnndfed on his knee OF an age
when most men arc bowed With decrepituda,
| hare grown into manhood, passed through
the ordinary viclssitudes of lite, become gray
and feeble and sunk into old mems graves
udd: this 1nan still lives! He walks about
among generation whose .Ersndsires Wert
unborn after he had passt d the Usual period
Of manly prime. All his contemporaries arr
gone. No wonder, If ut times, as we under
btand Is the case, 8 haunting sense Of lone
illness orerwhelms him. Though he has led {
rude border life, and probably has little o
cent mtnt in his composition, ret In soms
dim way ot least, he experiences the feeling
50 touchfng1y expressed BY Wadsworih
writing under the shadow Of more than sey
enty Years, Of
''One 10 whom Heasen asIsns that mourafut part
Tint utmost solitute of age to face"
conceptions respecting Deity, this feeling Q
st1 tafiness Of Remaining thus long the sol
survivors Of that generation; Of walking
about In this latter half Of the nineteenth
century, and in these days ol telcg7aphic dis
patches, and monitors, steam presses and re
| 1eliiop-he was man capable Of bearint
AIMS in the days Of Brnddock's defeat! !-th
| sense, We repeat, Of this exceptional and an
o1nalous lot, Joined with Ills crude and IN
tu1ofcd notions upon religious subjects, IN
induced In his mind the curious iaucyl tta
perhaps God has overlooked him, that Dealt
who co1pes to I'LL beside, the otherwise in
saliable, has in hts case
"Forgot the use OF his ineTitable hand,''
and that he may be left to perpetual an
hopeless old age, q Tlthonus Witeout an An
rora, still feeling more and more the into
| orab1e weight OF years, yet never TO De at
! liyercd from their weary load.