The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1871-08-17

! his old comrades. Yours &C.,
WILLIAM SIDERS.
From the MarysviIle, (Kan.) Locomotive.
The Oldest Man in America
Over One Hundred and Four
Years OId-An old Veteran of
ISI2-NeVer Sick a Day in his
Life - An Interesting Inter
view
Last Tuesday we paid a visit to Mr..
Henry Hastings, who is now in the one
hundred and fifth year of his life, and
indulged in a pleasant chat of an hour
or so about the old mans history.
Some months ago we made mention
of the arrival of Mr.. Hastings from In
diana, together with the fact that he
came out to spend the remainder of his
days with his son in law,
Mr.. William Life, who lives II miles
east of this place on Vermillion.
We believe Mr.. Hastings is to-day the
oldest man in America, and as such, a
brief sketch of his life cannot fail to be
interesting. We found the old gentle
man reclining on a comfortable couch,
to which he has been confined from fee
bIeness for some time past, and from
which he will probably never rise again.
With the exception of prostratiOn and
weakness from the weight Of so many
years, his health is good, and he relish
es the substantials of life as much as
ever. The most remarkable thing about
him is, that he is not the least bit child
ish; he talks freely, rational, clear and
intelligent; he cracks jokes, enjoys one,
and laughs heartily at them. His pulse
is rather strong and regular, his memo
ry is clear and vivid, and his nerves are
as firm and steady as those of a healthy
man of thirty. In answer to our re-
mark, "Mr. Hastings, your hands are
quite steady" he replied with smile
ayes, I believe I could shoot a rifle now
as well as ever, and hit as close, too"
He hears the faintest whisper, but his
eyesight is failing him some.
Some of the leading incidents Of his
history can be better given by quoting
his own replies to our interrOgatories,
during the interview:
"NIr. Hastings, will you please give
us your age; and tell US some Of your
early history?"
"I was born on the 5th day of May,
EI697, in Ohio. Ninety-nine years ago
my father settled in Fleming, Ky. In
1918 1 helped to do the first clearing Of
timber on the site where now stands the
beautiful little city of Hillsboro, High
land county, Ohio"
'sWas you in the war of 1922"
"Iudeed was, and hard time we
had of it, too, with the Britishers and In
dians," replied the old man, as a new
life seemed to kindle in his eyes, and as
! ne stroked his silver hair with his long
bony fingers. 81 served under General
Hull, Commander-in-chief. I enlisted
in May, about three weeks before war
was formally declared against Great
Britain, which was on the 18th day Of
June, 1912, and served until its close.
Duncan Macarthur, after whom a cele-
brated Fort was named, was our Colo
mel, William Trimble was Major, and
Mr.. Jones was my Captain. Was in va
rious hotly contested engagements with
Britishers as well as Indians. Was
with Hull when he marched from Urba-
ma to Detroit, and the army had to cut
a road through two hundred miles of
forest, and establish posts to keep open
communication liable to interruption by
the hostile Indians. From Detroit we
were ordered by the War Department to
invade Canada, and we marched by way
of Sandwich in the direction of Maiden,
but were compelled to fall back to Sand
wich, where our force of only 800 was
attacked by 600 Indians, and 73O regu-
lars and militia, and our attempted con-
quest of Canada proved a failure. At
forwards, however, near Lake Ontario,
three hundred of US whipped fifteen
hundred Britishers beautifully"
"NGr. Hastings, you must have been
an active man in your time ?"
ayes, sir. During the war of which
we have been talking, could out-run
any Indian in the country, and often
found my legs very useful, too. I once
captured a big Black Hawk Indian in a
square foot race, and when had about
caught up with him found he was
much bigger than me, so finished him
with a load from my gun"
"Have you ever had much sickness,
Mr.. Hastings ?''
"Never was sick a day in my life.
When I was forty years oldI had an at
tack of collie, that lasted about an hour
that's ALL" replied he, very earn
estly.
"Can you remember when you saw
the first steamboat or locomotive, Mr..
Hastings p"
eyes, distinctly; a jolly crowd of us
went thirty-eight miles one day to see
the first steamboat that passed down the
Ohio river"
"When did you join the Masonic fra
ternity, Mr.. Hastings?"
"In the year 1908, about sixty-three
years ago. The last time I visited a
lodge was about 5 years ago, in Indiana.
I would like so much to visit once more
with the brethren" And the tears roll
ed down the deep furrows in the old
mans cheeks.
elbow many children have you raised,
Mr.. Hastings ?"
"I raised family Of twenty-seven
children, sir; fourteen of my own, and
thirteen orphans"
] Mr.. Hastings has now living eighty