Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-10-14
The Oldest Man,

In 1914, when Pittsburgh was butt
a village, an old man named Jacob
Journals, then aged about seventy
years, came there from Canada, and
after brief sojourn proceeded to
New Orleans in a kecl-AoaD That
old man died a few weeks ago in
Kansas City, at the age Of one hun
dred and thirty-fou years, Eouln-
ais was probably the oldest man liv-
ing. lie was a Canadian French
mand by birth, but for more than
half century was hunter and a
trapper in the employ OF the fur
company, one of the French .yoya-
eurs.) as they are called.
He was never sick, and only q few
minutes before he died was walking
about IheroOm. lie said to the fam
lily in the morning that he would
"never see the sun go down gain"
and Just before sunset the machine
stOpped-and the old man was dead.
His age was entered on the census
roll last year as one hundred and
thirty-four years, which is as near
as from the best evidence il could be
affixed.
His recollection OF important
events was very good, and, d, he
was an illiterate man, his memory
held TO isolated occurrences, not Of
history, as obtained from reading
books. This while it made his in
formation fragmentary and msatis-
factory as to the history Of that early
period of his life. yet afforded the
best evidence as to his graf age.
lie said he was working in the
woods on a piece of land he had
bought for himself, near Quebec,
when Wolfe was killed on thc
Heights of Abraham. This vas
September IA, 1853, and from what
he told of his life previous to that,
must then have been over twenty
one years of age. Thinking he
might have confoundcd Wolf with
Montgomery-l775--ho was qucs-
toned fully, but his recollection OF
names and incidents was too dis.
tinct to leave any dAubt, and the
same account had been given tC
others long before.
Another event which he romem'
bcred well, and which he seemed al
ways to look upon as a good joke
was that during the occupation o
New Orleans by General Jackson
! lSl4-lj-he had been refused enlist
ment "because he was too old" Tht
old man often told this with grea
!, glee. lie must then have been abou
eighty years old.
lie accompanied the expedition o
i Lewis and Clark in their exploration
} of the Missouri and the discovery o
the Columbia River in lS03-7. Hi
experience during the trip making
him q valuable man to the fur com
pany, he was afterwards employed
as we have stated, until thirty year
ago.
For the past seven or eight year
: the old mans recollections Of face
were often at fault, but his mcmor.
of events and incidents seemed q
strong as ever--liko pictures in hi
s mind-and this retention of occur
F! rences was the great help in deter
i mining his age.
$ The last thirty years Of his lii
!. were passed in quiet and comfort
:, He preferred living by himself an
y always had his own house, whore h
a kept his pipe and tobacco-pouch, an
'. such things as were articles Of CON
fort to him, mostly such as he In
q brought from his residence with th
lndians-not forgetting his rosar
and few religious pictures whic
!. hung above his bed, lie was yeI
! neat in his person, clothes, and hous
J, keeping, and up to the day of h
l. death attended, in summer, to his Il
N bacco-plmts and his cabbages. o.
1t of his great desires was TO sec u RAJ
]. road, and when the first locomou'
is came screaming into the bottomnc'
a, Kansas City, which was in full vie
su of his house, he was nervous as
'e child until he visited it. lie then 0
pressed himslf satisfied, saying
y acould tell God he had seen u ra
:" road" and mover after expressed al
cd curiosity on the subject.
" Truly, Kansas City could boast
e, having the champion old man.