Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1871-09-21
The Oldest Man.

In 1914, when Pittsburgh was but a vii
lage, an old man named Jacob Journals
then aged about seventy years, came there
from Canada, and after brief sojourn
proceeded to New Orleans IN keel~boat
That old man died few weeks ago in
Kansas City, at the age of one hundred
and thiyty-four years. Journals was
probably the Oldest man living. He was
a Canadian Frenchman by birth, but for
more than half century was hunter
and trappcr in the employ of the fur
company, one of the French o0ydgeurs, as
they are called.
He was never sick, and only a few
minutes before he died was walking about
the room. He said to the family in the
morning that he would "never see the sun
go down again, 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
yesrs, which is as near as from the best
evidence it could be affixed.
His recollection of important events was
very good, and, as he was an illiterate man,
his memory held to isolated occurrences,
not of history, as obtained from reading
books. This, while it made his intorma-
ton fragmentary and unsatisfactory as to
the history of that carly period Of his life,
yet afforded the best evidence as to his
great age.
He said he was working in the woods
on piece of land he had bought for him
self, near Quebec, when Wolfe was killed
ON the Heights Of Abraham. This was
September IA, 1853, and from what he told
of his life previous to that, must then have
hoo,, fxr-o 0f ThS~lx
ing he might have contounded Wolfe with
Montgomery-1775-he was questioned
fully, but his recollection of names and
incidents was too distinct to leave any
doubt, and the same account had been
given to others long before.
Another event which he remen bered
well, and which he seemed always to look
upon as good joke, was that during the
occupation of New Orleans by General
Jackson-1814-15-he had been refused
enlistment because he was too DID," The
old man often told this with great glee
He must then have been about eighty
years old.
He accompanied the expedition Of Lewis
and Clark in their explorations ofthe Mis-
souri, and the discovery of the Columbia
River in 18O3-7. His experience during
the trip making him valuable man to the
fur company, he was afterwards employed,
as we have stated, until thirty years ago.
For the past seven or eight years the old
mans recollections of faces were often at
fault, but his memory of events and Incl
dents seemed as strong rs ever-like pic.
lures in his mind-and this retention of
occurrences was the great help in deter
mining his age
The last thirty years of his life were
passed in quiet and comfort. He preferred
living by himself, and always had his own
house, where he kept his pipe and tobacco
pouch, and such things as were articles of
comfort to him, mostly such as he had
from his residence with the Indians-not
forgetting his rosary and few religious
pictures which hung above his bed. lie
was very neat in his person, clothes, and
housekeeping, and up to the day of his
death attended, in summer, to his tobacco
plants and his cabbages. One of his great
desires was to see q railroad, and when the
first locomotive came screaming into the
bottom near Kansas City, which was in
full view of his house, he was nervous as
a child until he visited it. He then ex
pressed himself satisfied, saying he could
tell God he had seen railroad" and never
after expressed any curiosity on the sub
ject
Truly, Kansas City could boast of hav
ing the champion old man."
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