The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-08-10
DeaIh OF sI.e oldcs: gnhaBlsani.
"Reminiscences or "a Man Iaa Years Old.


"Reminiscences or "a Man I24 Years Old.
On Saturday evening last, the Oldest man
in tie State. II not the oldest man anywhere,
died in Kansas C.ty. His name was jacob
EouInais, Int known to every BODY who
knew him at all as "Oid Pepo," (or Piuau)
Nobody knew his exact age, not even him
seif, but he was known an old man when
men now tourScUre were children. He was
Canadian FrencLman by biith, but for
more than hall a century was a hunter and
TAPER IN the employ Of Tie fur company
one OF the French UoyageHrS, as they were
calIed-most Uf that time with Mair Al
drew Dripps. the father of Mr.. ChaIcs A
D!ipps, aud iathcrIn-law Of MIR. William
A. Mulkey, at " hose house he died, and
where he has been kindly and atfsctIyuatc!y
cared for during the last thHty years. lie
was never sick, and only few minutes be-
fore he died was walking about tie room.
lie said TO the family in the morning that he
would "never see the sUa 90 down again ;"
and just before sunset the machine stopped,
aud the OLD man was dead. lie was buried
yesterday, III the Catholic burying ground,
the funeral services being conducted by the
venerable clergyman Father DonneIly, who
lad Known him for more than quarter of
century. His age was entered on the
census roll last year as l3I years. which is
rs near as, from the best evidence, it could
be fixed. sixteen yoaIs ago, when the
writer ,f this hIsl knew him, his health was
yiSoI GUS and his faculties strong and uuim-
palItd, and we took great Interest in talking
with him, and in various conversations run
ming through many years We were satisfied
as to tie fact Of his age being over $50 years.
His owu memory Is borne out by the testi-
mony ct Others. His recollection Of impor-
tant events was very good, and, as be was
an ilit' rate man, lis memory held to isolat-
ed occurrences, pot Cf history as obtained
from reading of books. This, while it made
his Information fragmentary and uusatisf.c-
tory as 10 the history Of that early period OF
his life. yet afforded the best evidence as to
his great age. He said he was working IN
the WOO ds on piece OF land he had bought
for himself near QLeIec, when Wolfe was
killed on the heights of Abraham. This
was Sept. IA. 1859, and from what he told
OF his life previous to that. must then have
been over tweuty-oue } ears Of age. Think
ing he might have couiouud,d Wolfe for
ntgomery-l775-we questioned him full
ly, but his recollection Of names and incl
dents was too distinct TO leave any doubt.
and the same account had been given t.
others long before We saw him. Another
event which he remembered well, and which
he seemed always to lock upon as a good
j ke was that during the occupation Of New
Orleans by Gen. JaCksOn-lSI4-l5- had
been refused enlistment because he was too
old" The old man often told this with
great glee. He must then have been about
eighty years old. Thus, taking everything
INTO Consideration, aud we have been careful
ever since we knew him to get ali the facts
about him We cCuld-lrom Major Dliprs,
the Chouteau family, jim Budgcr, lin
GcoGaie, Bent, jim Beck worth, and other
Oh unlaiueeTs-We put his age at 1874
years. He went from Canada to where
Pittsburgh now is, thence down the Ohio IN
Keel boats, and was Ia New Orleans. il
seems, in 1914. Before this, however. LIE
accompanied the expedition of Lewis and
CLARK, in their exploration of tho Missouri
and the discovery Of Columbia river in 1901
Z. His experience duIr y THAI trip MAKING
hlm valuable man to the fur company. he
was aitcrward employed as we have stated
until thirty years ago being then worn out
aud too old tOT active service, he came here
to spend the evening of his life with the
iamIIy Of the man he had So faithful, served
Tor 50 many years-a long evening il proved
to be. For the past seven or eight years
the old mans recollection of faces was 0freu
at fault, but his memory of events and Incl
dents seemed as strong as cver-like mic
lures IN his mind-and bis retention of &C.
eurrences was the great help in determining
his age. The last thirty years Of his lie
were passed il quiet and comfort. He pre-
ferred living by himself, and always had his
own house, where he kept his pipe and to-
bacco>p' ucb, and such things as we're ar,i
cIes OF comfort TO him, mostly such as he had
from his residence with the Indiars-uo.
forgetting bis rosary and few religious pic
tures which hung above his bed. He was
very neat in his person, clothes and house
keeping, and up to the day of his death at
tended IN summer to his tobacco-plants and
his cabbages. One Of his great desires was
to sec railroad, and when the first locono-
tive came screaming into the bottom. which
was IN full view If his home, he was nervous
as child until he visited it. The wife of
MIR. Murkey, who had Teen his constant at
teudant fom her childhood, to.k him down
one day to the depot, where he had an op
portunity to examine it. and saw it move
away with heavy train attached. He ex
pressed himself as satisfied. said he could
tell God he had seen railroad" and has
never since expressed any curiosity on the
sucJect. We can truly say that Kansas
CITY has lost her oldest oo1 r,,,s+ ,,otoJ -;