The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-07-12

Some eight years ago he performed the
feat of walking to the Gum Tree, nearly
ten miles off, in one day. His appetite is
excellent, and he lives on plain food. He
never learned trade, but has been plod-
ding farm laborer most of his days. He is
no education. Probably in his younger
days, when the part Of the country in
which he lived was a forest, in which the
red man yet roamed, the opportunities for
education were rather slim. In politics
he has always been Democrat wonder if
that had anything to do with his longevity
and has voted, he thinks, at every election
with the exception of ono, since the for
nation of the government, and the time
he missed casting his ballot was last fall,
at the October election, when he was not
assessed. He was on hand at the Presi-
dental election, however, and voted for
Greeley and Brown. He was formerly
very fond of hunting, and was good shot
with fowling piece. Some six years ago,
when cunning in the woods, he was lucky
enough to kill two squirrels at one pop.
Mr.. West did not marry until a gay
young man of fifty or flfty-fve years, and
then married quite a young woman. His
wife died twenty eight years ago, aged
somewhat over fifty. He had fourteen
children, four Of whom are living. His
daughter, Mrs. Louisa Davis, is a pleasant
woman of about fifty three, who gave US
cheerfully, all the information about her
father that was in her possession. She
can recollect him nearly fifty years ago,
and then he looked about as old, and his
head was just as white, though his form
was little less stopped, than now. She
believes him to be nearly 116 years of age
Mr.. John K. Booth, an old gentleman of
rs, who happened in during cur interview,
had known Mr.. West nearly sixty years,
and when he was a boy he was known as
cold Zeke West" was white haired
man, apparently SIS to 60 years of age,
when he, Mr.. Booth, was boy of Is or
IS years. Another old resident of the
neighborhood, past so years of age, recol-
lects Mr.. West was nearly 70 years, and
always as an old gray-haired man. All
this testimony, with other evidence, tends
to confirm the great longevity of this re-
markable man.
He has been singularly free from the
ills to which human flesh is heir. He had
slight spell Of sickness seven or eight
years ago. About year since he had
slight attack something like apoplexy, on
which occasion physician who was called
gave it as his opinion that there was no
use prescribing for him, that he could not
get WE'LL that the life clock that had tick
ed SO long and ceaselessly was about to
stop. Another doctor was sent for, how
ever, who gave him some medicine, he re-
covered, and has since been as hearty as
ever. We should not be surprised if he
lived for some years yet. We have never
seen old George Labar, of Monroe county,
but think if the two old men could be got
together, Ezekiel West would prove the
best man of the two, either in lift,
wrestle, or foot race.
We think the secret of the great long
evity Of Mr.. West lies, first, in an excel
lent constitution; second, in his having
always been an out door laborer; third, in
his plain food and regular habits, and
fourth, in cheerful and contented dis
position. He has never been pinched much
by poverty, nor pampersd by Injuries and
riches.
And now, reader, having given you
some account of this remarkable man,
than whom the world can show but few
older persons let us reflect moment on
the long vista Of years over which he has
passed in his life journey. Ordinary men
are old at seventy years, quite old at eigh-
ty, very old indeed at ninety, and few in
deed are the venerable pilgrims who attain
to one hundred years. Yet here is a man
who celebrated his hundredth year sigh-
teen years ago, and is travelling onward
fast towards another quarter of century.
Born in 1855, he was only twenty-three
years younger than Washington, and was
a babe of four months old at the time of
Braddock's defeat, July 9th, 1855. He
was one year the senior of Aaron Burr,
two years older than Lafayette, and was a
lad of fourteen at the birth Of Napoleon
Bonaparte. Tho people of the United
States are preparing to celebrate the CEN
tennial birth day Of our country, and here,
within fifty miles of the spot where the
infant Columbia was born, and within a
couple of hours ride of the State House
from which the glorious news of the
nations independence first rang out, lives
a man who was twenty-one years of age,
and citizen and voter on that 4th of
July, 1776. If old Mr.. West, and old
George Labar should live three years more,
what wonderful thing it would be to
have these two representatives of long
buried generation, whose very ashes have
long since turned to mold in the earth,
present at the great national jubilee
Ezekiel West is an elastic, hearty old man
are far younger men. His friends say
that he don't seem to grow older or fsebler
of late years. 1t would seem, really, as if
the hand of Time touches him very lightly,
if at all, as the years go by-that Death
had forgotten him, and that the Great
Master of the Universe, too, had overlook
ed the name of this his aged servant, on
the books of his remembrance.
| CAN ANIMALS Count. N. Houzeau
says: The mule is supposed to be able to
count as far as five, at least; and this is
considered to be established by the follow
ing observation: There is short branch
line of omnibuses in New Orleans, where
each mule makes the journey five times
successfully before being changed. The
veterinary surgeon of these animals called
attention to the fact that at the end of
Al.