Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-10-05

A merchant of this city, who recently
returned from tour of South America,
has given a reporter of the Globe Demo
crdt an account of remarkable old man
he saw in the city of Tulca, Chilli, whose
name is Felix Rojas, and who has un-
doubtedly reached the age of 1876 years.
Rojas was born in 1740, and at an early
age entered the army, holding the posi-
ton of Serjeant- Major in a Spanish line
regiment. When Carlos the Third issued
the historic mandate expelling the eJesuits
Rojas took in charge two members of the
order and carried them from Linares to
Santiago. He served forty eight years in
the Chilian armies, and is thoroughly
conversant with the minutest details of
Chilian history for the last century and a
half. Up to one year ago Rcjas was re-
markably vigorous for one of his vener-
able age, though for ten years he has
been carried about in aportable chair, in
charge of two servants. For a year he
has been failing rapidly, and now seldom
leaves his house, his physicians pre-
scribing almost absolute quiet as the only
means of prolonging life. Occasionally
he may be seen in his chair in front OF
his residence, and passers-by pay him the
greatest respect. He smokes pipe and
has used tobacco steadily for 100 years.
His eyes are quite weak now, but he has
never used spectacles, and is generally
able to read large print. He is not a large
man, being scarcely five feetfive inches in
height, and never weighed over $50. He
is remarkably welH.proportioned, his head
being unusually large and finely shaped.
Singular to relate, ROjas has lived to this
ripe old age in defiance of many vicissi-
tudes and habits that are universally be-
lieved to abbreviate mans term of life.
From the age of twenty till he was sew
enty he was an habitual drinker, and for
long part of that time such a confirmed
tippler that his health was seriously al =
fected, and it was believed that he could
not survive long. For sixty-six years
he has not tasted intoxicating drinks, e8-
cept as medicine. In 1880 he fought a
bloodless duel with brother soldier, and
ten years later, in a similar encounted
with another antagonist, he was 80 des-
perately wounded that it was two years
before he fully recovered. At one time
he suffered a double fracture of his right
leg by a caisson wagon running over IL.
He was also wounded twice while fight
ing in battle He has had the yellow
fever, and has been repeatedly prOstrated
by the other malanal feVers that prevail
in all parts of South America, 1t seems
- remarkable that one should be pre-
, served to such an extraordinary age,
after passing through so many adventures
and accidents by field and flood. Roias
7 is the son of Spanish nobleman, who
fed his country for political etfense
and settled in Chilli under an assumed
name. The son lived almost half cen
tury before he found out the true his
tory OF his father, and upon the discovery
. he made trip to Spain, and succeeded
in obtaining from the Government thu
, title and possession of valuable property
which has been confiscated. This is thu
only voyage Rojas has ever made ava!
= from his native country. The venerable
I old man has ample means and is sur
? rounded by a numerous line of descend
n ants, consisting of children, grandchlld
rem, great'grandchildren great,great
5 and great-great- great grandchildren
! 50. Louis Globe Democrat,