The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-05-01
ARELIC OF OLDEN TIME.
A Human Century Plant Which
BIOOmed Ten Years Ago

ARELIC OF YE OLDEN TIME.
A Human Century PIant Which
BiOOmed Ten Years Ago
Correspondence of the Baltimore Gazette.
DEER PARK, GARRETT COUNTY, Md,
April 26.-Net long since was ill.,
formed that man named joe Dick
sou, living some twenty miles from the
railroad IN Mineral county, West Vir-
ginia, was one hundred and thirty years
old. Subsequent inquiry on my part
showed that although the old gentleman
was pretty well along IN years-rivaling
Tennyson's MANY wintered crow that
leads the changing rookery home"-still
when discounted at the bank of fact he
only proved to be one hundred and nine
years and nine months. This is case tor a
medal from humane society. Think of
1t, . We journalists! and pore der there
upon he never saved George Wash.
ington's life, never held his horse and
never even saw him. l went to see Dir.
Dickson last week. Crooked is the road.
narrow is the path, and damnable are
the rocks upon the way to his hospitable
roof. found the kind old man to
be quick in mind and tongue, but his
body is very weak, and before many
months l tear he will be gathered to his
fathers. Up t, last summer he worked on
his fine large farm, moving and reaping
with the best Even now he shaves
himself regularly once week with
firm, steady hand. The story which he
tells # bis lie is substantially this: he
WAS born at Wheeling, then Fort
Wheeling, in 1868, and his earliest re-
collections are of being hurried into the
fort on account of raids by the Indians.
Whom he was about ten his mother
moved to Baltimore, his father having
been killed in the war of independence,
and in that city they remaiued short
time. baltimore WAS q tollerble good
town even then, and did q power OF bust
ness" be says, but not finding much
work they moved into the mountains
where he now lives and where ne has
been for nearly a century.
During the war of 1872 he stayed at
home, although he says some of our
people went but at Washington they
were told to retreat, and they meyer
stopped till they came clear home,
which was about the best thing they
could do Mr.. Dickson began to drive
wagon on the old National pike to
Baltimore and Washington soon after
the war. He would buy venison al two
and a half cents per pound and sell for
twelve and a-halt and also dealt little
IN butter He frequently sold the
latter TO President Jackson's steward,
and once the President overlooked the
transaction himself. ale took II silver
halt dollar says Mr.. Dickson, "between
his thumb and fore6nger, and took II
little dip into each piece OF
butter, and then he'd taste it.
He liked all my butter but
one roll, and said he wouldn't have 1t. as
1t tasted qusre. Onest, while Jackson
Was President Teller named Cunning
ham went to Washington with me and
we stopped at the same hotel. The first
night we were there, some tellers said II
YOU went to the Presidents house while
ne was a eating he wouldn't ask you to
sit down. Cunningham sand he'd bet
ten dollars it wasn't SO. aid they took
to the room where jackson was estin'
breakfast. The old man axed him who
he WAS, and be said his name WAS Cun-
ming ham, and ne was from the noun.
tsins of Virginny. "Rss anything
strange happened up there2' says Jack
son. Not much" says Cunningham,
"Only that cow had three calves"
three calves Why how do they
teed2"
"Well, two on 'em milks the old COW
and one stands and looks on the way
m doing"
"Pre,ty good" says old Hickory.
laughing. "Tske cheer, Mr.. Gun
nipgham, and have some breakfast
There wasn't but two or tire" fami-
lies I'D here in those days and L could
oct \ wagon-load OF venison $500
nounds) in two days. l remember u
man named Mccartney, who came here
about fifty or sixty year ago to dig Tor
money. He dug great hole up there
among the rocks, but it got full OF water
and he had to quit. He tole mt he dug
iii, be heard the houn's b. barking in hell,
and then he allowed he'd leave. l wish
he'd staid away, for he built q cabin,
and one day in summer, when the dies
uss had. sixteen horses that was out to
nss,ure 90. in it, and the door was shut
somehow and they all died"
Within a few wards of Mr. ID ckson's
bonse is a powerful sulphur spring, re-
nowned for its medicinal properties, and
in former days great resorted to by In
vslids. Some of the powers sscrlbed to
this water are, to say the least, singular.
II ~ bsld- headed man will wash his cran!-
nm four or FIVE times IN 1t the hair Will
come out thickly. l asked Mr.. Dickson
# no meant that the little hair the man
bsd would come out under this treat
ront hut he scorned the feeble joke and
s.;dtbe hair would be thicker than be-
fore The first white man that discover
cd the spring found we'll beaten path
"a i, and the spring itself walled up,
oy,dsnt,y by the Indians, as scslplng-
Ir,fe Law among the leaves at the bottom
7 am inclined to believe that the "hair-
raising" virtues of the water came from
thst old knife. Mr.. Dickson is very
nowertuIly built, standing SIX feet two
inches in his stockip gs. He had eleven
children, several of whom are living.
md from them are descended forty
~rsndchildren, sixty -eight great grand
eb;Idren. one hur bred and twelve great
sreat-grand children, aud two great
Great great grand children. One OF the
! latter, prattling baby, not quite year
old. frequently is danced upon the knee
of the head of the family, SIX genera
| -. o1aar than the little innocent. Sew