The Morning herald., 1877-12-11
, the yOLDAs'r MAN IN THE
a MI WORLD. ~

A merchant Of st. Louis, who recently
returned from Q tour Of South America has
Given an account of a remarkable old man
he saw in tho city Of Tulca, Chill, whose
name is Felix Rojas, ana who has undoubt-
edly reached the age Of 1877 years. Rojas
was born in 1740 and at an early age
entered, the army, holding the position of
sergeant-major il Spanish line regiment.
When Carlos the Third issued the historic
mandate expelling the Jesuits, Rojas took
charge of two Of the members of the Order
and carried them from Lnares to Santiago.
He served forty,eight years in the Chilian
armies and is thoroughly conversant with
the minutsst details Of Chilian history for
the last century and half Up to one
year ago Rojas was remarkably vigorous for
one of biz venerable age, though for ten
years he has been carried about in porta.
bic chair, in charge of two servants. For |
year he has been failing rapidly, and now |
seldom leaves his house, his physicians pre-. |
scribing absolute quiet as the only means Of |
prolonging his life. Occasionally he may
be seen in his chair in front of his resi-.
dsnce, and the passers-by pay him the
greatest respect He smokes a pipe, and
has used tobacco steadily for 12O years.
His eyes are quite weak now, but he has
never used spectacles, and is generally able
70 read large print. He is not large man,
being scarcely five feet five inches in
height, and never weighed over 15O He is
remarkably well proportioned, bis head be-
ing unusually large and finely shaped" " ,
Singular to relate, Rojas has lived to this !,
ripe old age in defiance of many vicissitudes r.
and habits that are universally believed to
abbreviate mans term of life. From the |r,
age Of twenty till he was seventy he was
habtual drinker, and for long period of
shat time such confirmed tippler that his
health was seriously affected, and it was be- a
lisved that he could not survive long. In 4
1850 he fought bloodless duel with a {.
brother-soldier, and ten years later, in a d
similar encounter with another antagonist
he was 50 desperately wounded that II was
two years before he fully recovered. At :
one time he suffered double fracture of :
his right leg by a caisson-wagon running T
over it. He was also wounded twice while 4,
lighting in battle. He has had the yellow ec
ever and has been repeatedly prostrated by &t
'ther malaria fevers that prevail in all parts r n
NSouth America. 1t seems SO remarkable B,
hat one should be preserved to such an | t Il
extraordinary age after passing through so "a "a
many exciting adventures and accidents by VS.
ed and food. Rojas is theson of Span. ~ ~
'h noblemnan, who fled his country for a
oltlcal offense and settled in Chill under Sc
assumed name. The son lived almost We We
alf century before he found out the true ex
lstory of his father, and upon the discov- an e.,
y he made trip to Spain and succeeded Mo ",
obtaining from the government the title an
nd possession Of valuable property which tra Ma
aa been confscated. This is the only lon
0ysse hojas has ever made away from his the
A'lVe country, The venerable old man ren ren
as ample means, and is surrounded by a AN
umerouS line of descendants, consisting of Hi III
naren' grandchildren, great-great, and In In,
teat great-grandchildren. Oft