The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-09-28
The Oldest Man In the World.

At last the oldest inhabitant has turned up.
There is no doubt about the fairness of this
claim to this title and no chance that rival
will soon appear, for this venerable PERSONS
age exceeds by half a century even that of old
Parr, who is perfectly well known to have
beaten every other patriarch since the antedl-
luvian days, 1t is perhaps, drawback that
the undiscovered centenarian, or rather
Iduo-centenarian, is an American. One is in
clned to grudge that pushing and somewhat
"stuck-u up" continent the possession of all the
biggest Oldest as well rs newest things But
there is no help for 1t in this case. We must
bow to antiquity in the person OF the very old
fellow who has been described by the cores
pondent of a German paper lie resides in
the republic of Colomba-a state whose chief
products seem to be tobacco, straw hats, monks,
volcanoes and enthusiastically the last
and he is II halfcaste, Miguel Soils by name.
AT recent conference Ofphysicians in Bogota.
DR.. Luis Hernandez told how he had inter
viewed the patriarch. Soils it appears, is
modest enough to claim an age of no more
than $50 years, but his neighbors, all whom of
course have known him from infancy, rcpu-
date the notion that he is such a youngstcr,
and loudly assert that he has Overpassed his
second century. The evidence on this point,
it must in Candor be admitted is not quite con-
elusive. The oldest inhabitants told DIR. Her
handles that when they were boys Soils had
the reputation of being more than century
old and confirmation of this is said to be al
forded by the fact that signature which Soils
recognizes as his own appears among the list
of contributors to the cost OF erecting the con-
vent of San Sebastian in 1712, when he was
sprighty infant of so or thercabout. But, I'M
fortunately rs no witness of this interesting
signature can be found In the natural course
of
good faith or his memory, and, without being
uncharitable we may fear that one or the 9th
er may be defective. For the rest, the aged
curiosity is interesting enough DIR. Herman.
dies found HIM in good health and at work IL
his garden. His skin rescmbled parchment,
and his long, snow-whle hair was wound
about his head in turban fashion His eyes
cleaned 40 tixedly Us to make his visitor feel
uncomfortable when looked at lie attri.
buted the length of his life To regular ana
moderate diet. He eats only one meal day,
but that consists of strong and hearty food"
to which he dcvotcs himself assiduously for
an hour at IL stretch, having discovered that no
man can eat more in IN hour than he can dl-
gest in twenty four hours. But this is not all,
for he fasts two whole days every month, and
then rcfrcshes himself by cOpious draughts OF
cold water, which is probably more stlmulat-
ing diet in those regions than II Is in Europe.
Finally, he always lets his food get cold before
partaking of 1t, and he considers that this pre-
caution has had great deal to do will, the
prolongaton of his life, On the whole, how
ever, one would like to know more about this
parchmentskinned and weird-looking hermit
of the Colombian wilds before crediting the
statement that he came into the world just As
Cromwell was leaving it, and that ne was an
Ociogenarian ut the time of Culloden. The old
fellow may be practical joker, and may owe
his highly effective makeup" to the monks
of San Sebastian, who would be sure TO enter
INTO the fun of the thing-Losdon Telegraph,
tina o3