The New York herald., 1878-10-30
OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD.
HIS BETTER HALF-NoT sURE wHRrHER he
WAS BORN IN 1772 Or 1773. 4et


SOME "REMINISCENCES OF JAMES WRIGHT AND
HIS BETTER HALF-Nor suRE WHETHER HE
WAS BORN IN 1772 Oh 1878.
new case for the Investigation OF the curious has
been recently brought TO light IN Newark In the dis
oovery OF two reputsd centonArians, James Wright
and hts WIFE, That books have beon published and
newspaper articles without number written 70 shov
that no being for tho last few centuries has
attained the age Of 100 years Is nothing TO the old
man, for he very probably has never heard OF the
books or seen the newspapers in question.
A HERALD reporter found the aged couple In neat
cottage In Hedgcs' alley In Newark yesterday. On
announcing hts errand he was politely iovned TO Z
seat by Wright himself who arose to greet him. In
the sitting Of the cottage were i've women Of ell
ages. They wsll-,o-do coloroo people OF than
average education, Intelligence and courtesy, and the
old man expressed his perfect willingness TO tell his
story.
..Hope snau't live to be a hundred" remarked q
whitc haired woman who was OF the party. "'Frsid
I'd be talked to DEATH Thore's no end o. people besn
here SEQ father"
Tho old man laughed ehserily. ''I guess 'saint a.
bad as that" he said. And, indeed, he seemed 70
snjsy talking much his listener enjoyed hear
ing. He IL tall and broad shouldored, though spare
Of flesh and somewhat bowed In figure. His features
Intelligent and partial badness over his foro-
head gives him an intellectual appearance, while hi.
Oushy scanty hair is US white as snow snow. small
81 bern in Philip Huylsr's family" he said,
sin April, 1772 or 177a don't remember the year,
but it's tho old AHneke Jams Bible that John Knaus
has. He's lawyer near Bo0nton. belonged to Huy-
Ter tn was twenty-one years old, and then bought
was a blacksmith and worked at my own forge. it
pretty hard work. ana $500 was good pile o.
money mU so'm ps Ons 10 oa
81 for shoeing horse thou. Now they sharge
s. or ss used TO fss Sns six
time only hal TO pay $50 for that she was born
on Jake Van Ness place, bout two or three miles
from where was born. near Boonton dont know
been ABOUT seventy years ago We nave seventeen
children IN all and nine Of them are living"
..Hox many grandchildren have your"
SWELL don,s know exactly; lnors must bs good
..why, there's shirty-six, father" sad one Of the
.'And great grandchildren, now many OF themi"
tFitteen"
.Auy srsa. great graadehildrsns"
Being questioned about mis- wio's age, he said that
the only way he had OF fixing that was by what her
she was nvo years younger than hG, by which he
recKoned she must be over hundrod
GEHRRAL wAsHINCrox.
81 remsmbsr scoing General Washington once" he
said, laughing. "Pil never forget that day. was
sitting Dy the cellar door and some OF the Light
Horse Troopers rode by. remember two or three
OF them boarded at house when the camp
was two or threc miles or near Pompton, and
thoy rode by one Of 'em made dash a. mel re.
member he had his sword on ana mis- pistols aud
heistsrs-and ne said. Let's xiii tho litle Indian.
AHd thon my mother caught me up quick aud took me
IN the house. was only httic Fellow and OF course
didn't know Washington, eus the ioks said he was
there with tho troopers"
THIS the only Revolutionary reminiscsnce tho
old man had. aud he explained being called a "itle
INDIAN by saying tnat ms hair 'stuck up straight
In those days" He remembered the sf 1872
very well and the enlistment OF soldiers, but had
never enlisted cared TO. HIS strength, he said,
had been very groat ms younger Gays, and ne
thought nothing Of taxing barrel io Of cider 10 his
hands and, rolling It fret Oh his knees, throwing u
a cart For the last forty years, however, his
strength had been failing. He was still able " walk
Ms well as any one, but he couldn't chop as much
wood a. formerly
.swny, don't you tell the gentleman about carry
ing dead hogs your back 2" said his wife, hearty
LOOKING woman, who sat quietly sewing
He laughed, swell, thought was telling enough I;
but used TO do Il, killing tmcs"
but the right eye was injured somo time ago. He
smoked but once, when IL made MIN very sick
and never used tobacco IN any other shape Liquor
he used TO drink 10 company until within the last
forty ycurs so, when hc has not used u at all
.REcKyT'' ATTACK or rEvER.
"Havo you over bosn sick?" asked the reporter.
swell, had the measles aud such things and I
was vaccina;ed and didn't feel very we'll Tor icw
days And then had tho typhoid fever once,
Tho aged couple are staying with their children
now but the old mau said that he had engaged
pentor 10 build house on littIe.piece OF land ha
owned Boonton In the spring he intended 70
20 there 10 live.