Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-03-01
The Oldest Man in the World.

A merchant of St Louis, who recent
ly returned from a tour of South Amer
lea, has given an account of remaka
BILE old man he saw in the city of Tulca,
Chill, whose name is Felix Rojas, and
who has undoubtedly reached the age of
1871 years. Rojas was born in l74O, and
at an early age entered the army, hold
ing the position of serjeant- major in
the ps,1h Third I's issued the historic mandate
expelling the Jesuits, Rojas took charge
of two Of the members OF the Order
and carried them from Linares to Santi-
ago. He served forty eight years in the
Chilian armies, and is thoroughly con-
versant with the minutest details OF
Chilian history for the last century and
half. Up to one year ago Rojas was
remarkably vigorous, for ten years he
has been carried about in portable
chair in charge of two servants. For a
year he has been failing rapidly. and
now seldom leaves his house, his phys
icians prescribing absolute quiet as the
only means of prolonging his life. Oc
casionally he may be seen in his chair,
in front of his residence, and the pass
ers-by pay him the greatest respect.
He smokes pipe, and has used tobacco
steadily for l2O years, His eyes are
quite weak now, but he has meyer used
spectacles, and is generally able to read
large print. He is not large man, be-
ing scarcely five feet FIVE inches in
height, and never weighed over 15O'
He is remarkably well proportloned, his
head being unusually large and finely
shaped.
,, Singular to relate. Rojas has lived to
his ripe old age in defiance of many Vi
cissitudes and habits that are universal
ly believed to abbreviate mans term
of life From the age of twenty till he
! was seventy he was habitual drinker,
and for long period of that time such
confirmed tippler that his health was
seriously affected, and it was believed
that he could not survive long. In 1880
he fought bloodless duel with broth
er soldier, and ten years later, In SINH
lar encounter with another antagonist,
he was so desperately wounded that it
was two years before he fully recover
ed. At one time he suffered double
fracture of his right leg by a caisson-
wagon running over it. He was also
wounded twice while fighting in battle.
He has had the yellow fever, and has
been repeatedly prostrated by other ma.
larial fevers that prevail in all parts of
South America 1t seems so remarka-
bic that one should be preserved to
such an extraordinary age after passing
through so many exciting adventures
and accidents by field and food. Rajos
is the son of a Spanish nobleman, who
fed his country for political offense
and settled in Chill 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 discov-
cry he made a trip to Spain and sue
ceeded in obtaining from the govern
ment the title and possession of valua-
BILE property which had been confscatcd.
This is the only voyage Rojas has ever
made away from his native country.
The venerable old man has ample means.
and is surrounded by a numerous line of
descendants, consisting OF children,
grandchildren, great great. and great
| oroat = rroat GRAND children