Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-03-15
THE SECRET OF LONGEVITY.
Cincinnati Enquiror.l

Cincinnati EnQuirer.l
When the convention of South
American physicians met in Bogota
last June, extracts from their pro-
ceedingS were published in the Cor
rero Nacional, Spanish weekly,
owned and edited by Colonel Gas
car, ex-prcsident of New Granada.
In the first week of July (1877) the
Correro printed in extenso a paper
which Senor LUZ Hernandez, Md,
had read before the convention, and
which had created quite a sensa-
ton, even among the non-profes-
sional portion of his auditory. For
two days the Correro office was be-
sieged like a bank that has run
on it, and when the orders from
Quito and Caracas came in, it
happened for the first time in the
colonel's journalistic experience
that he had to print an extra edi-
ton.
The doctors report, which has
since been published in pamphlet
form, referred to what he might
we'll call "a case of longevity
unique in ours, if not unprecedent-
ed in former centuries" the case of
a supposed double centenarian.
During visit to the town of Santa
Cruz, in the province of Sierra
Frontera, the doctors attention was
called to lusus nature, an old,
half-breed mountaineer, who, as a
village priest of the neighborhood
informed him, must either have a
contract with the devil-which the
ory prevailed among his Indian
neigh bors-or else must have dis
covered a recipe for prolonging his
earthly existence ad infinitum, since
he bad managed to survive at least
four generations, and was now i'm
proving his homestead as if he ex-
pected to inhabit it for another
century or two. DR.. Hernandez
was on the point of leaving Santa
Cruz, but he postponed his depar-
ture for the purpose of interviewing
this patriarch and collecting some
reliable information about him.
Miguel Soils, the neighbors said,
was bis name, and that he was the
proprietor of little orchard farm
in the foothills of the Sierra Me-
silla, which supplied him all his
modest wants, and where he had
lived for very long time; not one
of the oldest settlers could exactly
tell how long.
The old chap was sitting on a
fallen tree, from which he had
sawed some good-sized limbs, when
the doctor entered his orchard, and
without rising from his seat held
out both his hands, and after a
pleasant remark or two in very cor
rect Spanish, resumed his work,
like one accustomed to be bothered
by visitors.
"His Skin," says the doctor, "is
shrunk rather than wrinkled, fit
ting his forehead aud temples like
tight drawn parchment and bring
ing his cheek bones into strong re-
lief. He wears a long beard, gray
ish-black, with white underground
about his neck and ears, and twists
his snow-white hair into a turban.
like coilFlre, which gives him quite
an Oriental appearance. His eyes
are bright-disag bright,
might fay-for it made me uneasy
when he Fixed their glittering light
upon mine; but they have also the
power of transfguring his face into
an expression of magic intelligence,
lie did not appear to be much ema-
his hands and writs at least
are tboae of stout, healthy man,
and his gsitbetrayed no sign of fail
ing strength. heard afterward that
he had been pestered by land agents
from Santa Cruz, who wanted to
buy bis land In spite of him, which
explained his singular behavior on
that evening, for when ! eompli-
mented him on the tidy appearance
of his farm, he stared, shouldered
his ak and wished me good night. |
l must excuse him, be said, be had |
some necessary work to finish beiofo |
sanset"
Before the doctor repeated his !